it’s all about the glitter (spoilers, duh!)

by lillian beatrice dunn

There’s no question that HBO’s TV series, Euphoria, has truly made a huge impact among teens of today. The stereotypical “teen tv show” is no new concept for television. There have been countless variations of shows that highlight the high school experience; it’s always a group of teens navigating their struggles in friendships, relationships, and school while also experiencing the realities of drugs, sex, alcohol, etc. However, Euphoria is different somehow, and I’ll bet a lot of people agree with me.

For one, there’s the representation. There is remarkable racial diversity within the show as well as LGBTQIA+ representation, and that doesn’t just go for supporting characters with minimal dimension given to them. The leading lady of the show, Zendaya (obviously), is Black, and she plays a queer character, who falls in love with a trans girl, Jules. There is also a plus-size character, Kat, who struggles with body shaming from others and learning to love her body. Because everyone can see themselves within it, the show has a clear relevance and importance both in its plot and characters. 

For example, Cassie Howard, played by Sydney Sweeney, deals with a lot of family issues, being a child of divorce and addiction between both of her parents, with her dad, who she was very close with, leaving after becoming addicted to drugs. She is insecure and thinks she’s in love with every boy she meets as they give her a sense of security and affirmation in being wanted and loved as that is what she seeks from her parents. The show also normalizes abortion as Cassie receives one after getting pregnant, which is not a common event to occur in teen shows (pregnancy scares are commonly covered, but abortion is not). 

Cassie is not the only relatable character, though. Kat Hernandez, played by Barbie Ferreira, deals with body image and confidence issues, learning to love herself as she explores her sense of style and sexuality. Maddy Perez, played by Alexa Demie, struggles with a toxic relationship with her abusive boyfriend, which can likely be traced back to the need to feel loved and wanted, scared to end up like her parents, who are in an unhappy, loveless relationship; she is very emotionally closed off and dismissive of her own feelings. 

I could go on and on about each and every character for hours on end, but this article is about the makeup, and that has nothing to do with the actual characters, right? 

Actually, not at all. This show’s makeup is not only unique, trendsetting, and Emmy-award winning; it is remarkable in that the makeup is individualized for each character in the show, and each girl’s makeup also reveals things about their characters that are left unsaid. 

Incredible Euphoria makeup artist, Doniella Davy, is responsible for the stunning, glamorous, glitter makeup that the show is most widely known for. Davy credits Gen Z as her inspiration and reason for crafting the makeup looks on Euphoria that she did, also recognizing that she did not invent this makeup style but did, in fact, bring it into mainstream media. She thinks that makeup can be used to show emotion in a scene and help along a storyline the same way that music in a TV show does. Davy says that the makeup of the characters in the show were to “inspire self-expression in the audience and to also challenge some of those existing” normalities in makeup (quote from an Entertainment Weekly article about Davy and her work on the show). She’s also said that the show’s storyline and arc is reflected in the makeup of the girls in the show. Let’s discuss my personal views because I know you’re all dying to hear how I’ve overanalyzed the message behind the makeup of each character. 

Rue, Euphoria’s main character as portrayed by Zendaya, struggles with an array of mental illnesses and a drug addiction. Her makeup is often messy, smudged, and running down her face like glitter tears. I think that her “sloppy,” unkempt makeup is a reflection of her mental state and emotional instability. As she struggles with getting and staying sober, her makeup is also a direct visualization of her journey to recovery as it is a painful journey that is often unseen, unheard, and ignored. Instead of her talking about how difficult the journey is, the difficulty is displayed in transparency on her own face. 

Jules Vaughn, played by Hunter Schafer, often wears neon, pastel, and vibrant makeup looks. This is the same in terms of how she dresses and overall outwardly portrays herself. Jules is a trans woman, and her mother didn’t accept her identity when she came out; I assume that this creates a lot of trauma and insecurity surrounding her self-identity. In episode seven of the first season, Jules has a conversation with another girl named Anna about femininity, and Jules says that she feels if she “can conquer men, [she] can conquer femininity,” but it’s not truly about men. She rephrases herself, saying that she doesn’t necessarily “wanna conquer it, it’s like [she wants to] fuckin’ obliterate it and move onto the next level.” I think this says a lot about her self expression in her hair, makeup, clothing, and behavior. She possibly feels somewhat inferior to the feminine ideal within herself, and she tries to overcompensate by expressing her femininity outwardly and abrasively, also making her unapologetically herself and truly a commendable and admirable character. 

Maddy, as mentioned above, struggles with an abusive relationship and a looming fear that she’ll end up in an unhappy situation like her parents. Her makeup is often graphic and bold in shape and color, most notably, her rhinestone winged liner with the blue eyeshadow. Her makeup is always neat and tidy and does not outwardly reveal much about her emotional state. Maddy is often shown to be harsh and apathetic, but her character is much more unique and complex than that. I feel as though Maddy feels out of control of her life, and one of the only things she can control is her makeup being so bold and pristine to reflect her personality. 

Kat Hernandez, as I also touched on earlier, battles body confidence issues. She was constantly made to feel inferior about her weight, which made her hide from her true self, always feeling insecure, trying to look and feel “normal.” Kat slowly discovers her sexuality and an appreciation for her body as the show progresses, and that progression is directly reflected in her makeup on the show. Her makeup is minimal and unnoteworthy in the beginning, but as she explores her identity, she begins wearing darker, more vivid makeup as well as clothes. That recognition and discovery of herself develops her confidence and willingness to be her true self, and you can clearly see that in her character development. 

Cassie is another character I talked a little more in depth about in previous paragraphs. She struggles a lot with feeling worthy. Her father was her best friend, and he let her down by becoming addicted to painkillers after a car crash, prompting him to disappear from her life forever. Her mother became her best friend after that, but their relationship was still rocky, due to her mother’s alcoholism. Her makeup is often plain and simple in mundane situations, but in situations where she is around her boyfriend or other men, she seems to have more makeup on. This could be purely coincidental, but I think there is an argument to be made about her feeling the need to dress up and do her makeup more intricately around the boys she is trying to please. When she gets an abortion in episode 8, she is wearing no makeup at all, completely stripped down to the most vulnerable form of herself as possible. I think this moment is significant for her in that she considered keeping the baby; a baby would want her and need her, and she would feel like she was significant enough to do something important, but she realistically knows that it is not the right choice to make. After this moment, she states that she is not in love with anyone, which shows that she is making steps in regards to being worthy enough for herself and not relying on other people to approve of her and love her. 

As you can plainly see, I’ve spent a disgusting amount of time obsessing over this TV show, and I cannot possibly be more excited for the second season. I think this show is revolutionary, and everyone deserves to see it. If you have 8 hours, I’d suggest it; it’s more than worth the watch.