The idea of young 17-year-old girls sending nudes to their significant other, partying under the influence of molly and getting intimate with old married men is not what any parent wants for their child, but it is the reality of things of some teenagers – including myself. Maybe what bothers parents aren’t the themes of the show, but rather how Euphoria provides a lens into teen issues and teenhood in a way too real for parents with younglings to stomach. With Euphoria being largely based on the experiences of its creator, Sam Levinson, the 22 year old actress pointed out, “Just because it’s not happening to you, doesn’t mean it’s not happening all the time, every day.” ![]() “Whether people like it or not, it’s real,” explained Zendaya, who plays Rue Bennet. It’s full of love and excitement, but it is also troubling and dangerous. The show is racy and provocative and it’s meant to depict teenagerhood in this modern era in an authentic way. Euphoria highlights the difference between a 17-year-old having safe, consensual sex and an underaged 17-year-old being raped in a hotel room, and whilst the difference may not be as apparent at first glance, it may just be the point of the series. The show is an interesting pick considering HBO’s audience base tends to trend more mature (read: old). With a target audience steered towards teenagers, Euphoria seems to blur the lines between empowerment, teenage bravado and glorifying of all things problematic. The 17 year old high schoolers in the show are depicted to struggle with mental illnesses, fall victim to sexual violence and are seen using and abusing drugs for shits and giggles. The flailing of big, small, long, or short penises isn’t the only thing that causes alarm bells to go off. If that’s the only discussion point being brought up when mentioning Euphoria, you know for certain that the person you’re having a conversation with didn’t make it past the first episode. Whilst the scene was later revealed to be key in introducing Jacobs’ struggle with understanding his sexuality later on in the season, parents should otherwise be thankful that it was 30 penises and not 80, like it was initially planned for. And just like Jacobs, viewers nervously attempted to avoid eye contact with the male genitalia flailing about in slow motion, but with 30 penises (that’s right 30) in your face, it’s definitely hard to miss. The infamous scene saw one of the lead characters and jock, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elrodi), get swarmed by an army of naked jocks. When the show first aired in June 2019, the opening locker room scene triggered mass panic in many parents. ![]() Starring Disney’s darling and Spider-Man star Zendaya, Euphoria explores teen-related issues in a bold, explicit and aesthetically-pleasing way. With a second season rumoured to come later this year, HBO’s Euphoria is proving to be one of the more popular teen drama series, without the usual love-sick schtick that permeates the genre. ![]() These TV shows have received glowing reviews from critics but teen dramas like Euphoria who discuss the same (and arguably even more), face harsher criticism despite being oh so popular amongst the younger age group.īut why is that so? And more importantly, why do we love it? TV shows these days don’t shy away from discussing themes that normally wouldn’t make the cut – think sexual assault in The Handmaid’s Tale and racial politics in Watchmen. Ellen isn’t the best queer icon out there, but as a young girl, seeing an empowering representation of a queer individual that’s not secretly cheating on their spouses or dealing with a drug addiction meant the world. Whether Whatsapp Moms love to admit it or not, the media plays a huge positive influence on many individuals – especially when they’re learning about themselves and are looking for others that can relate. And when my mum started putting The Ellen DeGeneres Show on some evenings and said to me with disgust, “You know she’s gay?”, I haven’t loved the media more. It was my companion in the early mornings when my parents were off at work or going about their business. As a kid, I’d wake up and run to the giant TV in my living room. These days, I wake up and the first thing that I look at is the tiny shiny screen that is my iPhone. My media consumption habits have evolved from when I was young, but they haven’t changed in recent years.
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