Moments like that have inspired a fervent fandom of Euphoria’s own, and Barbie understands when fans approach her to unpack the show and open up about how it mirrors their experiences. “Jungkook’s iconic solo, ‘Euphoria,’ and Euphoria? It was so precious a little K-Pop, a little fandom.”) Euphoria’s empathy for its teen girl characters is indeed one of the show’s best features, and it frequently slots in moments tailor made for the demographic, like in its season finale, when Kat and love interest Ethan come together at a school dance to “ Euphoria” by K-Pop superstars BTS. Kat in turn has taught her to have “more compassion” for her younger self. Barbie says she used the 2000s Sims-esque social network IMVU, the role playing game Runescape, and gay Panic! At the Disco fanfiction to escape her own teenage loneliness and explore her queer identity. It mirrors Barbie’s own adolescence, too. It earns her legions of loyal followers online, even as she struggles to assert herself IRL.įor many teens and twenty somethings who grew up on the internet, the story might ring almost uncomfortably true. After immersing herself in online fandoms, she ends up kickstarting the famous Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson relationship conspiracy with a viral “Larry Stylinson” piece of fan fiction. Early on, we get a glimpse into Kat’s backstory, and see her get dumped by a middle school boyfriend after she gains weight on vacation she subsequently throws herself into the romances of Gilmore Girls, True Blood, and Scandal to cope.

The show is unique for delving into its main characters’ origin stories, showing pivotal adolescent moments that explain how they relate to the world and themselves.

Barbie ferreira