The hit HBO show Euphoria has been the source of much attention and controversy. The show garnered negative press before it premiered and more so once it began, from parents worrying about their teens being exposed to explicit content to others being concerned about the potential glamourizing of drug use. Despite and perhaps even because of these concerns, Euphoria has had an undeniable impact on pop culture.
The Appeal Of Euphoria
When Euphoria was first conceptualized, it was described as an adult version of the Canadian show Degrassi, even being produced by Degrassi alumnus Drake. Degrassi was known for tackling tough subjects like addiction, abuse, self-harming, and depression, but in a TV-PG or TV-14 format. In comparison, the actual plot of Euphoria was kept very cryptic up until the show premiered. Most assumed that it would address the topics that Degrassi did but more explicitly and graphically given its home on HBO; no one guessed just how graphic the show would be.
Zendaya, who plays the main character Rue, is the main draw of the show. Ruby Bennet is a seventeen-year-old drug addict whom we follow as she tries to get sober, or, really, as she mostly pretends to try to get sober. The show opens as Rue finishes her first stint in rehab after an almost life-ending overdose, the same night she meets the new girl in town, Jules. This begins a rollercoaster of a relationship for both Rue and Jules. There are also many moving pieces surrounding them, many characters who go through their respective arcs.
When Euphoria was first released in 2019, most of the cast were not mainstream famous at the time, outside of the three main cast actors Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, and Storm Reid. Gen Z knew Zendaya well for her roles on two popular Disney Channel shows and as MJ in Marvel Studio’s Spider-Man franchise. The role of Rue was something new and more mature for her, something her fans had never seen her in before; her performance pulled people in even though most had no idea what Euphoria was about.
The Show’s Controversies
Euphoria depicts drug use and addiction quite graphically. Rue is an addict who doesn’t see a point in changing. She doesn’t want to be better; she doesn’t necessarily enjoy being a drug addict but also loves drugs. In season one, her and other characters’ drug usage is shown in a glamorous light. When Rue, and sometimes other characters, use drugs, it’s followed by pulsing music and slow motion cinematography that make the scene feel like a party.
Many felt that this over-glamourized addiction and drug use made it seem like it was cool. It didn’t help that Rue has dialogue in season one stating that drugs are cool and the only downside is getting addicted to them. This is coming from the character that’s in active addiction, thought, so these lines most likely weren’t meant to be taken seriously.
While much of the drug usage scenes are filled with captivating music and glitter, the scenes afterward clearly illustrate how much Rue is ruining her life and relationships. Even in the first episode, Rue says that she wishes she could be a better daughter, sister, friend, and overall person, but she just can’t due to her addiction. She describes hating herself not only because of what she’s done but because she knows that she isn’t going to stop using drugs. There are many scenes like this where viewers see Rue’s life and relationships fall apart due to her addiction throughout season one of Euphoria. Outside of her actual usage of them, drug use isn’t glamorized at all.
By season two, not even the usage itself has any sort of glamor to it anymore. Rue’s addiction worsened to the point that audiences were left wondering whether she was going to die by the season’s end. She indulged in much harder drugs much more frequently and was burning all of her bridges. Season two provided a more raw and gut-wrenching look at addiction, devoid of the previous glitz and glitter of season one. It’s worth wondering whether the writer and director, Sam Levinson, always intended this season as a look at Rue’s slow descent into rock bottom or if the backlash pushed him in this direction.
Outside of criticism of its depiction of drug addiction, Euphoria has also been criticized for its excessive nudity, especially given the age of its characters. While all of the actors playing the characters engaging in adult activity were in their mid to late twenties and sometimes early thirties, they’re all playing teens. Most of the characters have had at least one graphic nude scene and also graphic sex scenes. Many feel as though the story could have just as easily been told with college-aged characters and that it even would have made more sense that way.
Euphoria’s Impact On Teens
Euphoria‘s impact on teens was widely seen and felt. Most decided to pick up on the show’s clothing and makeup style. The show incorporates a lot of glitter and colorful makeup, usually worn by main character Jules. In 2019 and 2020, TikTok was full of teens who were dressed in the fashions depicted on the show.
There were many posts online that showed that some teens also began to glamorize addiction. People would make jokes about how they “feel like Rue” when taking over-the-counter medications. Some videos showed teens pretending to be drunk or high while music from Euphoria played in the background. While mostly harmless given that not much came of it, it was still concerning to see that teens were so casually comparing their medication consumption to the graphic addiction shown in Euphoria, or that they would pretend to be under the influence of substances, as though it were a cool thing.
Teens were likely drawn to Euphoria by Zendaya, the glitz and glitter of the costumes, and the virality of the show online. While there were some concerning aspects to Euphoria‘s wide reach, the effects were mostly that of teens relating to the characters and wanting to dress like them. Many related to the struggles of characters like Kat, who lacked confidence due to being plus-sized but gained it throughout season one, or Maddy, who was stuck in the cycle of an abusive relationship.
It’s worth noting that Euphoria is an HBO show with a TV-MA rating. People under the age of eighteen shouldn’t be watching it, nor are they the intended audience. Teens still found their way to Euphoria anyway. This caused parents to be concerned about the content depicted on the show, but there wasn’t much anyone could do about it given the TV-MA rating. Unlike shows like Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, which had a TV-14 rating but parents felt should be rated more maturely because of the content, Euphoria had already been open about the intended age of its viewers.
Final Thoughts
The message of Euphoria is incredibly powerful. The topics that it deals with are heavy and can sometimes miss the mark but are seemingly well-intentioned. While certain aspects of the show could be handled better, the show has powerful messages that it tries to convey. It could certainly benefit from the diversity of a writer’s room rather than just a singular writer’s perspective, but ultimately it does its job of bringing emotion and a rich story to the screen.
The show has had a wide impact across generations, with both good and bad outcomes, but ultimately it hasn’t done too much damage. As it moves away from the lights and glitter that it was once associated with, the younger audience has begun to lose interest. As they were usually watching for the aesthetic rather than the complex storylines, fewer and fewer teens are likely going to be consuming Euphoria moving forward. Euphoria has been confirmed for season three, although the timeframe for release is unknown.
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