Euphoria: Impact on Fashion, Beauty and Wellness
As we’re watching the third season of the iconic show, it’s time to look back at the best fashion and beauty moments the show has brought us.
With its first season coming out in 2019, the show has become truly legendary, shaping the style of the younger generations. The impact it caused at the time can only be compared to Skins, a British show from the 2000’s. Many people compare the two, as it revolves around troubles of teenage years, addiction and romantic complications. However, the aesthetic of Euphoria is a fresh and contemporary decision that contributed to the show’s unparalleled success.
From glitter eyeshadow to the representation of addiction, the show is blamed for promoting unhealthy lifestyle choices to young people, covered up by a glamorous image. In its controversy, it has become a cultural phenomenon with a very distinctive beauty signature.
So let’s discuss the styling choices, aesthetic, and the trends caused by the scandalous show.
Season 1
Originally, the aesthetic of the first season was created by Petra Collins, a creative known for her editorial dreamy worlds. The show’s main colour theme was purple, accompanied by tons of glitter and individual character styling. Watching the season, you can almost feel like it’s a lucid dream that draws you in instantly. Later on, it was revealed that Petra quit the production, but her aesthetic stayed with the show.
The makeup artistry in every episode was truly incredible. Jules’ neon eyeliner, Maddy’s sharp wings and Cat’s grungy makeover were the work of Donni Davy. She’s the genius behind creating the beauty aspect of the show. The show’s success was so big and global that people were going crazy over finding similar makeup products. And if you’re still looking to buy some glitter eyeshadows, you can take a look at Donni’s own brand: Half Magic Beauty.
Makeup on the show was often an indicator of the character arc changes. For example, let’s take Cassie. She started the season in a classic Euphoria manner: glitter wing, a lot of colour and perfect complexion. But by the end of the season, she bares her face, indicating the emotional turmoil she had to undergo in romantic and social life. It was the sign of her vulnerability and perhaps a fresh start (or not).
Social media picked up the aesthetic fairly quickly, and for a moment, all we could see were the Euphoria-inspired makeup looks. Not to mention that it changed the approach to beauty and self-expression. People started getting bolder, and artistry had collided with makeup to create unique looks.
To this day, Euphoria makeup is trending, and it has even become a household name. If I’m doing a glittery makeup look, I would definitely look up “Euphoria makeup” for inspo. And if you search the name on Pinterest or TikTok, you can find a separate category dedicated to the show’s beauty. From direct replications, nos it has become an independent style in the beauty world.
In my opinion, the show has changed our view of TV aesthetics as a whole. The approach to creating the first season was so unique and quotable that we can now see other projects try to immerse us as wholly as Euphoria once did.
Season 2
The magical colours of the first season have disappeared as we dived into season 2. The tones became orange and brown, and the glitter was replaced by the heavy feeling of reality. Although the makeup and fashion department was still extending the mood of the beloved show, the focus shifted to interpersonal drama.
In the second season, fashion had become a tool to project the character’s feelings and ambitions. If Rue was still wearing her Converse and making us worry for her life, Cassie and Maddy dived into a battle of styles. In her desire to get a hold of Nate’s heart, Cassie started waking up at 4 am to get ready and dress like Maddy. This particular moment of the show has become a hot topic of discussion on social media. Apart from being inspired by their fashion choices, people started trying out Cassie’s morning routine.
In 2021, we saw many more social media trends inspired by Euporia. It started with lip-syncing to dialogues, and slowly turned into choosing your costume for Halloween. The fashion on the show has captured our hearts, and the drama kept us wanting more. “Euphoria Sunday” has become a widely used term that means the collective discussion of the fresh episode on social media. To my memory, I can hardly remember another TV show that has united that many people, and given them a true sense of aggression-free entertainment and gossip.
Season 3 and Present
The show’s creators have announced that the third season will be the final. And we’re now slowly approaching the end of the season. The public has been speculating for a while about the plot twists that await us in the series finale. However, the high hopes slowly turn into negative feedback, as the show has clearly lost its magic.
Music artist Labrinth has announced his exit from the show right before the premiere of season 3. And turns out that his impact on the show was irreplaceable. The costumes and makeup still work, but they don’t feel authentic to the series without the accompaniment of “Formula” and “Mount Everest”.
Even if we leave the topic of music and costumes, there’s still controversy that the show can’t beat. Unnecessary nudity and over sexualisation that are irrelevant to the plot have peaked in season 3. There hasn’t been one episode that doesn’t expose us to some kind of sex scene or fetish content. Especially since Cassie’s character is now an OnlyFans model, and Rue is working at the strip club (sorry for the spoiler). Many blame the show’s creator, Sam Levenson, who also produced The Idol, which faced the same criticism. The clear disrespect of sex workers and women as a whole weaves through every episode, since the main characters are now adults. Does creating a popular series really require putting in so much extreme fetish content in it?
Addiction also happens to be a central topic of the show. It’s been speculated that the series is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle and drug use covered by a pretty aesthetic. But others argued that the representation is rather accurate, and it shows the real struggles of addiction and the consequences that come with it. But by the third season, it has become a side plot, that’s neither glorified nor precautionary. Which begs a question: isn’t it sort of the moral of the story, and does this story have any morals at all? I guess we’ll find out soon.
The show has been a great success, which truly changed the beauty industry and became an unforgettable media success. And even though it has a lot of questionable themes, it still causes discussions and brings out important topics (even if by accident). It’s up to you to watch or miss the show, but if you choose the latter, I hope it will inspire your creative streak as much as it has mine.