Pills Dipped In Glitter: How Hollywood Glamourises Drug Abuse

By Suhotra Tripathi 

Unless you have been living under an absolute rock. You might have seen or at least heard of HBO's Euphoria. The hit show, starring Zendaya took the world by storm when it first premiered back in the June of 2019. A raw and honest look into the life of a teenage drug addict. Rue Bennett, a 17-year-old biracial girl living in an almost completely white world, has been struggling with substance abuse since she was 13. In the show she talks about her history with anxiety, learning disabilities, and grief. Exacerbated by the death of her father, Rue turns to drugs and her addiction threatens everything that’s important to her, including her relationships and her life. Rue, a bereaved teenager caught up in an endless cycle of addiction, using any drugs she can find to numb her grief and anxiety. 

"In hopes that i can breathe I gave the liquid value and i found a way to live." - Rue Bennett 

In the history of television i don't think there has been a more honest representation of substance abuse amongst teens. Euphoria has never shyed away from digging deep into the ugly and gritty parts of the reality, so much so that it might even be very triggering and hard to watch for people who have experienced this or people who have seen someone go through this. 

Even though the fan favourite series is an absolute hit, at it's very core Euphoria does glamourize drug abuse. While the aesthetic of the show might be undeniably stunning. A certain theory leads us to believe that people consume media to fulfil certain desires. One of those desires is the need to find our own personal identity through observing other people. This is because the need to fit in is basic human instinct, which is why so many people follow and copy the most popular trends. And amongst Gen Z euphoria is by far one of the most popular trends aesthetically, with its outrageous outfits and glittery make up looks, which do not fret far from the drug misuse in the show.

Addiction, in reality, is not glamorous. Increased drug abuse among teens may lead to more mental health issues, difficulty among teens in managing emotions, higher overdose rates, and a desire to escape from reality. Seeing other people their age using substances as a way to drown out mental health concerns might encourage teens to do the same. It may also reveal to them the deeper issues behind substance abuse — anxiety, depression, trauma — and show a need for therapy and addiction treatment, such as drug rehab.

“Drugs are kind of cool. I mean, they’re cool before they wreck your skin. And your life. And your family. That’s when they get uncool. It’s actually a very narrow window of cool.” - Rue Bennett

Euphoria isn't the only moment in the history of Hollywood which might have glamourize drug abuse. Might it be the film industry with classics such as Valley Of Dolls, or Wolf Of The Wall Street, or might it be the music industry, with pop songs following a prominent theme of numbing your senses with substance but It's about time Hollywood stopped dusting the ugly reality in sparkles and glitters.