Euphoria gave me the courage to come out to my friend – now we’re together
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- The author, then 17 and part of a tight-knit girl group in Stockholm, realized she was falling for her best friend Ellen in the summer of 2019, a month before their final year of school, despite having always assumed she was straight
- HBO's Euphoria, specifically the relationship between Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer), drew her in because the show depicted queerness as liberating — with no major coming-out scenes and Rue's mother simply saying "It may not matter what I think, but I really like her" when told of the relationship
- Rue and Jules's plotline mirrored her own experience: Rue's insecurities about her feelings and the blurred line between platonic and romantic love felt familiar, even though the author's world was far removed from the show's gritty California setting
- After watching the show, the author kissed Ellen, who kissed her back, and the two have now been together for six years — a relationship she says is "furnished with our mutual love of books, movie nights and laughter"
- The author tried watching later seasons of Euphoria but couldn't make it through the grimmer final run, though she credits season one with helping "wash away" her uncertainty and giving her the push to act
Why it matters: The piece illustrates how on-screen depictions of queer relationships — particularly ones that skip the obligatory coming-out drama — can serve as a mirror for viewers still sorting through their own feelings. The author, raised in a liberal Stockholm household, says Euphoria's naturalism was the first time she saw queerness framed as uncomplicated liberation rather than a confession scene.
