HBO’s Euphoria Isn’t So Euphoric

Sexuality, Female Rage, and It’s Glittery Facade; Analyzing Beauty Standards and Sex Positivity in HBO’s Euphoria

By El Weiss

We need to talk. Euphoria, HBO’s nothing but controversial series was one of the first series targeted towards young adults that discusses sexuality so openly. And in my humble opinion, it’s done a not so great job at doing so.

Let’s be real. Our generation notoriously lacked sex education growing up. Meaning, we had to pick up the pieces and learn through the media. In 2019, Euphoria debuted on Max (formerly HBO Max). Like many of our lovely Gut Instinct readers, I was in high school when I first locked into Euphoria Sundays.

Sex positivity is so important and Euphoria and while it is one of the first tv shows directed towards a younger audience discussing sex, it is the furthest thing from positive. Female sexuality is weaponized and is used to demean female characters in the show. I will be analyzing this through characters Cassie and Kat.

Cassie’s, played by Sydney Sweeney, entire essence in the show is to be sexualized and exploited by men such as Nate played by Jacob Elordi. Her entire reputation is categorized as being promiscuous. Nate, who pretends he is in love with her, antagonizes her former boyfriend McKay and goes as far as to ask how the sex is. Nate perceives her as innocent (similar to how he views Maddie) which attracts him to her. Which is ironic as he is one of the main characters who slut shames her.

The role of Cassie’s itemization has gone so far as to only land Sweeney in sexualized roles. If you look at any of Sweeney’s Instagram comments, it is solely men making comments about her body.

In her SNL performance, her body was the butt of the jokes. One scene depicts her as a successful Hooters waitress compared to her other coworkers due to her curves and her perceived pretty privilege. The rest of that night’s skits were similar.

Another great example of this is Kat, played by Barbie Ferreira, who is avoided by men and is deemed as the fat best friend. Her story line’s only development is her journey into online sex rooms and expressing her sexuality through it as a way to cope with the challenges of being bullied by the men in Euphoria’s infamous high school. The characters only start to acknowledge her when she reinvents herself. While reclaiming your self confidence is so important, the execution fell short. Ferreira herself noted her frustration with the plot. “I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either (in reference to the producers),” she said.

As for her only relationship, that was also a trainwreck. Ethan Daley, her short-term boyfriend and now ex, had pined after Kat for months. Kat was unhappy with the relationship and told him she had a severe illness to attempt to break things off. By writing for shock and drama, director Sam Levinson doesn’t give characters such as Kat to breathe and have healthy relationships. While the show aims to show the dysfunctional nature of teenagers, Levinson lacks empathy and non-stereotypical representation. Just to note; Ferreira’s character is a huge step forward towards positive representation in the media. However, there is a long way to go.

It’s arguable that Euphoria isn’t meant to portray sex positivity. It’s a raw depiction of young adulthood and focuses on the struggles the characters face both internally and externally. However, this doesn’t mean we can throw it out the door. Shows such as Sex Education perfectly captures this vulnerability without sacrificing quality representation. I would also like to call out Minx, one of my favorite shows of all time.

On the positive side, the actors have commented on how they utilized intimacy experts all throughout the process of filming. Jacob Elordi who plays Nate commented, “It’s a very safe and incredible environment to do such scenes in.” Sweeney also noted that she, among other actors, have advocated for themselves to Levinson when they felt uncomfortable shooting a scene and he was understanding.

But at the end of the day, Levinson is a man incapable of understanding the complexities of female sexuality. I mean, we are talking about the person who created The Idol. It’s about time that more women are invited into the director’s chair and we create positive representation of female sexuality.