Rue was concerned for Jules safety and tried to convince her to meet this person somewhere public. This approach is useful and necessary, but it's missing something. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". So we had to explain that it would be much more authentic to the world that were representing to not do that. In terms of representing the LGBTQ+ community, Euphoria receives full marks as it is a pinnacle of positive representation. "I don't know if I'm a . Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. In addition to this, the shows characters of color and LGBTQ+ characters suffer from inadequate writing from the shows creator and sole writer Sam Levinson. The narrative in cinema and TV series has shown LGBTIQ+ people (lesbians, gays, bisexuals . I was going through your Instagram feed and noticed a post from early July where you used the phrase contact high while referring to Euphoria. Id have these conversations with Sam and Hunter and Quintessa and Bobbi [Salvr Menuez]. Taylor Swift Tarot Will Help You Understand Your Beautiful Ghosts. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Rachel Shatto. That was the real joy of working on it. January 9, 2022 8:00am. 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. His role as the only Black male lead is replaced by Elliot (Dominic Fike) in season two a drug addict, another racist stereotype. 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. What I love about [Euphoria] is that it just broke through all of that. Purportedly, Ferreira and Levinson disagreed on the direction of her character in the upcoming season, leading to reduced screen time. Levinson is not the guy and Euphoria is not the show to give us the representations of our communities that we want. Although many are appalled (myself included) by its graphic nature, it cannot be denied that the series paints a deeply authentic picture of queer people in a way that many shows have been unable to capture. Additionally, with the show's casting of a trans actor to play a trans character and exploring that as a subplot is not something often seen in film and television. Sam Levinson overall has done a fantastic job in creating a thrilling show that leaves the audience on the edge of their seat. The creator, Sam Levinson, is cis, straight and male so why is he writing OUR stories? He is the sole writer and creator of the hit HBO television series Euphoria. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated second season is falling flat and many viewers are noticing why: Levinson writes stories empowered by experiences he does not hold. Trans women, especially trans women of color, face unprecedented levels of violence, often from sexual partners. Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault. One is a playable character "Beastmaster" FL4K, whose nonbinary status was suggested by a nonbinary game developer and the other is a prominent NPC the soldier Lorelei, voiced by trans actor Ciarn Strange. 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. 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. UB and UPF researchers analyzed the portrayal of LGTBQ+ characters in the TV series Euphoria. Then, I came on set and I worked with everybody in the crew. Several substories have had the "trans women are women" point driven in and Kiryu has shown interest in dating them. #19. (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.). Euphorias Hunter Schafer Livestreams Transphobic Bouncer And Now Hes Looking For A New Job, WATCH: Euphoria Takes The Homoerotic Locker Room Trope To Steamy New Heights. Because of these little hints, viewers wondered, Is Jules from. It is not empowering or accepting: it creates a skewed view of homophobia that ultimately lets it slide. Still, it's dispiriting that, when it comes to representation, we see . 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. So yeah, objectify us.. 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. All rights reserved. Despite controversy, the HBO Original is a source of queer visibility, Ashwini Vivek, Opinion columnist|February 17, 2022. Register *It's free and easy. RELATED: Euphorias Hunter Schafer Livestreams Transphobic Bouncer And Now Hes Looking For A New Job. but by Hunter Schafer, the actress who plays Jules, In season two, Sam Levinson tries to humanize this character. Just a reminder before tonights premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences, wrote Zendaya. We should ask why people think Hollywood is liberal when its almost always a toxic-masculinity dump. Following the life of a queer biracial high schooler, Rue, through her devastating drug addiction, the show also highlights some of the experiences of fat, transgender and Latina girls. "Pose" will undoubtedly leave a hole when it comes to transgender . Shes introduced as Jules, not as the trans girl, but just a new girl who happens to be transgender. Women and trans women are more than just victims. Im trans, she says. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 06.18.19. My name is Ashwini Vivek and I am an Opinion Writer for the Trinitonian! Though the show is not exceptionally diverse, its characters of color, LGBTQ+ characters and characters from other marginalized communities. Hunter Schafer (born December 31, 1998) is an American model, actress, and LGBTQ rights activist. 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In a piece for, , she wrote, As a transgender teenager who grew up in North Carolina, navigating bathrooms on my own was an extremely difficult journey, particularly at public school. 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. The last thing we need is more defining of these individuals in violence, victimhood and anger. Because again, it has nothing to do with their genders. 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. Possibly the most significant is Ako, the owner of Earth Angel in . Hollywood encourages drama over reality so Im not expecting much. Also, for me to make sure that Hunter and Quintessa felt like their genders were seen and represented properly. Luckily, representation of trans characters has improved with time. 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. Sam Levinson, the only writer for the show, seemed to find a way to balance gritty drama with aesthetics. Yet the characters holding these obsessions are humanized by being shown through a sympathetic and honest lens. 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. Borderlands 3. I always say that you cant find any trans person, but Hunters not any trans person. Courtesy of Eddy Chen/HBO. And yet, season two has shown that, maybe, Sam Levinson should not be the sole writer of this show. Despite being new to acting, the honesty and authenticity she brings to each performance have earned her high praise from critics. It has a very negative perception of the LGBT community. We then would sometimes then have conversations because its not just Sam as the writer, showrunner, director, executive producer, auteur he does answer to producers and executives at HBO. Free-spirited and brave, Jules Vaughn is one of the most popular characters in the gritty teen show Euphoria. Had an exchange on twitter with someone who said, Im not even trying to be a woman, in that sense. 10. Were so much more complex than just one identity., Rue finds out that Jules is trans in the third episode of. Jules (left) and Rue meet and become fast friends. Polygon spoke to Scott Turner Schofield, the trans consultant on the . In season one the gaze directed at Jules was described by many as "trans-amorous.". I see Rue as being in love with Jules because Jules has the self-knowledge that Rue lacks, and thats whats really at the base of their love for one another., I think thats when Sam kind of sat back and was like, You want this job?. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. RELATED: 10 Best Quotes From Euphoria Season 2. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Twenty-two years after the original release, it remains a fairly accurate depiction of some struggles and fears dealt with by trans men. DeAsia Paige. 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. 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. 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. When do we find out Jules is trans? 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.. I dont come and just put my brand on top of something and say its OK. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". While fundamentally flawed due to each having their own unresolved issues, they somehow still share a tender and romantic relationship without being sexualized in the way a lot of female/female relationships in media tend to be. I felt really protective of the [trans extras] and was worried that someone was going to misgender them and things were going to become problematic. There are even several blink-and-youll-miss-it moments in episodes where we see her inject hormones or swipe on gay dating apps. When she was growing up, Schafer . If its the closest thing to being desiredIll take that. Euphoria not only features other trans actors like Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets), but also explores gender and sexuality in a way that feels authentic to its audience. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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. The second reading of this scene is that it's fetishization. in terms of recent-ish shows, Pose and Euphoria have great Trans representation. 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). Asking this of Levinson is likely to be unfruitful. Close. Its also heavily implied in McKays short flashback that it was centered around his girlfriend Cassie (Sydney Sweeny), and used for the development of her character. 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. Erm. If we wish to see good representation on Euphoria, we first need Levinson to give his pen to people of color, LGBTQ+ people and fat people. 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 as if Sam Levinson just shoehorned his character to develop other characters but set up a person of color character only to get sidelined making him a token minority. 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. 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. 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. has been renewed for a third season, with Schafer set to reprise her breakout role. Your email address will not be published. The violence and lack of help that the protagonist, Brandon Teena, dealt with is nightmarish for most trans men. Now it's been renewed for season 3 after viewership went up by 100%. They clap at the end of every take. Theres no take on us its on our own terms. Holidays Euphoria was created by Sam Levinson; by all accounts a straight, cisgender, white guy who somehow made one of the most sexually fluid TV shows ever produced by Hollywood. 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. In her first major scene in the show's pilot, Jules arrives at a . CN: I have some small clips of some transphobic content in the first half.Patreon: http://patreon.com/verityritchiehttps:. Since its debut on HBO in June, "Euphoria" has provoked conversations around teen sexuality, trans representation, full-frontal male nudity, and One Direction slash fiction, to name just a few . In violence, victimhood and anger, Jules Vaughn is one of the hit television... From sexual partners not exceptionally diverse, its characters of color, characters! Season prior its on our own terms tries to humanize this character a toxic-masculinity dump a way balance! Ashwini Vivek and I am an Opinion writer for the Trinitonian and become fast friends of. And fears dealt with by trans men so why is he writing our?. 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