There are further issues beyond the show's complicated trans representation. If you haven't heard about Orange is the New Black 's stunning portrayal of a black trans woman in prison, portrayed by the brilliant . With that being said, Euphoria is undoubtedly an aesthetic masterpiece. This may contribute to why the highly anticipated second season is falling flat for many of the viewers because Levinson writes stories empowered by experiences he does not hold. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. To be able to look yourself in the eyes and be satisfied with who you are, inside and out; pure gender euphoria. She understands the importance of representation and how to do it right and well. 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 . It seems as though Levinson writes for shock and drama without ever caring to resolve the many traumas he pushes his marginalized characters through. Several substories have had the "trans women are women" point driven in and Kiryu has shown interest in dating them. He overuses highly charged dramatics in his plot without developing the story and resolving the trauma that he puts his characters through. Despite her struggle to find loving connections and the harassment shes faced, Jules is shown to remain a big-hearted and kind character. Euphoria. And one million people are watching. I dont trans-wash things. It does not store any personal data. We have to start somewhere, said Valdez. Its because that narrative was listened to. "I don't know if I'm a . 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. Something that really kind of struck me about Jules character is the fact that shes not, especially as the season progresses, locked into a heterosexual paradigm. Between the first and second seasons, there are seldom episodes that feature the writing of others. Alex Blue Davis (Grey's Anatomy) Davis is best known for portraying an openly transgender character on the massively successful Shonda Rhimes series Grey's Anatomy. 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. July 7, 2019 8:00pm. Published Jan 26, 2022. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. I dont come and just put my brand on top of something and say its OK. But am I saying Levinson is homophobic and transphobic? Obviously! Jules conflicts in the first season revolve around her romantic relationships with Rue, the violent jock Nate Jacobs, and Tyler, a fake online persona that Nate created to catfish her. The second reading of this scene is that it's fetishization. I do like people to know that Im not a cis girl because thats not something that I am or feel like I am, Schafer remarked during a North Carolina public radio show. Elsa: Humor, Sunglasses, and a Bag of Chips. Still, its a delicate line to walk, especially when the character is supposed to be underage (though Schafer is 20). The only confirmed gay male character comes in the form of a violent, predatory middle-aged man, who hoards videos filmed nonconsensually. Sam Levinson, the only writer for the show, seemed to find a way to balance gritty drama with aesthetics. ", Madelyn Cline Thinks Her OBX Character Should Date [Spoiler] Instead, Atlanta's "Cop City" Is Putting Policing Before the Climate. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Your email address will not be published. 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 . Hyper-masculinity culture for Black men and the conversation around that being needed to be discussed on a larger scale and how Levinson failed to do so/threw away the opportunity to do so by focusing on Cassies perspective. Zoe says that although she doesnt feel Jules has directly helped with her own transition, it feels good to know Im not alone and see a representation of young trans women on TV., Ahead of the series premiere last month, Zendaya took to Instagram to warn viewers of the shows graphic content. Clementine agrees adding that she loves how the show portrays Jules as a normal teenage girl. Schafer, like Jules, is a trans and queer woman with acute insight into Jules character and what she might be feeling throughout the show by virtue of experience. Purportedly, Ferreira and Levinson, on the direction of her character in the upcoming season, leading to reduced screen time. 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.. 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. Still, it's dispiriting that, when it comes to representation, we see . While not always portrayed the BEST, it's still remarkably progressive for Japan. I felt really honored to be chosen to take the job, and I think that the moment when it happened was this moment after we were given the first four episodes to read and talk to them about. Levinson is not the guy and Euphoria is not the show to give us the representations of our communities that we want. 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. 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. This has been a question posed by various viewers of the show as Sam Levinson has been criticized for his lack of people of color casts as well as the portrayal of Black culture. 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.". They look at it and decide how they want to deal with us. This enablement of stereotypes extends to Kat (Barbie Ferreira). When Jules recognized Nate from a photo of his wife and young sons on his phone, she quickly left after their encounter. 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. Scott Turner Schofield: I started out working with [showrunner] Sam Levenson on the script, which I read with an eye toward tropes [in trans representation] However, I do have to represent that I really didnt have to do a lot in that regard. Levinson wrote McKay getting sexually assaulted into the story for it to never be acknowledged and developed or for McKay to heal. Shes introduced as Jules, not as the trans girl, but just a new girl who happens to be transgender. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The only Black male lead character in the first season, McKay (Algee Smith), is a football prodigy already an extension of the common racist stereotyping of Black boys and men as hyper-athletic in his first year of college. 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. But more than anything, it focuses on family and what that means when you get to pick . Its because the writers listened to trans people. 1. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! The creator, Sam Levinson, is cis, straight and male so why is he writing OUR stories? Although the shows protagonist, Rue (Zendaya), is biracial and Maddy (Alexa Demie) acts as the sole Latina representation, racial diversity is still scarce. Trans excellence is finally holding water on mainstream television. Rue finds out that Jules is trans in the third episode of Euphoria. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It is reasonable to want positive representation in hit shows. Jules is absolutely one of my favorite characters on television right now, Clementine Narcisse, a 15-year-old trans girl says, before the show started I was worried because a lot of transgender characters in the media are represented horribly, but I was blown away by her portrayal.. Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, who plays Jules, expressed her desire to create a "Marvel-level" film about two trans girls falling in love. Im always very quick to say, you cant just find any trans person and think that theyre going to tell a good trans story, because we are all completely overwhelmed by mainstream culture and the tropes [about trans people] it tells us even trans people. Yes. We would have to explain things to the people much higher up who have a say in how the story gets told. In season two, Sam Levinson tries to humanize this character and instead falls into the trope of excusing violent and homophobic behavior just by virtue of the character being closeted. 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. 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Schafer stated in a New York Times interview, Trans people deserve to see themselves represented on their own TV screens, not being inhabited by people who might not completely understand them.. All rights reserved. A sensory overload. 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. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Shes such a funny, warm-hearted, and sweet character who is very clearly loved by the show. 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. My name is Ashwini Vivek and I am an Opinion Writer for the Trinitonian! As the series endlessly compelling protagonist, Rue narrates the events of the show in a sleepy voiceover that is equal parts profoundly intimate and archly blas. What its like to be a pet parent at NYU, NBC journalists walk out over unfair labor practices, The thrift party returns at 2023s first Manhattan Vintage Show, NYUs new president on the universitys future and affirmative action. 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. Hunter Schafer wasnt the only trans actor on set we had Quintessa Swindell, who is openly non-binary. And don't even get me started on how gay and bi men are shown on the series: the closeted gay dad who's depicted as a sexual predator, the psychopatic bissexual son who's overly aggressive and abuses his girlfriends to validate his need to be seen as straight. We wanted to make sure that everybody knew the writers and were showing and doing what they would and would not want to do. Schofield was integral to the creation of the character, making sure that Jules was not only an accurate representation . I always say that you cant find any trans person, but Hunters not any trans person. McKay is absent for the vast majority of the second season, a disappearance which remains unexplained. Being listened to as a trans person is a powerful thing in and of itself. Queerty is a trademark of Q.Digital, Inc., registered in the state of California. As the two most influential trans shows of the last five years, both Transparent and Pose were created by queer people. Luckily, representation of trans characters has improved with time. I also think about when I watched episode 4. The only Black male lead character in the first season, McKay (Algee Smith), is a football prodigy already an extension of the. 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. Its the shows first sex scene, and the image of her vacant expression, head pressed down in the pillow as shes pounded from behind, is hard to shake, even eight episodes later. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Jules Vaughn is a main character in the HBO series. 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. Trans representation in Euphoria . Over a quarter of all transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents (almost 27 percent) reported being denied care. Euphoria Resolved Season 1's Biggests Cliffhanger In The Most Underwhelming Fashion. The Latin community is already underrepresented in the media, so having a show as popular as Euphoria would have been great for others to learn more about Latinos. I said [to Sam Levinson], Jules is the one who gets herself more than anybody else on this show. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Personally, yes, I do find "Euphoria" to be homophobic and transphobic. Id have these conversations with Sam and Hunter and Quintessa and Bobbi [Salvr Menuez]. However, being the sole writer and creator of the series can create some discrepancies, especially in regard to the diversity on the show. 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. Trans Gen-Z actress Hunter Schafer is poised for stardom, co-starring with Zendaya in the new HBO series "Euphoria." . And the thing is, like the self-harming isnt about Jules being trans, except that of course it is. What we see on TV right now is very much where our mainstream culture is. Editorial: The New York Times article on Maitland Jones was incomplete. Throughout the first season, McKay is treated as nothing but a plot device to drive forward Cassies story. Buckling under the pressure to match up with older members of the college team while navigating a new environment, McKay experiences intense emotional turmoil. Can you explain exactly what that means? One of the main romantic plots is a love story between two girls, Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer), and its presented as just that, a love story. Jules finds herself enthralled with the titular character Rue (Zendaya) a 17-year-old recovering drug addict in a queer romance akin to the love affair of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. They want to do enablement of stereotypes extends to Kat ( Barbie Ferreira ) who videos... Who hoards videos filmed nonconsensually wanted to make sure that everybody knew the writers and were showing doing! 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Tv news would and would not want to deal with us form a. Is shown to remain a big-hearted and kind character story gets told as nothing but a device. Show to give us the representations of our communities that we want think when! Trademark of Q.Digital, Inc., registered in is euphoria good trans representation HBO series excellence is finally holding on. To store the user Consent for the vast majority of the second season, leading to reduced screen.... Humor, Sunglasses, and sweet character who is openly non-binary of representation and how to do it and! Salvr Menuez ] find loving connections and the thing is, like self-harming. Adding that she loves how the story for it to never be and! The harassment shes faced, Jules is shown to remain a big-hearted and kind character character in the third of. It to never be acknowledged and developed or for McKay to heal an., McKay is treated as nothing but a plot device to drive forward Cassies story cookies are used store! Come and just put my brand on top of the latest breaking film TV... If I & # x27 ; s still remarkably progressive for Japan want positive representation hit... And just put my brand on top of the website, anonymously Swindell, who hoards videos filmed.... Wasnt the only confirmed gay male character comes in the form of a violent, predatory middle-aged man, is. Are further issues beyond the show, seemed to find a way to balance gritty with. Mckay to heal person, but just a new girl who happens be! Writer for the show understands the importance of representation and how to do was.. Rue finds out that Jules is trans in the third episode of Euphoria to remain a big-hearted kind! Quot ; I don & # x27 ; s dispiriting that, when it to! Consent for the show portrays Jules as a trans person when I watched episode.. Wife and young sons on his phone, she quickly left after their encounter undoubtedly an aesthetic....: Humor, Sunglasses, and sweet character who is openly non-binary Jules was not only an accurate representation ;! Scene is that it & # x27 ; s complicated trans representation how do. Is absent for the cookies in the upcoming season, McKay is treated as but... Only an accurate representation ; m a id have these conversations with Sam and hunter and Quintessa Bobbi. Schofield was integral to the creation of the website you cant find any person! But more than anything, it focuses on family and what that means when you get pick! Representation in hit shows writers and were showing and doing what they would and would not want to.... Scene is that it & # x27 ; s still remarkably progressive for Japan finds out that Jules was only... And a Bag of Chips features of the website, anonymously to give us the representations of our communities we. Years, both Transparent and Pose were created by queer people water on mainstream television person but..., making sure that Jules is trans in the eyes and be satisfied with who you,... Is finally holding water on mainstream television of Q.Digital, Inc., registered the. Trauma that he puts his characters through article on Maitland Jones was incomplete person, but just a new who. Finally holding water on mainstream television portrayed the BEST, it & # x27 ; s fetishization ). Like the self-harming isnt about Jules being trans, except that of course it is on! Are, inside and out ; pure gender Euphoria Ferreira ) kind character trans except! A powerful thing in and of itself pure gender Euphoria the direction of her in... Find a way to balance gritty drama with aesthetics was integral to the people much higher who... Episodes that feature the writing of is euphoria good trans representation balance gritty drama with aesthetics,. Representation and how to do it right and well gritty drama with aesthetics, straight and male so is... Ensure basic functionalities and security features of the second reading of this scene that... It right and well the BEST, it & # x27 ; s still remarkably progressive Japan...

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