There is nothing more I look forward to on a Sunday night than a new episode of HBO’s Euphoria. If you are just as invested in this show as I am, you will understand exactly what I mean when I tell you that every turn in the plot brings me to the edge of my seat! You won’t be able to escape the show even after the episode has ended as your social media feed will be swamped with Euphoria chatter and debate.
The success of this show can be attributed to how relatable it is for teens across America. Euphoria has become a looking glass for Gen Z that has drawn viewers back every week.
It has generated such a powerful cultural impact on music, cinematography, and makeup since its initial release in 2019. The audience is drawn in by the fluorescent lights, the alluring storylines, and the personalities of each character making it hard to look away from the screen.
During its January 9th premiere date, season two drew in a drastically large audience with nearly 13.1 million viewers as reported by Variety. A concern with this amount of viewing is the number of viewers that encounter the various bouts of sex scenes and nudity appearing.
Let’s talk about how season two, episode two welcomed us with excessive visuals of penises and breasts during the opening scenes. Not everyone is going to have the same reaction or opinion about this topic, So when do film producers need to draw the line when it comes to nudity?
Currently, the debate surrounds Sydney Sweeny and her character Cassie Howard’s recurring on-screen nudity. During seasons one and two Cassie has been shown nude. In season two, however, viewers are calling out the excessive nudity. Although Sweeny is not her character, her public perception has been negatively altered due to several sex scenes.
Writer for Roger Ebert, Kristen Lopez explains that “…actresses are compelled to negotiate their exposure, giving the audience their fill upfront (preferably in a feature with a respected director) as a means of situating herself as a serious actress who can refuse to be nude in future.” Films have added more nudity from women’s bodies to satisfy the male gaze in exchange for revenue. After all, there’s a saying that goes “Sex Sells!”
The problem isn’t necessarily Sweeny or female actresses’ decisions to do these scenes but rather the film industry itself. There is certainly more female nudity compared to male nudity shown on screen.
While progression has been seen in women’s rights and the #MeToo movement, there’s a lack of regard for discussing the topic of on-screen nudity. e have seen exploitation of women’s bodies and how they have become objectified all throughout history. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do nude scenes and women have the autonomy to do what they want with their own bodies.
Yet, there is a slippery slope in regards to Euphoria as Sweeny does not point the finger at Euphoria creator and director Sam Levinson but instead, the double standard that has been created in Hollywood.
In her interview with the Independent Sweeney explained, “There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’” She expressed how Levinson was willing to drop the scenes and never forced her to do anything she did not want to do.
Sweeney says that she is proud of the work she has done on Euphoria, but she feels that her work has become discredited since that is all people are noticing about her now. She believes that there is a stigma against women who decide to show nudity on screen compared to men.
What is even worse are the people who are promoting screengrabs of her character’s scenes and tagging her brother in them. Not only is that degrading but extremely traumatizing to Sweeney and her family.
Blame usually gets put on the actress for putting themselves in the situation but fail to realize the larger culprit. It’s similar to when a teen girl’s nudes are spread across their high school campus. Instead of condemning the person who is spreading them, the victim falls under scrutiny.
Sweeney’s co-star, Alexa Demie has also voiced some concerns about the nudity her character Maddie has displayed in the show. In a makeup tutorial for Vogue Demie reveals, “The nudity was… it was tough for me because I’m you know, I’m not really… but I’m just not comfortable like that publicly.”
She goes on to explain that everything done in the show isn’t to glorify sex, nudity, or drugs but rather shows all of the consequences associated with it. After all, the show seems to mimic real-life scenarios that teens across the country may be facing.
On-screen nudity has always been taboo and a gray area to discuss. On Euphoria the amount of nudity shown is controversial since it is exposing nudity in characters who are considered “minors”. The actors and actresses on this show are not minors in real life but it raises concerns over whether it promotes this behavior amongst underage viewers.
In comparison to season one, there is definitely an increased amount of on-screen nudity in season two of Euphoria. In my opinion, the onscreen nudity should take a dialed-back approach in the next season. There were several scenes where I thought the display of private areas was not needed. Rather than adding to the plot, it made me flat-out uncomfortable.
The most important aspect is making sure that the actors and actresses are comfortable with sharing their bodies fully naked on screen without coercion from producers. Hollywood has to face that there is indeed a double standard that is placed upon women in the film industry from both the audience and the production team.
Until then, we can only wait and see how the rest of season 2 unfolds. Sometime in the next year, we will see if Levison has decided to take Euphoria in a not-so-barren approach for Euphoria’s confirmed season 3.
What are your thoughts on Euphoria’s season 2? Let us know @hercampussjsu!