Abstract. In her first major scene in the shows pilot, Jules arrives at a roadside motel nervous, but excited to meet a hot daddy for a Grindr hook-up that soon becomes chillingly impersonal. Possibly the most significant is Ako, the owner of Earth Angel in . I said [to Sam Levinson], Jules is the one who gets herself more than anybody else on this show. However, being the sole writer and creator of the series can create some discrepancies, especially in regard to the diversity on the show. Editorial: NYU lifted its mask mandate, but now isnt the time to be idle. Oops. of Black boys and men as hyper-athletic in his first year of college. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Sam took me to the edit booth and showed me the opening to episode 4 where Jules is a child, and its really hard. I dont come and just put my brand on top of something and say its OK. Marginalized people want stories that represent the length and breadth of their experiences, good and bad. 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. Rue was concerned for Jules safety and tried to convince her to meet this person somewhere public. "I don't know if I'm a . 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. Amid gut-wrenching scenes of overdoses and withdrawals is a take on sexual orientation and power dynamics that becomes more questionable as the episodes go on. Rachel Shatto. This is fuelled by a glaring absence of diversity in writers and creative directors. Levinson is a heterosexual white man in his 40s and it shows. Now it's been renewed for season 3 after viewership went up by 100%. Cis women have been objectified for many, many years. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. It doesnt have anything to do with sexuality. . Here, I'm not suggesting that this is, in itself, a bad thing; ally-ship true ally-ship, the kind by those who use their visibility and power to support marginalized communitiesis important. And as such, the characters are never boxed into stereotypesthey are allowed to just be. Asking this of Levinson is likely to be unfruitful. Pose is a fictional TV series set in New York City in the late 1980s and early 1990s. July 22, 2019. His character enduring something so traumatizing, even just to watch, just to be sidelined. Levinson wrote McKay getting sexually assaulted into the story for it to never be acknowledged and developed or for McKay to heal. Rue finds out that Jules is trans in the third episode of Euphoria. Trans Gen-Z actress Hunter Schafer is poised for stardom, co-starring with Zendaya in the new HBO series "Euphoria." . Under the current guidelines of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, hormone replacement therapy is reserved for children 16 and older, while puberty blockers are typically used for those under 16. The objective of this article is to explore this second perspective by analyzing the representation of Jules, a trans female character from the American series Euphoria (Levinson et al., 2019-present). But we cannot limit representation to those in front of the camera. Member. 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. RELATED: 10 Best Quotes From Euphoria Season 2. Photos Courtesy of HBO TV Features Euphoria. Euphoria Resolved Season 1's Biggests Cliffhanger In The Most Underwhelming Fashion. 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. And the thing is, like the self-harming isnt about Jules being trans, except that of course it is. Being listened to as a trans person is a powerful thing in and of itself. Curious, adventurous, and carefree, Jules soon catches the eye of Rue Bennett as they start their junior year. Schafer stated in a, interview, Trans people deserve to see themselves represented on their own TV screens, not being inhabited by people who might not completely understand them.. Between the first and second seasons, there are seldom episodes that feature the writing of others. 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 record-breaking second season premiere of Euphoria comes in the wake of a provocative first season.Controversy is great for views, but these massive numbers make it evident; there is more than . 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. 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. Still, its a delicate line to walk, especially when the character is supposed to be underage (though Schafer is 20). 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. 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. 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. Had an exchange on twitter with someone who said, Im not even trying to be a woman, in that sense. I feel the way it One topic that often came up was how wild the show was and its most . LGBTQ+ representation in Euphoria. Holidays His role as the only Black male lead is replaced by Elliot (Dominic Fike) in season two a drug addict, another racist stereotype. Raised in Raleigh, N.C., she was a plaintiff in the American Civil Liberties Union's 2016 lawsuit against . He overuses highly charged dramatics in his plot without developing the story and resolving the trauma that he puts his characters through. When she was growing up, Schafer . Bella Hadid Is the Blondest Shes Ever Been in New TikTok Video. Just a reminder before tonights premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences, wrote Zendaya. Euphoria is one of the most popular shows around right now and the character of Jules has become a cultural icon for trans teenagers and transgender youth. Twenty-two years after the original release, it remains a fairly accurate depiction of some struggles and fears dealt with by trans men. Polygon spoke with Schofield about his consulting work on the series and the contact high of working on Euphoria. Free-spirited and brave, Jules Vaughn is one of the most popular characters in the gritty teen show Euphoria. If its the closest thing to being desiredIll take that. 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. The Yakuza series has multiple trans characters, mainly women. I dont trans-wash things. An internet sensation. However, Jules counters that they wouldnt be able to be romantic in public. Published Jan 26, 2022. Tragically, Kat does not get the chance to recover from this traumatic experience and is instead reduced to a. 10. Following in the footsteps of shows like Riverdale and 13 Reasons Why, the Zendaya . While teen drug abuse has . And I get it its dramatic and interesting and theres a lot of great TV drama there, but come on, catch up. Courtesy of Eddy Chen/HBO. 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. Euphoria and Pose offer two very different trans . Its because that narrative was listened to. "I do like people to know that I'm not a . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Feels So Real, Even When It Isn't Realistic. 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. Hunter Schafer plays Jules and is trans in real life. 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. Why is he using his negative views of people like us for this show? 1. A high femme newcomer in town, Jules . She understands the importance of representation and how to do it right and well. Oct 21, 2020. That makes Euphoria the first trans show to employ a straight male gaze, the term coined by Laura Mulvey and popularized by Soloway. Trans excellence is finally holding water on mainstream television. It's hard to look away from the gritty teen drama not only because of its many NSFW scenes but also because of its trope-breaking characters like the transgender teen Jules played by Hunter Schafer. Whatever lengths Levinson went to in order to mitigate his perspective (and he consulted transgender sensitivity trainer and actor Scott Turner Schofield extensively) as creator, producer, writer, and director of the series, theres no denying that Euphoria employs his gaze and it has been met with acclaim. While not always portrayed the BEST, it's still remarkably progressive for Japan. All Rights Reserved. This turmoil peaks when McKay is sexually assaulted by members of his team and his fraternity brothers as part of a hazing ritual. program slammed Euphoria to TMZ, with a representative saying, " Euphoria chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addictionand other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today's world.". Reym. Required fields are marked *. 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. The only confirmed gay male character comes in the form of a violent, predatory middle-aged man, who hoards videos filmed nonconsensually. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Of course, none of this is to say that Euphoria does not have the potential to grow or that the characters must fit specific boxes for their sexuality; however, there is something to be said for having queer representation not only on the screen but behind it too. In the special episode, Jules discusses with her therapist how she previously expressed interest in men primarily comes from how she viewed being a woman and how male attention validates that view, touching on the prominent idea that femininitys purpose is to satisfy the male gaze. Personally, yes, I do find "Euphoria" to be homophobic and transphobic. For her activism against the HB2, Teen Vogue listed Schafer on its "21 Under 21" list in 2017. Over a quarter of all transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents (almost 27 percent) reported being denied care. 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. Warning: spoilers abound! In stark contrast, she has a good relationship with her father, who supported her transition at a young age. Kira. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. With that being said, Euphoria is undoubtedly an aesthetic masterpiece. Who thinks that watching 16,000 ultra-violent gun murders / simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence (American Psychiatric Association, 1998) has fed the fires of our current situation? Your email address will not be published. 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. The objective of this article is to explore this second perspective by analyzing the representation of Jules, a trans female character from the American series Euphoria (Levinson et al., 2019 . Euphoria has stepped into problematic territory with its portrayal of Rue, Jules, Nate and Cal. Writers often center trans characters' gender dysphoria, completely ignoring their gender euphoria.Not only does this enforce the incorrect belief that all trans people experience debilitating gender dysphoria, but it is also a form of the toxic struggle narrative trope. Clementine agrees adding that she loves how the show portrays Jules as a normal teenage girl. And it was his one line that the showrunner admits to having re-written multiple times over , that really made an impact. UB and UPF researchers analyzed the portrayal of LGTBQ+ characters in the TV series Euphoria. Not a good recommendation. Queerty is a trademark of Q.Digital, Inc., registered in the state of California. 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. 06.18.19. 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