 Ugh, I saw this Vice article on Twitter earlier and I'm like, come on, Vice, you're better than this. You're so, so, so much better than this. But yeah, they think that Zendaya is problematic in euphoria. So let's talk about this. What is up, everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul, where we talk about the problem, but focus on the solution. And if you're new to my channel, what I'd like to do is take different topics from movies, TV shows, the YouTube community, all sorts of stuff, and see what lessons we can learn from them. And I'm doing a ton, a ton of videos on the new show Euphoria. So anyways, if you're into any of that stuff, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell. And do me a favor. Do me a favor. I'm trying to figure out some things with the channel, trying to see what videos you guys want me to make and everything like that. Obviously I'm working on my book. I'm trying to be more active on my Instagram and Twitter, but I put up this poll to try to see what type of videos you like the most, which videos you're going to tune into, which ones you're not going to tune into, because I'm here for you, baby. I'm here to serve you. So go check out that poll, answer it, leave a comment, do me that little favor. All right? Cool. So before I get into this article from Vice, I want to throw out a couple of things. Just a couple small little things real quick. So one of them is like, in this world where we have like a lot of like, I don't know, pop news, like, you know, Buzzfeed or Vox or, you know, even vice, like, I do, I do like vice as one of the best ones. All right? Um, they do some interesting stuff like vice and vice news, uh, they have like just interesting things that I like learning about and seeing different, um, perspectives on and things like that. And they're, they're pretty decent with like kind of like investigative journalism. So anyways, I'm, I'm like out of all these like news sources, like, I'm kind of a fan of vice. The second thing is, although I'm not a woman, I'm actually half black and Zendaya, in this, uh, series in euphoria, she is a young half black woman. All right? So I do want to preface it that way. So, um, I've made a video about what it's like being half black. So if you want to check that out, go check that out. But anyways, so like, I just want to let you know, like, one of the reasons I'm discussing this topic and as you'll find out as I read this article, like, I think there's some things that should be brought up and sometimes, sometimes it really feels as though, like different journalists or people writing feature content, like they're trying to figure out something to get upset about. All right. And I might be totally wrong. So if you think I'm wrong, let me know. I'm going to go through this article. Let me know your thoughts as I go through this article. Talk to me down in the comments below. All right. So this is a pretty short article. So I'm going to, I'm going to read like most of it. All right. But it starts out by saying it's hard to name current coming of age shows and film starring black girls. It's even harder to name shows where the protagonist isn't defined by her trauma or by the stress associated with being the perfect representation of a black girl. The beloved 96 com Moisha's main storyline was how its title character had to juggle succeeding at school while having good behavior. The Oscar winning film adaptation of the color purple mainly focuses on the physical and emotional abuse of Sealy, the film's protagonist. 2011's pariah follows the tumultuous journey of a 17 year old alike as she battles explaining her sexual orientation to her parents who eventually kick her out of their home. Although Yala Shahidi's character on grown ish is the closest Hollywood has gotten to showing a black girl who isn't tied to a life altering trauma. Her character Zoe Johnson isn't unscathed by the model minority trope. While HBO's new series euphoria seems to be a slight departure from the typical model minority slash trauma influence depictions. It's another entry in a long line of shows that center on a black girl's pain. All right. So the first thing, like when I first saw this article pop up, like I get it. I get it. And sometimes it feels like certain journalists, they have something that they want to talk about. And then the second they have the opportunity to talk about it, they're just throw it on something. Like I don't think euphoria is the show to talk about this with, right? Like I understand what the author is trying to say, but here's, here's the first thing I thought. Here's the first thing I thought when I saw even the headline of this article before I read it, I was like, okay, but if Zendaya had this like very privileged life with no struggles, no issues at all. How many people do you think would be upset that it's not depicting what it's really like to be a young black woman or even a young biracial black woman? You know what I mean? And that's what I think a lot of people need to understand is that you're always going to piss somebody off. Like you're always going to make somebody upset. So whether she is a character who had some kind of trauma or not, someone's going to be upset about this. So it goes on to say in the first episode, which premiered Sunday, 17 year old Rue, played by Zendaya, is battling a drug addiction for which she had to go to rehab before her junior year of high school. The beginning of the pilot is mainly spent on what happens in Rue's life leading up to that point, which is mainly coping with Gen Z anxiety and the pressures of social media in a middle class, predominantly white suburban neighborhood. It's quickly revealed throughout the rest of the episode that although Rue recently left rehab, she has no intention of stopping her drug use. As Rue narrates segments of the episode, she makes it clear that no traumatic experience drove her to her drug addiction. All right. And it has a quote from the show, but it talks about how it gradually becomes apparent that her anxiety, which is a common issue for teenagers, is just as traumatic as previously mentioned experiences. So here's one of the things. So I've been like watching just kind of behind the scenes things about euphoria and after the episode, they had Zendaya actually sitting down with the writer and director of this show and they're having a conversation and they're discussing like the writer of the show. He actually battled mental illness and substance abuse at a young age, right? So he's he's writing Zendaya's character as him and he is a white dude. Okay. So he's writing this young biracial woman. He's giving her experiences that he went through. And I think we have to take that into consideration like something Zendaya even says in that interview is that she feels like the characters he created are different aspects of his personality. And he admits like, you know, a lot of the things that he writes about in this show and these stories, the things that actually happened to him or something along those lines. You see what I mean? So it's not like he he created this story and he's like, you know what, I want to write about a young troubled black girl, but he just cast a young woman to play this character. You know what I mean? Toward the end of the episode, Rue explains to her friend Fesco, her drug dealer, why she simply can't stop her addiction, although she knows it's bad for her and takes a toll on her family. This is the feeling I've been searching for my entire life for as long as I can remember, because suddenly the world went quiet and I felt safe in my own head. She explains of her first experience with drugs. Euphoria isn't just a racy show that exposes viewers to rampant drug drug use, graphic sex scenes and other vices. Instead, it's mainly about the serious nature of the social pressures on a generation that's constantly misunderstood. So they go on to finish the article by saying, this is not the only story worth telling. Why can't coming of age tales show black girls being weird and funny, like in Booksmart or in Lady Bird? Films that are highlighted by protagonists deeply opinionated outlooks on life. Why can't black girls have their own to all the boys I love before, in which the main character's only conflict is a romantic one? Why aren't their stories that simply show black girls having fun and being happy? As one of society's most mistreated demographics, the experience of being a black girl is significantly influenced by trauma, but there are also other experiences, normal stories where black girls go to prom or choose a college doesn't feel like a huge thing to ask for, but shows like euphoria that perpetuate the trend that black girls narratives are only important if they're defined by painful experiences. And that makes the request seem impossible. So let's talk about a few things. Like, I, I, I agree to a certain extent. Like they, they depict certain people in different lights, but like I feel, I feel that we're not grateful for the progress that we've made and the new shows coming out. Like there are many shows being created, created to show like what the modern average minority family looks like, right? And something that, you know, Jordan Peele talks about quite a bit is when he was growing up, he didn't see accurate representation of himself when he went to go see horror films. That's one of the reasons why he makes, you know, movies where the main characters are African-American. So that makes sense, right? So he talks about doing that. And like there's, there's certain things like when you look at, you know, us or you look at, um, get out, he makes his different struggles that, you know, African-Americans deal with, whether they're from, you know, the suburbs or they're from the hood and things like that. You know what I mean? But you also have shows where, you know, something that's become, you know, more popular lately too, um, because more Asian American writers and directors are creating like shows and movies and things like that. Like we're actually seeing more Asian American representation, right? And like these things are happening. And I think it's important, like we're nowhere near where we should be, but I think it's important to recognize like these things aren't are happening. So like let's look at Zendaya. Let's look at Zendaya in Euphoria. Like this story, like about Rue, it is not specific to a young black woman in any way, shape or form. And if anything, she's biracial. Like I get to see some representation, right? Like she has a, she had a white dad, she has a black mom. You know what I mean? Like mine is actually flip-flop. I have a white mom and a black dad, you know? I just thought of this while I was editing. I just want to toss this in here. Like look on the screen. Like in my first Euphoria video, I asked how old everybody was who was watching this show. And so many young people from different nationalities said they could relate to the show. So again, I get what the author of this article was trying to do, but this show has been pretty relatable to people of all nationalities. But like let's look at the other major role that Zendaya is currently playing. All right? Mary Jane Watson. All right? Like she's playing Mary Jane in Spider-Man. She was cast for that role and it's no, it's nothing like what this article is saying. So like I think it's important to understand that she's not like being typecast. You see what I'm saying? Like there are many people like, if I was getting cast for a movie, they'd be like, okay, we need a fat dude with a beard. You know what I'm saying? But it seems like, you know, Zendaya, maybe that's one of the reasons so many people love her as an actress is because she is versatile. You know? So again, I don't necessarily agree with this article. It feels, it feels like the author wanted something to complain about and saw the perfect opportunity with Euphoria. They're like, wait, Euphoria is trending right now because it's a new show. What is something I can complain about in this show? Right? Because like right now, we're only one episode in, but I think it is a very good show and it's talking about some very important subjects. You know what I mean? So I think it's important to give credit to that. And I think, in my opinion, you know, seeing, seeing other people struggling with drug addiction, like I worked at a treatment center here in Las Vegas for about three years and the amount of African American clients that we got in was minimal. You see what I mean? Like, and I've made videos about this before about just like statistically African American men and women are less likely to get help for their mental health as well as addiction and everything like that. So I actually think this is a good thing. You know what I mean? But anyways, I might be crazy. Let me know down in the comments below. Let me know your thoughts on this article. But anyways, again, please do me a favor. Go check out the poll I just put out on the community tab. Go fill that out. Give me some info. Help me help you. Alright, but that's all I got for this video. If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up. If you're new, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell because I make a ton of videos and a huge, huge thank you to everybody supporting the channel over on Patreon. You're all amazing. And if you like to become a patron, get access to some perks and benefits, get all of my books for free. Click or tap on that Patreon icon right there. Alright, thanks again so so much for watching. I'll see you next time.