Euphoria and its aesthetic have caught the attention of many people across the nation. The show has just wrapped up its second season and won’t come back until 2024. The show talks about heavy topics and how teens nowadays handle those issues. The portrayal of high school in this show is what people dislike, but what it does portray is a group of friends who are trying to find their own identities with all of the drugs and trauma that come with it. The show mostly follows a 17-year-old girl who deals with substance abuse, how much the death of her father led to that, and how it affects those around her. It also shows the other characters, what they deal with and how they go about their lives. 

The entire show has a theme that younger teens are fond of but likely don’t fully understand because of their age. One such theme is the large amount of explicit substance use that is being shown in some of the episodes. The creators of the show are even getting backlash from this, but the show remains very popular. 

The show is set in high school, which can set unrealistic standards for a lot of younger kids who watch the series and think their high school experience will be similar. In my opinion, the college environment would’ve been a more realistic and suitable environment to have had this show placed in. The college setting is a time known for being adventurous and trying new things in life. With that, can come the usage of substances.

Though the show can be very unrealistic, the one thing they did get right, was the accuracy in which they portrayed the diversity in teens today. Those diverse characters are giving different representations of what people in high school do, which can have a bad influence on younger people once they get to high school. Most of the things they do can even lead someone into federal trouble. They’re involved in drug trafficking and usage at the ages of 17. It sets unrealistic expectations of how to look, and what to have done already by the age of 18. 

 Though the show has received major backlash from most of the things they have shone the spotlight on, they do a very good job of portraying the negative effects drugs can have on you and how mental health affects teens. The good thing is that it doesn’t glamorize the idea of substance abuse or anything else that is shown. It portrays what it’s like to relapse and to withdraw and does not give an example of the pretty side of it, but the very bad side of it. It gives viewers the reality of drug usage in an uncompromising way which is important for teens who may be curious about substance usage. 

Though the show does have its flaws and could do a better job at portraying or not portraying certain things, it is a great series. The cinematography and plotline are really great and pleasing to watch. The actors themselves are incredible and have won awards for their work in this series. The show could use some improvements, but it’s an overall great series that I personally think is worth watching.