The third season of HBO's 'Euphoria' has faced criticism for its portrayal of women, with some viewers arguing that the show has descended into a misogynistic fantasy. The series, created by Sam Levinson, picks up five years after the last season, following the characters as they navigate their early 20s. Critics have noted that the women are now largely at the mercy of men, with storylines that feel both old-fashioned and eerily prescient of manosphere rhetoric.
In the latest episodes, Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) is married to Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and is furious after discovering he borrowed money to fund their luxury lifestyle. Meanwhile, Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer) has dropped out of art school to become a 'sugar baby', and Rue Bennett (Zendaya) works as a drug mule for a strip club boss. The show's depiction of women as motivated primarily by money and material gain has drawn comparisons to the manosphere, a collection of online communities that promote misogynistic views.
While 'Euphoria' has always objectified its female characters, the first two seasons allowed them to feel more in control of their destinies. Now, with the characters in the 'real world', the misogyny feels more confronting and less nuanced. Critics have contrasted the show unfavourably with other HBO dramas like 'Industry', which explores female subjugation in a more interesting way. Instead, 'Euphoria' has been described as a shallow, manosphere-tinted fantasy, glamorised by its signature cinematography.
