In season one the gaze directed at Jules was described by many as "trans-amorous.". And chances are, most viewers havent either. Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, 'The Last of Us' Episode 7 Is a Heartbreaking Vision of What Could Have Been, 'The Last of Us' Isn't Playing the Game You Think, The Best True Crime Streaming Now, from 'Unsolved Mysteries' to 'McMillions' to 'The Staircase', Oscars 2023: Best Visual Effects Predictions. And so far, Ive watched the show muck up just about every reality into tropes that feed Republican anger and fear. This is fuelled by a glaring absence of diversity in writers and creative directors. And as such, the characters are never boxed into stereotypesthey are allowed to just be. The fact that its even a question speaks to the depth and breadth of the trans stories finding mainstream success, a reality that would have been unimaginable even five years ago. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. representation has an elemental power. Although the shows protagonist, Rue (Zendaya), is biracial and Maddy (Alexa Demie) acts as the sole Latina representation, racial diversity is still scarce. January 9, 2022 8:00am. Its not getting better and we know why; we live in a society where if it bleeds, it leads. The show desperately needs LGBTQ+ writers, people who are part of the community. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Rue finds out that Jules is trans in the third episode of Euphoria. 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. Much better. There are further issues beyond the show's complicated trans representation. Their powers combined made my job really easy in that regard. The public will be much more accepting (though not ever entirely) if the claim to actual womanhood in life and in law was dropped and just embrace their transhood. It has a very negative perception of the LGBT community. Throughout the first season, McKay is treated as nothing but a plot device to drive forward Cassies story. What I love about [Euphoria] is that it just broke through all of that. Please enter a valid email and try again. Jules points out that Shyguy118 has a conservative mother and is known as a jock. It is not empowering or accepting: it creates a skewed view of homophobia that ultimately lets it slide. Your email address will not be published. Now it's been renewed for season 3 after viewership went up by 100%. And one million people are watching. The show has gotten flak for the mature plotlines, but we highly recommend that you give it a watch for its eye-catching fashion, LGBT representation, and compelling twists. Despite her struggle to find loving connections and the harassment shes faced, Jules is shown to remain a big-hearted and kind character. Tragically, Kat does not get the chance to recover from this traumatic experience and is instead reduced to a. It was a major missed opportunity to show a trans woman being fully sexual and desired. While this may not be a surprise to Rue, it was a huge reveal for viewers because her gender identity is definitively stated in the dialogue. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Of course, Jules character is complex, and there is no reason that she cannot grow and learn more about herself, but that does not change the fact that there is a noticeable difference in characterization between an episode written by Hunter Schafer, a queer trans woman, and the episodes written by Sam Levinson, a straight cisgender man. Its a true, authentic human connection and a state of human being that theyve managed to capture and that people love. 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. Rue was concerned for Jules safety and tried to convince her to meet this person somewhere public. Sam did something that I think is really important for artists to think about in telling the very truthful details of his own personal story. I cast around 80 trans and non-binary extras for a club scene and made sure that they had a gender-neutral changing space. Jules Vaughn, played by acting newcomer Hunter Schafer, is a fully fleshed-out, nuanced character whose complex . Diversity has been a growing issue in Hollywood for some time, as marginalized people want stories that are accurate representations of their own experiences and to be handled with respect. However, two years later, that's proving to not be the full truth for the actor. 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. Him being a cisgendered white man in his 40s being the only writer of the show raises the argument as to how he can accurately portray and write stories for the marginalized characters. It's hard not to fall in love . But they only got to hear it one more time: The series finale aired Sunday (10 p.m. EDT/PDT) after three groundbreaking seasons. My job was to take what I know about being an actor and what I know as an advocate and as a media expert, and make sure that both the actors got what they really needed and were seen the way that they really wanted to be seen and heard and that the audience got the benefit of the representation. Im just doing my own thing. Better. (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.). She also was able to transition at 13 and have a safe place to live, and this is not the reality for many trans teens, including myself.. Euphoria. The series stars Zendaya and Hunter Schafer as Rue and Jules, respectively: lonely teens-cum-star-crossed-lovers whose attraction to each other feels like a constant game of catch-up. Levinson's attempt at understanding Cal runs on a thin line; Cal's backstory is purposely being shown to justify his toxic masculinity and internal homophobia that has been passed down to Nate, who suffers with understanding his sexuality as well. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 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. Transparent producer Zackary Drucker sees the character as emblematic of the larger shift towards more authentic and nuanced trans representation in Hollywood. Trans women, especially trans women of color, face unprecedented levels of violence, often from sexual partners. While teen drug abuse has . Orange is the New Black (2013-2019) Netflix. I dont trans-wash things. We would have to explain things to the people much higher up who have a say in how the story gets told. When do we find out Jules is trans? Editorial: Do no harm, Grossman. These are all the best television and streaming series with LGBTQ+ representation, including 'Pose,' 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' 'Queer Eye,' and 'Tales of the City.' Despite the popularity of Euphoria, the HBO show suffers for its lack of non-exploitative representation. And one million people are watching. While Euphoria 's first season established Cal as an outwardly successful man with a secret life, the second season spent two episodes delving into Cal's backstory and then the breakdown he experiences, which included a spectacular telling off of his family, when he can no longer conceal his identity as a gay man any longer. "Euphoria" may be her first on-screen gig, but Schafer is no stranger to attention. Published Jan 26, 2022. 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Can you explain exactly what that means? Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. I'm a senior Computer Science major and a Classical Studies minor from Newton, North Carolina with a passion for art. On January 26, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Oct 21, 2020. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. And then when I cast all these people who are people from my community here in LA and had them come on set for a few days and just dance in a club, all of the ADs and the PAs came over and were like, This is the best extra crew weve ever had in our lives. Zendaya and Dominic Fike in Euphoria. In terms of representation of people of color in the cast, it can be said that Euphoria is lacking in that department given that the majority of the cast is white, which leaves many of Euphorias non-white audience craving a more racially diverse cast. If the author is not trans and seems fixated on the idea of "a boy with girl genitalia" it's almost definitely fetishism, and feels icky. 1 day ago. Jules is shown to be vulnerable when it comes to romance, and her yearning to explore her sexuality led her to hook up with older married men that she met online. Eddy Chen/HBO. But the difference with Hunter is that she was already an activist. Having queer individuals involved in the story and writing process of shows, not just Euphoria, allows for marginalized groups to have a way to tell their own stories, instead of people who have not gone through their experiences telling it for them. Levinson is a heterosexual white man in his 40s and it shows. In fact, the sexual assault McKay endures is never mentioned for the rest of the season except in passing comments made by Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), his white girlfriend, to her friends. His role as the only Black male lead is replaced by Elliot (Dominic Fike) in season two a drug addict, another, This enablement of stereotypes extends to Kat (Barbie Ferreira). Personally, yes, I do find "Euphoria" to be homophobic and transphobic. Its every cisgender person dealing with the Trans Person Being Trans, and the trans persons only narrative is transition, which would only ever be showing television shows about teenagers. , that & # x27 ; s been renewed for season 3 after viewership went up by %. A very negative perception of the LGBT community often from sexual partners it & # x27 ; s renewed! Resistance Education ( D.A.R.E. how the story gets told & # x27 ; s hard to. Has a conservative mother and is known as a jock is no stranger to.... 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