Euphoria. What’s the Hype?
Euphoria has been described as influential on teens in a negative light
April 19, 2022
Euphoria is a popular show among teens for many different reasons. Some watch it because they find it to be relatable while others just find the plot interesting.
“I find Euphoria relatable because of the mental health aspects. Whenever I am going through a rough patch in my mental health things like Euphoria help me feel better about myself because I feel less alone in my issues,” Freshman Irriannie Rodriguez said.
Teens find the show to be relatable because the show portrays teenagers in high school and many different situations which take place in real-life high schools. Teens relating to the characters of Euphoria can help them feel better about certain issues because they see other people going through similar struggles. For example, the main character of Euphoria, Rue, struggles with drug addiction throughout the series. Seeing another person, especially another teenager, struggle with drug addiction can help with feelings of guilt and can give them a sense of hope.
“I like Euphoria because the plot itself is very interesting. Every time I watch an episode of Euphoria, I cannot wait to watch the next. Something about the story just hooks me in and makes me want to know more,” Freshman Gialanni Galarza said.
Other teens find it interesting for the plot itself. Watching Rue struggle with her drug addiction, watching Jules try to explore her sexuality and femininity while getting into precarious situations, watching Nate try to resist his inner demons, the list goes on and on. Taking all of this in can be a lot, but some may say that that is the exact reason it is intriguing.
“I believe that Euphoria somewhat glamorizes drug use, but I do not believe it is as serious as some people paint it out to be. I feel like with anything being shown in media, there is some potential for people to replicate it, and I believe that in this sense it is somewhat glamorized. The negative effects of recreational drug usage are also clearly shown though, so I do not think drugs are painted out to be an amazing thing,” Freshman Crystal Cardenas stated.
The show portrays tons of drug use. The use of drugs by underage individuals at parties is sometimes seen as glorification. Supposed high schoolers are seen consuming drugs and alcohol. People fear that teenagers, who make up the show’s main demographic, may seek to replicate these behaviors because they may think that it is the cool thing to do.
“I do not think Euphoria glamorizes drug use; it just portrays what happens in high to an exaggerated extent. It is important to remember that Euphoria is still meant to be entertainment and the exaggeration of drug use among other things makes the show more entertaining,” Freshman Rania Mbabazi said.
Others say that the show does not glorify drug use and instead raises awareness about the dangers of drug abuse and addiction. Saying that, Euphoria was never meant to be a moral guideline telling people how to live their lives. This is not the only moral issue people have with Euphoria.
“There is a lot of nudity in the show, and I feel like there is a big issue with that. Specifically, with how highschoolers are shown having sexual relations with old men. In one instance, Jules is shown having sexual relations with a 40-year-old man. Maddy who is 17, is also shown having sexual relations with a legal age college student,” Freshman Jessyarth Lopez stated.
Some people have an issue with the excessive nudity in Euphoria. A rumor about actress Sydney Sweeney being forced to do nude scenes was started on social media platform Twitter. Sweeney denied these claims and said that any scenes she was not comfortable with were cut. Some people still took issue with the nudity in the show and said that even more nudity would be completely unnecessary. The issue for these people is not the acknowledgment that teenage girls are sexual people, it is the way teenage girls are constantly sexualized throughout the show. This adds to the stigma that teenage girls are somehow fair game for sexual attention, which is a very harmful idea. Others just say that the sheer amount of nudity in Euphoria slows down pacing and comes at the cost of character development.
“I think Euphoria is a good show. I like it because it is sort of different to other series because it appeals specifically to teenagers. The things that are discussed in the show and what happens in the show I find interesting,” Freshman Jenna Pugh stated.
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