Despite its entertainment value, 'Euphoria' exhibits over-sexualization problems

Excitement for the latest installment of the much anticipated HBO Max series “Euphoria” has been circling among teens and young adults. Focusing on the trials and tribulations of the modern-day high schooler, the show dissects drug use, mental illnesses, sexual exploration and abuse.

Many are speculating whether characters like Nate Jacobs will actually face repercussions for his damaging actions and abusive nature, or if the newly flirty Lexi Howard and Fezco are going to be the show's new star-crossed lovers. Though, the show is not without issue.

Although "Euphoria" is entertaining, dramatic and aesthetically pleasing to viewers, a problem that it suffers from is the over-sexualization of young women — specifically, underaged girls still in high school.

The objectification of women is not unusual for Hollywood. Whether you're looking at TV shows or movies, young women portrayed on screen have been categorized as sex objects with little to no other purpose than being sexually appealing. Most of the time, these characters, usually written by men, set unrealistic beauty standards and focus on the sexuality and sexualization of a woman rather than her character development.

With men dominating the writers’ rooms and directors’ chairs, it's inevitable that they will distort their portrayal of women to adapt to the male gaze.

Throughout its current episodes, "Euphoria" does not shy away from displaying the sex lives of its characters, most of whom are approximately 16 or 17 years old (though all of the actors are of age).

One of the most apparently objectified characters is Cassie Howard, played by Sydney Sweeney. Presented to the viewer as a hopeless romantic who doesn’t really know how to say "no" to men, Cassie’s relatable personality is overshadowed by the sexual nature in which she is written.

In the first season, Cassie is shamed for having leaked nudes and sex tapes with guys. Friends try to convince the character of Chris McKay, who is interested in Cassie romantically, not to pursue her due to her being "too sexual." 

Whenever she is shown having sex (which is often shown, despite the character’s age), Cassie is always fully nude and essentially does whatever her partner wants to do. The show includes nudity for both men and women, but it emphasizes women’s sexuality and sexualizes their bodies way more.

Even in the pilot episode, Cassie yells at her college-age boyfriend, McKay, after he begins to choke her during sex — but then later backs down after he pledges not to do it again and says “unless you ask me” while grinning. This not only reiterates that she is only good for sex but also sets a standard that these types of actions from men can be easily forgiven and allowed to continue with just a simple apology.

More recently, in the new episode of season two that was just released this past Sunday, Nate has a brain-injury-induced fantasy about Cassie that leaves nothing to the imagination. In one scene laying naked on a bear rug by a fireplace, Cassie is montaged having sex over and over again with Nate, affirming her role as a male-fantasy Lolita.

Another character, Kat Hernandez, has a similar sexual representation as many older men began to like her as she came out of her shell and became more confident in herself. With her newfound confidence, she began camming (performing sexual acts and stripping on camera) in exchange for money from much older, adult men.

Although this storyline has some empowering undertones due to Kat's gained confidence, one can’t help but feel like the series is glamourizing minors in sex work. Even Rue, the narrator, states “Kat’s parents were out of town for the weekend, which was good, because it gave her the freedom to focus on the important things … expanding her empire and collecting her motherf****** bag.”

Instead of addressing the consequences and mental impact of selling one’s body online, the show almost promotes it and implies that she is being a so-called "girlboss."

Like Kat, Jules Vaughn, a new, transgender teen in town, adventures into online dating and has sex with a man in his 40s or 50s. The creators glorify this action by her and her friend laughing about it. This can be damaging because it teaches young girls that this is normal when it's not.

Jules was taken advantage of due to her being a minor, and although the consequences of this action might be resolved in unreleased episodes, Jules isn’t illustrated to be emotionally affected by this abuse. She just thinks it's normal and moves on.

It's no coincidence that the creator, writer and one of the executive producers of "Euphoria" is a man. Sam Levinson, regardless of whether it's a conscious decision, feeds into the stereotype that women need to be sexualized in order to have a role in a production.

When writing about the lives of mostly high school girls, it's hard to see how Levinson could give an accurate portrayal when he has neither experienced womanhood nor the whirlwind that is high school as a member of Generation Z.

It's not inherently bad that popular streaming networks, like HBO Max, want to create TV shows that explore the sex lives of teens because it's ultimately realistic — censoring viewers completely from the accurate goings-on of high schoolers isn’t healthy for our perception of youth today. But there is a fine line between sexualizing young women and being informative on how teens view and experience sexual activities.

This pattern of misogyny is incredibly prevalent in shows with the most impressionable audience: Teen girls. When young girls see perfectly groomed and sexually motivated young women in media, they will begin to think that they have to adapt to this standard.

That standard, set by men, is as damaging as it is impossible to achieve — it creates a vicious cycle of young women being insecure that they don’t look and act like these TV goddesses.

Other shows, like “Riverdale” and “Pretty Little Liars,” are also aimed toward young girls as well as promote the over-sexualization of young women and damaging behavior that could be passed off as being normal to the real girls that watch it.

Despite "Euphoria" having some incredible factors, sexualizing women is its biggest downfall. There are many shows that do a better job of exemplifying healthy sex lives for teens and being realistic as to what they endure every day without over-sexualizing them.

One example of this is Netflix’s original series "Sex Education" — it displays teens being educated on their own sex lives. The storyline delves into sexual safety, pleasure, fetishes, abortions and sexually transmitted diseases, while including sprinkles of comedy throughout. The show focuses on debunking myths without targeting how hot a woman looks or filtering things through the male gaze.

Netflix also has other shows, including "Big Mouth" and "Atypical," where viewers, whether it be teens or adults, can get a correct representation of how young people should perceive women and sex.

No matter what some shows may portray them, it bears reminder: Women aren’t sexual objects but equal partners who have their own motivations, emotions and strength.