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Euphoria Style Analysis

“Euphoria” has become a sensation that people simply cannot ignore. With a compelling story focused on drug addiction, relationships, and intense high school drama, the show was a household staple on Sunday nights until season 2 came to an end. However, the thing that arguably got “Euphoria” to its massive state of success was the aesthetics of the show. The show’s stylist, Heidi Bivens, and make-up artist, Donni Davy, have created iconic make-up looks and outfits that inspire creators and everyday people to dress on trend with the show. The garments and charismatic make-up however, are more than just edgy fashion statements. Just like in our everyday lives, the “Euphoria” characters dress according to their emotions. 

Maddy is undoubtedly one of the most stylish characters in the show. When Maddy is getting ready, she always dresses to be the center of attention. In season one, a typical Maddy outfit would include staples like body-con dresses, bold colors, and harsh cutouts. When it comes to make-up, she never misses. To accompany her sharp personality, you’ll usually see a razor-sharp eyeliner look, rhinestones in an intricate design, and big lashes. Maddy shows more of a darker appearance in season 2; the party bathroom scene and hot tub scene are a couple of examples. In this season, we saw a lot more black and dark blue in her wardrobe. This could represent how her storyline is getting darker. Maddy goes through some intense, trauma filled situations this  season, and that is reflected in how she dresses.Her makeup looks seemed to  become even sharper, representing her cut-throat attitude and confident exterior. Overall, we’ve seen Maddy become a stronger and harsher person which is evident in her style.

Jules is another character that we’ve seen a lot of iconic looks from. In the original season, we see a focus on Y2K style accompanied with bright colors and hyper femininity–  a perfect match for her bubbly personality. Jules’ make-up was funky and always bright, once again showing off her undeniable charisma. It’s arguable that the reason she dressed in such a feminine way was to affirm her identity as a trans woman. The garments could also represent how she strives for male approval and attention. We see Jules put herself in dangerous situations, like meeting up with men she met online, and she does that to get that attention. Her bright color palette is representative of the version of herself she wants others to see— someone who is bright and happy. In season two, we see a more confident Jules. She comes back in a softer color palette and baggier clothes. Jules still incorporates herself in all her outfits, but this time it's for herself and not for other people to perceive her a certain way. Because of this newfound confidence, she dresses more androgynously. Perhaps, she is less concerned with dressing certain ways for the satisfaction of other people. 

It’s no secret that the main character, Rue, is not very fashionable. With everything Rue has gone through, one of her last priorities is whether or not she looks good. Rue is much more practical in the clothes she chooses. Rue’s staples include sneakers, loose fitting t-shirts, jackets, and oversized basketball shorts. If we look more in depth, we can infer that Rue’s style could represent the fluidity of her gender and sexual identity. The piece that is Rue’s staple is her maroon hoodie. This oversized hoodie belonged to her now deceased father. Since Rue wears this hoodie so often, we can assume this is her comfort item, seeing as she still hasn’t processed his death. In fact, all of season two, we don’t see her wear the maroon hoodie until she has her climatic breakdown in episode 5. She more than likely wears this hoodie as a sign that she still wants her dad to be there to comfort her. We don’t see a big change in Rue’s style throughout the season. If anything, we see her develop a messier closet selection. The messier clothing options could represent the messes she gets herself into throughout the season. Those messes include the Laurie suitcase affair, her triangular relationship with Elliot and Jules, and her struggles with drug addiction. 

Cassie has had the most varying styles throughout the show's run, a nod to the ways in which she switches between different versions of herself in order to please people. In season one, Cassie dressed more modestly, with a very girl next door presence.. Cassie’s colors seem to float between creams and pastel pinks and blues. With more blended and softer make-up it creates some sort of innocence surrounding her character. . Throughout the series we see Cassie doing a lot to please other people, which is mirrored in her clothing options. Cassie dresses more based on who she is around, we see her dressing like Maddy when around her, once again trying to please her. We even see Cassie dressing as Maddy when she’s around Nate, trying to replicate Maddy’s style so that Nate will fall for her. However, we never see Cassie stick to a true style, she doesn’t really have a signature look. This could be because Cassie still has not found out who she really is on her own.

In season one, Kat was developing her style already. In the beginning of the first installment of the series, we see Kat struggle with her body image, and she dresses to hide herself. However, throughout the season Kat becomes a more confident person after finding herself. She dresses more body con, wears bold colors, and stops worrying about how others think of her.In season two, Kat’s style remains bold, but a bit more relaxed. The lack of change in her style is represented in her storyline. Kat was not very involved in the second season, so we notice she has not changed much through the transition between the first and second season. 

Lexi is one of the few characters in Euphoria that the majority of people can agree they like. Lexi is shown as a more quiet character, but when she is loud she lets everyone hear what she has to say. Lexi has a very mature sense of style. With muted earth tones, such as browns, oranges, and off whites, and a more preppy scholar look, she represents a more mature person compared to her problematic peers. She doesn’t change a lot about her style from season one to season two, but she has a more in-depth storyline this time around. We see heralling for Fezco,directing her own play and making a lot of statements in her time on the second season. With her style not changing, we can assume that this is representing her staying a more mature person and sticking to who she is.