In the past, the media did not represent people in the LGBTQ+ community and instead heavily promoted gender norms and stereotypes. However, in more recent years, people have come out and expressed their true selves. This new expression has driven the media to portray queer individuals in films, shows, videos, etc., challenging these gender norms. Today, some of the most popular shows amongst teens and young adults include members in the LGBTQ+ community. For example, the tv show “Euphoria” follows the story of a teen girl who forms a romantic relationship with another transgender teen girl. This is so important because the more people who view these types of shows, the more comfortable and accepted people in this community will feel. Many characters in this show go through similar experiences to individuals who are not cisgender or straight. Ultimately, shows such as this one will allow individuals to feel confident when expressing their genuine identity. Our generation is much more accepting because we have grown up surrounded by technology and media platforms with representations of people in this community. As time goes on, more depictions of queer people are portrayed, meaning that society’s view will hopefully continue to change for the better.
Rue and Jules from the show “Euphoria”
I also talked about Euphoria in my response post. I also believe that this type of representation is central to the “normalization” of queer media. I believe that as these stories are spread more people will learn about different perspectives and this will slowly remove the block in seeing queer media as the norm. Shows like Euphoria have such powerful messages within them that it will apply to people that do not identify as “queer” which will cause them to spread the show just as all media are spread which leads to queer media being spread
I completely agree with that fact that increased representation of the LGBTQ+ community in television shows, movies, etc. is essential to creating additional acceptance amongst our society. Euphoria does a great job of normalizing Rue and Jules’s relationship and hopefully helping people that are struggling with their identity feel more comfortable with their true selves. I also agree with the idea that challenging these gender norms that have been put into place is utterly necessary to create lasting change.
I agree that as more people have broken out of traditional gender norms and stereotypes, the media has promoted more LGTBQ+ ideas and portrayed more queer individuals. I think Euphoria is a really good example of a tv show that shares multiple queer character perspectives. Euphoria is a very popular tv show, so the experiences of Jules, Rue, and other characters have reached a large audience and probably promoted much confidence and acceptance. Euphoria, in general, sheds light on a lot of serious topics like substance abuse, seuxal assault, and mental health. I think tv shows like this are important to have on streaming platforms because it spreads awareness and assurance.
I think Euphoria is a great example of queer media. I also agree with you that shows that have queer characters are a great way that the media is normalising queer culture and drawing attention to the complexities of queerness. Because Euphoria has been so popular, the unique way in which the show challenges cultural norms has had significant impact on the way that queerness is perceived by the general public. Queerness has since become more talked about and more widely accepted and the continued production of queer media such as Euphoria will only keep social progress and queer acceptance moving forward.