Drugs. Glitter. Sex. Parties. I essentially only need those four words to sum up the backbone of “Euphoria’s” plotline–and Sam Levinson, director of “Euphoria,” only needs those four words to sum up the “realistic high school experience.” 

Although this isn’t my experience, I don’t have any beef with this version of high school. But the problem comes with how Levinson chooses to portray this idea. Although “Euphoria” is meant to bring light to the dangers and effects of drug addiction and does so quite well, it manages to alienate this idea by glorifying drug use in certain scenes. 

“Euphoria” is narrated by and seen through the perspective of the main character Rue, a 17-year-old drug addict. With scenes of Rue telling the audience how glorious drugs make her feel and going into detail about the exact effects of illegal and destructive drugs like Fentanyl and Ecstasy, teen drug use can seem glamorous and even “aesthetic” at times. 

While “Euphoria” also displays the negative side of drug use and shows how it directly affects Rue and the people around her, it fails to consider how naive its audience is. As teenagers, we are no strangers to selective perception. So when “Euphoria” shows a five-minute scene of Rue dancing around in purple strobe lighting with glitter on her cheeks and a wide grin on her face, nearly overdosing on Molly, we might pay closer attention to the high and not its aftermath. It’s necessary to show Rue’s experiences with drugs so that we can get a full picture of why drug addiction is so difficult to break and the struggles that come with it, but we don’t need a close-up shot of how to snort cocaine off a table and a full run-down of how it will make you feel.

Outside of the show’s content, I am also concerned about the way Levinson treats the actors and actresses involved in “Euphoria.” Female actresses are scripted to be nude in every episode. “Euphoria” uses women’s bodies as a center of focus, even when it is not relevant to the scene, objectifying them in a way that is damaging to both the actresses and viewers. 

Levinson also chose to ignore a story point of Chris McKay, a black male, being sexually assaulted in an extremely graphic scene from season one, episode six, never mentioning it in season two. For a triggering and serious topic such as this one, that’s an unacceptable way to portray it. This ultimately led to the actor who plays McKay—Algee Smith—leaving the show, as he felt his storyline was being dismissed by Levinson. 

Overall, I still think “Euphoria” is an intriguing show and worth a watch for all viewers above the age of 18, but viewers must be wary of the show’s graphic and triggering nature.