REPRESENTATION IN HBO HIT SHOW "EUPHORIA"
At Wide Angle, our staff focus on creating opportunities for students to tell their stories. We often discuss what media we view that represents authentic and important youth perspectives and experiences. We also talk about the importance of representation of BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other historically marginalized storytellers behind and in front of the camera. I'm shining the spotlight on Euphoria, an HBO series, because it presents the very real experiences of today's American youth in an exaggerated and dramatic image that tugs at the viewers and their emotions. The series stars Zendaya, a fan favorite, as well as an ensemble cast of other talented actors. Rue, a lesbian biracial high schooler, is followed as she battles drug addiction and examines the realities of her classmates who have their own struggles with weight, sexuality, and race. Euphoria highlights the Gen-Z experience while following in the footsteps of other hit series like 13 Reasons Why, All American, and even the OG that I'm sure many of the older generations know of, Degrassi.
This show resonates with me personally because I have also dealt with some of the issues brought up in the show such as navigating life as a plus sized woman. Although this is a HIGHLY romanticized image of the realities of being plus sized in high school, there are a lot of instances that I and many other girls can relate to. For example, when the character Kat struggles with self acceptance and hates herself because of her difference in appearance compared to her more socially acceptable friends. She is continuously seeking acceptance from others while also attempting to obtain the same validation for herself.
Kat, Credit: HBO
Jules (left) and Rue (right), Credit: HBO
Sam Levinson, the showrunner, addresses gender and sexuality in a genuine way for the audience. To do so, he had to truly listen to trans people in order to portray their stories on screen honestly and accurately. Trans actress Hunter Schafer stars as Jules, who is also transgender and a main character in the show. Levinson cares so much about how trans people are portrayed in this series that he hired a trans consultant to help with the script and casting. This is a significant standard being set for future shows, and I'm excited to watch how it influences other media producers' decisions in terms of creating true narratives and not cutting corners.
I believe that this show is so popular because topics like love, sex, sexuality, and recreational drug-use are hot topics amongst high schoolers. I personally haven't seen a show that forces viewers to be uncomfortable and depicts the real lives and struggles of many young people today other than Degrassi and 13 Reasons Why, which also depicted the realities of LGBTQ+, plus-sized, depressed, and drug-dependent characters. These topics grab young people at a time where they may identify with any of these labels and relate to the struggles brought on by them.
I decided to reach out to some of the young people in our programs and get their opinions on the show and its various topics.
“For the teenagers that watch this show, I would like to tell them not to glamorize any of the relationships or lifestyles portrayed in this show. The whole point is to show that no one is perfect and everything is complicated. If someone walks away from this show wanting to pursue any of these toxic lifestyles, they haven’t truly absorbed the show’s message.”
“The vulgarity and intensity that the show displays sometimes does not reflect my life at all. However the small blow ups and discussions of the show do reflect the reality of the world I am becoming adjusted to, as a young adult pursuing dreams. I would recommend this series for other young adults such as myself. This show is all about discovery and self-reflection. Every character on this show is overcoming adversities and although their actions aren’t always morally correct choices, the tea is always piping hot with entertainment.”
“I am not around nearly as much drama that is in the show. A lot of my friends went to high schools that they said were similar…I would not recommend this show is not for younger audiences and [it is] way too sexualized in inappropriate areas of the show...The fact that it feels like someone is naked in almost every episode despite that these characters are supposed to be seen as minors. Just strange how these actors are supposed to be representing minors but we see them naked more than the average show I would argue. At times that may not be really necessary.”
While this show is for a mature audience, I agree that it is unsettling that the majority of the interactions between characters are in a sexual light. The characters in this show are fictional but are facing real life issues and the writers for the show could provide more continuity in character development, especially in season two. Characters like Kat, who dabbled in sex work to “build her confidence,” and Mkay, who was sexually assaulted as a hazing ritual, were left in season two with little to no resolve or consequences for their actions. This leads young, impressionable viewers with the idea that these actions have no consequences and are chopped up to be “a part of the teenage experience.” The writers should be more intentional with the way they depict these experiences along with their outcomes.
Overall, this show is revolutionary for millennials and Gen-Zers because it addresses issues that they or someone close to them have experienced. I think the meaning of this show is to bring common teenage experiences to light in a way that is cautionary and entertaining.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Chamia Winston is a student at Coppin State University majoring in Health Information Management, who also has an interest in social media management and digital marketing. Throughout her final year of high school and into her junior year at Coppin, she developed life plans, workforce readiness skills, and participated in design projects for clients such as the Baltimore Mediation Center and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Through her passion for bettering the community she hopes to inspire her community to create solutions to the problems they experience first hand.