Something went wrong. Feels So Real, Even When It Isn't Realistic. They look at it and decide how they want to deal with us. We should ask why people think Hollywood is liberal when its almost always a toxic-masculinity dump. The creator, Sam Levinson, is cis, straight and male so why is he writing OUR stories? (In addition to drug addiction, the complexity of sexual relationships in 2019, explored at all angles with a kind of frenetic nihilism, is one of the shows major themes.). It was sort of high and nitty-gritty level work, and I just happened to be really uniquely positioned to do that because of the work that I do. Jules Vaughn is a main character in the HBO series. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Everybody wants to feel seen and everybody wants to know themselves, and thats what the show is really about. It has a very negative perception of the LGBT community. Twenty-two years after the original release, it remains a fairly accurate depiction of some struggles and fears dealt with by trans men. As its first season comes to a close, HBOs Euphoria is posed to become the most provocative series on television for highlighting the tumultuous nature of being a teen in a post-Recession America. 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Oops. In fact, its not much to ask at all. Clementine says that she loves the way Euphoria handles their bond with so much love and empathy., Euphoria is one of my favorite shows on air at the moment, says Clementine, Im very excited to see what direction they take these characters., 2023 Cond Nast. However, being the sole writer and creator of the series can create some discrepancies, especially in regard to the diversity on the show. I dont come and just put my brand on top of something and say its OK. Levinson does not give the character fair time to process, grieve or truly react. This Article is related to: Television and tagged Euphoria, HBO, Trace Lysette. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Trans actress Hunter Schafer is the series breakout star: An advocate turned model turned teen drama star, she infused Jules storyline with her own personal experiences. Thats why its good. Euphoria, like lots of movies and TV shows, especially those created by men, heavily sexualizes its teenage . Register *It's free and easy. Eddy Chen/HBO. I truly believe that the thing that makes cis people love and admire trans people so much is the fact that we understand something really deep about ourselves, and thats actually really special. There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch and can be triggering., Zoe says that she had to stop watching the latest episode as the scene where Nate printed Jules nudes to blackmail her, caused her to have a panic attack. An internet sensation. It seems as though Levinson writes for shock and drama without ever caring to resolve the many traumas he pushes his marginalized characters through. This storyline takes place after the 16-year-old character engaged in online sex work in order to feel confident and desirable the season prior. Please log in to add your commentNeed an account? , There need to be more roles where trans people arent just dealing with being trans; theyre being trans while dealing with other issues. Tragically, Kat does not get the chance to recover from this traumatic experience and is instead reduced to a. Its not getting better and we know why; we live in a society where if it bleeds, it leads. Filmmaker Sam Levinson never does things the easy way, and that's what made the debut season of his HBO series Euphoria so distinctive . McKay is absent for the vast majority of the second season, a disappearance which remains unexplained. Its just hard to deal with stuff like that for me., Perhaps the relationship between Jules and Rue, in whatever iteration, is the most compelling aspect of the show. Queerty is a trademark of Q.Digital, Inc., registered in the state of California. Euphoria. What many find compelling about Jules is that the show does not make her gender identity the entirety of who she is but merely just one small piece of her identity. In this scant screen time, we see Kat struggle with her self-image and self-hatred a painfully predictable and disappointing storyline for one of the few fat women on television. Sam Levinson is, among other things, an egomaniac. Oct 21, 2020. That scene was really hard to watch for me because Ive been in a similar situation and it brought up some stuff that I wasnt quite ready to deal with. The only confirmed gay male character comes in the form of a violent, predatory middle-aged man, who hoards videos filmed nonconsensually. Your email address will not be published. Personally, yes, I do find "Euphoria" to be homophobic and transphobic. It doesnt have anything to do with sexuality. However, subtle details in the semi-biopic film push it into bad representation territory. They really listened and they really represented as opposed to appropriating it for the sake of being trendy and looking cool, and you can always tell when shows do that because [the representation] is never quite right. Photograph: Alexis Desaulniers-Lea. It was a major missed opportunity to show a trans woman being fully sexual and desired. All rights reserved. Theres no take on us its on our own terms. LGBTQ+ representation in Euphoria. Euphoria recently wrapped its first season at HBO, and garnered praise for its representation of trans individuals and stories. Her conflicts and major plotlines show the struggles that she has in common with other teens. We have been lobbying for more complex representations of trans people, and Euphoria is both a measure of our progress and a successful outcome deserving of celebration.. When do we find out Jules is trans? The May Test is intended to be stringent in the hopes that it inspires and produces more original, authentic, and positive representations of transgender people. But I understand that thats what a lot of teens are dealing with these days. As the two most influential trans shows of the last five years, both Transparent and Pose were created by queer people. It made me feel sexy and it made me feel desirable, said Rain Valdez, a transgender actress, producer, and creator of the web series Razor Tongue. [Jules] is the object of desire for many of the characters in the show, which never happens for trans characters in any show or film. A sensory overload. Rue was concerned for Jules safety and tried to convince her to meet this person somewhere public. It is reasonable to want positive representation in hit shows. It was just in this pink football jersey that little Jules was wearing. One of the most compelling characters on the Drake-executive produced show is Jules Vaughn, played by trans actress Hunter Schafer. Schafers chosen pronouns are she/they, and she has openly talked about being trans. Sam Levinson, the only writer for the show, seemed to find a way to balance gritty drama with aesthetics. The Best Picture Race Got a Lot More Confusing This Week, Tom Cruise Made the Rounds This Week, but Other Oscar Nominees Got More Applause Than Top Gun: Maverick, These Oscar Categories Are the Hardest to Predict, Translating the Unconscious Into Images: The Cinematography of Bardo, Poker Face Takes Viewers on a Cross-Country Road Trip Without Leaving New York, Why TR Looks Different from Every Other Movie of 2022, The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World, All 81 Titles Unceremoniously Removed from HBO Max (So Far), 10 Shows Canceled but Not Forgotten in 2022. Its a symptom of what you do to us because were trans. While teen drug abuse has . #19. Ahead of the season finale, Teen Vogue talked to two trans teens on how they felt about the representation of trans youth on Euphoria heres what they said. Jules started transitioning when she was 13 years old. When it comes to characters from marginalized communities, that is often the opposite of what people want. Its because that narrative was listened to. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. In the Amazon shows third season, she has a relationship with series lead Josh (Jay Duplass), the damaged playboy Pfefferman brother. But they only got to hear it one more time: The series finale aired Sunday (10 p.m. EDT/PDT) after three groundbreaking seasons. The second season of Euphoria is preoccupied with a timeworn moral sentiment. From its first episode, the HBO original series "Euphoria" has drawn both excitement and controversy, debates sparking over its choices regarding explicit content and its portrayal of drug use. On "Euphoria," the characters' digital and physical lives are constantly swirling around one another, usually in a downward spiral that ends in alienation and self-loathing. Firstly, it is important to note that Euphoria is one of the most diverse shows on HBO at the moment, and at the same time it isnt. When we see Jules in the series, she is a trans woman already comfortable in her gender identity. So there was that piece of my role as sort of being a content subject matter expert. I love that they have a trans series regular that is fully formed and shes right there with [Rue]. Schafer has also spoken up about the difficulty of coming out in high school as a trans teen. Im proud to be a trans person., Schafer has also spoken up about the difficulty of coming out in high school as a trans teen. And yet, season two has shown that, maybe, Sam Levinson should not be the sole writer of this show. Can you describe what your work looks like as the shows trans consultant? This thread is about good trans representation. "Jules is absolutely one of my . But its not precisely the new hue thats captivating viewers. New viewers wondered early on Is Jules trans in. B. Still, the majority of the cast is white, and some of the shows non-white fans want a more racially diverse main cast. Its raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today. Tragically, Kat does not get the chance to recover from this traumatic experience and is instead reduced to a clich as McKay was. Weelaunee forest defender Tortugita was killed on January 18. Now it's been renewed for season 3 after viewership went up by 100%. Not to mention the common racist stereotyping of McKay being a football player plays into the hyper-masculine and hyper athletic trope often associated with Black men. 1. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Teen Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Also, she gives me a lot of great outfit ideas, so thats always a plus., Seventeen-year-old viewer Zoe shares that although she likes Jules, the audience should remember Jules comes from a privileged background. Doncha love how theyre just abandoning the TWAW thing? Levinson has 0 love for the LGBT community. One of the only Black characters, McKay (Algee Smith), is a football prodigy which fuels the already common stereotypes of Black men having to be hyper-athletic and hypemasculine was introduced in season one, and his storyline has seemed to be abandoned in the new season. Trans representation in Euphoria. Why is he using his negative views of people like us for this show? Its usually us being rejected, or some sort of violence were facing., Euphoria is my favorite show right now. Created by Sam Levinson, and currently airing Sundays on HBO, Euphoria is a dark dive into the addictions and escapism of a group of suburban teens living in the middle of nowhere. Marginalized people want stories that represent the length and breadth of their experiences, good and bad. He is manipulative and aggressive toward his wife, children and anyone who threatens to reveal his sexuality, using his power and wealth to threaten and demean anyone he deems less than him. I would also say it's fine if the author isn't transmasc and is simply writing it at the request of a trans individual. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". And that Sam got that so right without words, just got it completely spot on that was the greatest high, better than any drug Ive ever used. Several substories have had the "trans women are women" point driven in and Kiryu has shown interest in dating them. Yes. Its a true, authentic human connection and a state of human being that theyve managed to capture and that people love. Free-spirited and brave, Jules Vaughn is one of the most popular characters in the gritty teen show, In the first season, we see her trying to navigate her womanhood and problems with intimacy. I always say that you cant find any trans person, but Hunters not any trans person. The show stars fan favorite Zendaya and boasts an ensemble cast of other talented actors. This simply perpetuates stereotypes harmful to the LGBTQ+ community, hand-waving violence and damaging behavior for the chance they might prove to be queer in the end. Representation is more than surface-level, and its time for it to be treated as such. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The show desperately needs LGBTQ+ writers, people who are part of the community. "I'm a proud trans man, Dr. Bailey," he said. ", Madelyn Cline Thinks Her OBX Character Should Date [Spoiler] Instead, Atlanta's "Cop City" Is Putting Policing Before the Climate. One of them was Cal Jacobs, Nates father, who didnt know she was a minor. There are also little to no characters of Asian descentapart from Elliot (Dominic Fike) who is half Filipino which isnt accurate given the show is set in California with a prominent Asian community. 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