The Euphoria of representation: navigating taboo topics in mainstream media

Over winter break, when I was stuck inside with COVID-19, I noticed on social media that the second season of Euphoria was about to start up. I had never seen the show, and I decided to catch up so I would be able to see what all the hype was about. I was not disappointed. It’s important to note, however, that this is just a review of Season One, and my thoughts on how that functioned—I’ve been keeping up with Season Two, and I have many thoughts about the way it’s been playing out, but those will have to be for another article once the season wraps up.

In terms of entertainment, the show is a hit and exceeded my expectations. The characters are complex and full of life, and their relationships with one another are believable and easy to get invested in.

One of the best aspects of the show is how strong the character development is, and how complex and realistic the characters become in only eight short episodes. I feel that oftentimes in shows like this, the characters aren’t portrayed as flawed in a real way, but Euphoria does a good job of creating characters that feel like real people. 

A personal favorite of mine is Kat, who begins the season as an extremely shy and introverted nerd and ends it as a confident, badass dominatrix. Obviously, this transition isn’t seamless, and her way of coping with her insecurities is to undergo a drastic transformation, but watching her grow and change throughout the season was something that felt really resonant and authentic.

The makeup and costuming on the show add a layer of storytelling that really accentuates the plot line beautifully. Jules had some of my favorite looks throughout the show, wearing hyper-feminine colors and out-of-the-box, neon, geometric makeup looks. The makeup and styling choices really accentuate the characters’ emotions well in an expressive way, which made the show incredibly impactful visually as well as emotionally. 

This show is absolutely wonderful in terms of representation, and I was pleasantly surprised by the kind of characters I was seeing on screen. I also find it important to note that the way in which Sam Levinson, the creator of Euphoria, approaches representation, is important in that it is not tokenizing. For example, Jules is a trans woman (played by Hunter Schaefer, a trans actress). Zendaya, the actress who plays Rue, also spoke in an interview about how much she appreciated that Levinson chose her, a woman of color, to portray the character of a drug addict in the show when he so easily could have cast a white man, since he was writing autobiographically about his own lived experience. 

The show is also extremely visually pleasing. The aesthetic is one that is easily recognizable, with distinctive lighting and makeup looks that have absolutely dominated the internet. But what really stays with you from the show is its deeper underlying portrayal of being a young addict, and all the layers that come along with that. 

Rue, the show’s main character and unreliable (as she herself admits) narrator, struggles with drug addiction throughout the first season. The way this impacts her relationships to the people in her life, as well as the relationships of the other characters, is carefully and importantly written and addresses just how complex the issue of addiction really is, especially as a young teenage girl of color.

The show has been heavily criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of high school. The cast is significantly older than the characters they are playing, and the experiences and scenarios the characters go through on screen feel like a little bit of a stretch at times for the 16- and 17-year-old lives they are supposed to be leading. However, I think it is also important to acknowledge the complexities of that age that often don’t get talked about or given airtime in a real, authentic way. This show gives agency to the kind of teenagers that so often feel voiceless.

The show walks a fine line of representation and romanticization. When talking about subjects this sensitive, it’s hard to do so without it feeling exploitative of the trauma those experiencing what the characters are experiencing in real life go through. It is, however, immensely important that we are talking about these things, and doing so delicately, but realistically and honestly. 

Euphoria is a cultural phenomenon, and I’m excited to be watching it unfold in real time.