Stuntin’ Like My Daddy
by Jocelyn Earl
Senior, Integrated Physiology Major
Euphoria is a show that took the nation by storm in 2019. Although Euphoria, produced by Sam Levins, is an exaggerated view of what today’s high schools look like, it is based on Levins own experience of being a drug addict at just fifteen. Euphoria exposes the immense amount of pressure, drug use, sexual manipulation and bullying controls the most insecure population of people. Season One Episode Two, “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy,” encapsulates toxic masculinity and the effect it has on young boys who seek violence as gratification instead of understanding their own feelings.
By the age of 11 years old Nate (Jacob Eldori) finds his fathers home made sex tapes with men in motel rooms. Nate (Eldori) is fascinated by these films and he rewatches them compulsively. If it’s not weird enough that he enjoys his dad's homemade porn, it’s his first exposure to sex.
Not the best impression by watching your father having sex with men making them call him daddy as he calls them whores is a good start. His relationship with his father Cal (Eric Dane) is built on toxic masculinity. Cal (Dane) makes Nate (Eldori) believe that the world will hate him if he shows emotion or love, saying that being tough is the only way to survive.
This seals Nate’s (Eldori) fate to never let anyone in because he believed people would find him weak, so he bottles up emotional and sexual frustration ant turns it into rage. By age twelve he had already created a ridgid workout schedule that fed his anger.
We see this body dysmorphia in Nate (Eldori) in mainstream society that they suffer from “reverse anorexia” as discussed in “Mags and Abs: Media Consumption and Bodily Concerns in Men.” His anger projected him in sports as he loved winning and the feeling of praise, but despised his teammates in the locker room for being casual about being naked in the locker room. This was the first time in a high school based show that male genitalia was seen on screen uncensored. It finally felt a little bit equal to the exposure of both men and women being naked on this show. The excitement was short lived because in an interview with Eldori he exclaims that all the penises that are in the show are all fake models, but do you worry all females are the real deal. Once again objectifying women and permitting the male gaze to allow women to be naked but conceal men. Anyways, Nate is just really sexually confused and has such high physical standards for men and women.
After Nate (Eldori) is visibly repulsed by men, he fantasies a long list of all the things he likes about women the top being that they are hairless, which is just creepy, we meet Maddy (Alexa Demie). Maddy’s (Demie) character is the popular girl in high school, pretty, confident, and outspoken. Nate (Eldori) fantasizes a lot about Maddy (Demie) and her vulnerability as a young woman. He takes it so far to imagine her being kidnapped and him murdering her attacker. Yes. Murdering her attacker. Nate (Eldori) is purebred toxic masculinity that feeds off of his emotional manipulation and physical fear he unleashes.
This is a direct correlation to “When Pop Culture Sells Dangerous Myths About Romance” by Julie Beck and the male over fascination of protection over young women. Nate (Eldori) exemplifies the objectification of women thinking that Maddy is so weak she NEEDS to be taken care of and only HE can protect her.
The uncontrollable rage within Nate (Eldori) foreshadows when Nate sneaks into a young man's apartment and beats him senselessly. Context to these abominable actions of Nate (Eldori) was in the previous episode Maddy (Demie) had hooked up with Tyler Clarkson (Lukas Gage), and this humiliated Nate because he had lost control over Maddy (Demie).
Instead of taking his anger out in a healthy way he stalks Tyler (Gage) back to his apartment and beats the shit out of him. After he finishes his brutal beating Nate then goes to shower off Tyler's (Gage) blood in his own shower and proceeds to put Tyler's (Gage) own clothes on. This whole interaction is sickening because Nate (Eldori) not only has no remorse and no repercussions.
Could you say Euphoria is revolutionary, sure, does expose how messed up high school is and the struggles kids go through, absolutely. Euphoria tears away the romanization of a “protective boyfriend,” the extensive amount of youth drug use, and the pedophilic objectification of young women. If there is one thing this show has taught me is that I will never, I repeat never, date a man who does not regularly attend therapy.
