Graphic by Nina Larbi ’22
BY NINA LARBI ’22
HBO’s new teen-focused series “Euphoria” is the subject of much internet praise, due to its skill in capturing the essence of “Generation Z” teenagers, its beautiful cinematography and soundtrack and its characters’ intricate styling and makeup.
The series follows Rue, a 17-year-old high school student fresh out of rehab who does not intend on staying clean. “Euphoria” explores the realities of Rue and her classmates, covering mental illness, sex, drug addiction, family issues and body insecurity. Although “Euphoria” does attempt to encapsulate the current teen experience, it falls victim to many harmful teen media tropes and resorts to shock tactics to demonstrate teenage angst.
The most salient trope is the ages of the actors, most of whom are 23 or older, except Hunter Schafer who is 19. This means that the majority of them have been out of high school for at least five years. Additionally, the cast is unbelievably gorgeous.
Age misrepresentation is nothing new in teen movies and television series, but it remains a glaring issue because it skews teenagers’ perception of what they should look like. If all of the supposedly high-school-age actors of television are actually 23, teenagers will believe that they should be more physically attractive and put together at their young age. Teen media and age misrepresentation has created a false myth of high school as the peak of one’s life. In reality, most people remember high school as an awkward time, not the pinnacle of their lives.
“Euphoria” isn’t a prudish series. The show covers topics like pornography and sexting, which all impact today’s teens. However, the show’s approach to these topics is often unproductive and even harmful. In the first episode of the show, Rue explains that “everyone on the planet watches porn,” followed by a series of clips lifted from various pornographic videos, none of which the producers asked for permission to use.
In addition to not crediting adult performers, the prevalence of pornography in “Euphoria” normalizes its consumption. According to Thorn and Rescue:Freedom, two anti-human trafficking organizations, 63 percent of underage sex trafficking victims report that they had been sold online and 49 percent of trafficked women state that they been filmed for pornography. “Euphoria” is not directly encouraging their viewers to watch porn, but it is normalizing the behavior.
Related to pornography is the character arc of Kat Hernandez, one of Rue’s classmates. She decides to lose her virginity at a party and her partner takes a video of her and uploads it without her consent. After the video is released and she deals with the consequences at school, she decides to become a “cam girl.”
Kat’s story switches from being exploited to exploiting herself. The series resorts to shock tactics to show the painful process of growing up, a trope which is all too common in teen-oriented media.
I have yet to see a teen television show that does not use substance abuse and partying as major plot devices. Having an “adult” experience does not necessarily involve self-destructive habits. Having difficult “adult” experiences associated with growing up is not limited to, or always inclusive of, self-destructive habits.
These shock tactics aren’t even necessary to make the desired point: movies like “Eighth Grade” and “Booksmart,” though very different from “Euphoria,” illustrate important “adult” experiences with a striking realism that still appeals to audiences. “Teen” media often relies on extreme situations to create drama and emotion when in reality, it distances itself from the audience because of how improbable the events are. As excellent as “Euphoria” is considered, it still follows many teen media tropes and relies too heavily on being scandalous.