AFTER two years of waiting, fans of teen drama series 'Euphoria' are back in front of their screens for a new season.
Much to the delight of TikTok users. No longer waiting for the release of each episode to speculate on the fate of their favourite characters: the new trend storming the social network is to imagine it in the form of video. We take a look at this viral phenomenon.
TikTok users have been attentively watching the first episodes of the second season of 'Euphoria', delighted to plunge back into the lives of the tormented teenagers of Sam Levinson's series – Rue, Jules, Maddy, Nate, Cassie, Kat and fan-favourite Fez.
While the third episode hints at Rue's impending descent, many fans of the show are turning to TikTok to invent alternative fates for its characters. User @llaurenspaldingg had fun imagining which American universities Rue and her sidekicks would attend... if they took their high school education more seriously.
According to her, Jules would go to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, while the shy Lexi would choose the University of California, Berkeley. Many users of the platform agreed with these choices as the video currently has more than 45,000 likes.
@llaurenspaldingg #greenscreen do u agree or disagree lmk #euphoria #colleges #usc #ucla #berkeley ♬ Formula - Labrinth
Fashion at the centre of #euphoriahighschool
The clothes of the characters on 'Euphoria' are also the subject of much discussion on TikTok and beyond.
Fashion search engine Stylight found that the wardrobe of the show's transgressive high schoolers had an impact on viewers' wardrobes shortly after the first episode of the second season aired. Searches for Batsheva increased by 300% after Lexi (played by Maude Apatow) wore an ensemble from the New York label.
While most of the young TikTok users can't afford the clothes that appear in the show, they are still being inspired by them as they put together expressive outfits that would be worn by the students of Euphoria high school.
On the programme: dresses with countless cut-outs (thanks to the "cut-out" trend), dizzyingly high heels, fishnet tops and skirts (more or less long) for the boys. These parodies all appear with the hashtag #euphoriahighschool.
@uk3zaezae inspo from @Elliot #euphoria #rue #fyp #boostofhope ♬ And why arent you in uniform - No context Spongebob
A portrait of the young generation's anxiety
Some TikTok followers go even further in identifying with the characters of the show by imagining what their inspiration mood boards would look like or what beauty products they would use on a daily basis.
Others like TikToker @mikdiccs try to figure out whether Nate, Jez or McKay would be their boyfriend or ex-boyfriend if they lived in the show's universe.
@brooke_paradise #greenscreen #euphoria #skincare ♬ Formula - Labrinth
These videos about 'Euphoria' show the impact the series is having on Generation Z viewers. Its boundary-pushing portrayal of American teenagers in need of guidance is indeed frightening to many parents, as 'Gossip Girl' and 'Skins' was in the early 2000s.
Sam Levinson has denied any sensationalist intentions and says that 'Euphoria' is inspired by his own adolescence.
"I wanted to make a show about the anxiety of being young and the insecurities and unsureness of relationships, but I wanted to do it in a way that I felt we hadn't seen before," he explained to the Guardian in 2019.
"Every time we deal with tough subjects or gritty material, it's done in a docu-drama way. I wanted to do something that didn't rely so heavily on characters talking about their feelings because one of the toughest aspects of being young is not being able to articulate how you feel."
Something it seems young people are able to do on TikTok. – ETX Daily Up, January 27, 2022
