Embellished Lifestyles Versus Raw Realism: New Standards For Young Adult TV
Written by Madison Targum, Contributing Writer and graphic contributed by Arella Warren, Arts Editor
Streaming services have enabled us to blast back to the past and watch our favorite television shows from the 2000s. They’ve also shed light on how the plotlines of soapy and angsty teen dramas have evolved to focus on modern young adult issues through complex protagonists.
You can’t get much more 2000s than the rebellion and drama of CW’s “Gossip Girl,” which aired between 2007 and 2012. Centered around wealthy teenagers living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, this show screams cliché. Don’t get me wrong — I lived for the lavish dinner parties and scandalous relationships. However, its portrayal and emphasis on brands, restaurants and partying proves that this show was intended to provoke feelings of desire and envy from its younger demographic.
Within this group of young elites, protagonists Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf both experience toxic relationships. Yet the plot does not dare to acknowledge that what the girls deem as guilty pleasures really promotes a heightened and distorted view of young love. Through Blair’s on-again, off-again relationship with billionaire and womanizer Chuck Bass, the writers have constructed a storyline embedded in the idea that in order to be in love you must endure your partner’s projections of their own psychological issues. Perhaps the most prominent example of this occurs when Chuck encourages Blair to sleep with other characters for his own financial gain, refusing to fully commit to her while sabotaging her potentially happy relationships (Brown, 2018).
Nevertheless, Chuck and Blair are a pair whose consuming passion prevails in the end, culminating in a wedding which masks the manipulation and abuse of their past with vows and flowers. Ultimately, the series makes us question whether these ostentatious lifestyles are even sustainable while encouraging viewers to aspire toward the looks and high society connections the show portrays. Nearly 14 years since its release date, many viewers now see the characters of “Gossip Girl” as a much less coveted group — wealthy, white young adults with a lack of awareness of societal consequences.
In contrast, HBO’s “Euphoria,” which brought in over 5.6 million viewers after its premiere in 2019, is beloved for its raw realism and its emphasis on individual struggles (Andreeva, 2019).
This show is more current than “Gossip Girl” in all senses of the word; it promotes empathy, diversity and inclusion in ways that the 2007 drama did not. While “Euphoria” cinematically distorts our view of reality with the use of hyperpigmentation and lots of glitter, series creator Sam Levinson hoped the show would open up a more accepting dialogue on real issues teenagers face.
Some may argue that both of these shows depict quick transitions from teenager to young adult with the backdrop romanticization of mental trauma and substance abuse. Nevertheless, “Euphoria” gives viewers the opportunity to see genuine, individual experiences with depression and adversity, not by glorifying them, but by looking at them under a microscope. Following protagonist Rue on her journey with addiction and failed attempts at sobriety, this show validates young people’s sentiments toward the evolving landscape of the world around them as well as the harping presence of social media.
The interconnected stories are also more appealing to younger audiences today because they highlight the heightened emotions we all have while growing up. Levinson suggests that his incentive for the show was to highlight how “It all feels like life and death when you’re younger. Every friendship is tight yet at the same time susceptible to being destroyed by stupid misunderstandings. And when you fall hard for somebody, you’re not just miserably obsessed — some part of you believes this is the last chance at love that you’ll have” (Seitz, 2019).
“Euphoria” highlights the toxicity between Maddy and Nate, but it differs from Chuck and Blair’s relationship in its ability to uncover the stories of each character without the stereotypical tie the two halves of the couple have to one another. For each character, we get to experience their origin story in a way that allows us to better understand their individual self. Whether they are on a self-altering journey — like Kat, who overcomes body image issues through sexual liberation, or Jules, in her expression as a transgender female — we are able to empathize with them. Even characters like Rue and Nate, who face downward spirals in their denials of inner demons, gain our sympathy in their struggles.
The next time you’re looking for a new show to get hooked on, take a minute to think about the media you are consuming. Does it perpetuate inauthentic plotlines filled with young love, toxic masculinity and plays on feminine tropes? Or can we continue to produce and consume more shows like “Euphoria,” which expose stereotypes while representing a variety of individuals in terms of race, size, gender and sexual identity?
There is something to be said about the execution of a show when we feel connected to the souls and spirits of the characters despite the fact that their worlds are a little more embellished than our own.
Sources
Andreeva, Nellie, (2019, August 6). “‘Europhia’ Season Finale Hits Series High Ratings Fueled By Strong Digital Viewing.” Deadline. https://deadline.com/2019/08/euphoria-season-finale-ratings-series-high-strong-digital-viewing-1202662417/
Brown, Madeline Davis. (2018, May 3). “How Gossip Girl normalised abuse.” The Oxford Student. https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2018/05/03/gossip-girl-abuse
Gajjar, Saloni. (2019, June 17). “The ballsy realism of HBO’s Euphoria is worth the risk: Review.” Mashable. https://mashable.com/article/hbo-euphoria-review
Seitz, Matt Zoller. (2019, August 14). “Why Euphoria Feels So Real, Even When It Isn’t Realistic.” Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/euphoria-sam-levinson-filmmaking-influences.html
Stack, Tim. (2019, June 17). “Euphoria creator Sam Levinson on his controversial show: “I hope it opens up a dialogue.” EW.Com. https://ew.com/tv/2019/06/16/euphoria-creator-sam-levinson