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The teen drama Euphoria released its second season in early January. The show’s creators are not afraid to push boundaries to tell their stories. The type of content in the series has jarred viewers quite a bit since the pilot episode. 

A portion of viewers feels that the showrunners glorify drug use among high schoolers. Other people have commented on the frequency of sex and nudity in the recent season. Fans and critics alike find the nude scenes “gratuitous.”

'Euphoria' season 1 still Hunter Shafer, Zendaya, and Maude Apatow roller skating
Euphoria | Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO

[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Euphoria Season 2.]

Sex in ‘Euphoria’ has always been controversial

Euphoria has featured plenty of nudity and sex scenes since season 1. The show can get intense with its depictions, such as a sexual assault scene in the first episode. As a result, audiences found the content to be controversial. 

One reason many viewers expressed issues is due to the ages of the characters. The actors in the series are all adults. Fans are aware that stars like Sydney Sweeney are able to make decisions about their body. However, the characters they portray are teenagers. 

Many people do not think it is appropriate to show so much nudity in a show about minors. Other well-known American teen dramas do not display explicit adult content, but Euphoria targets older audiences.

The second season features more nudity

After the premiere of the second season of Euphoria, fans and critics have shared their opinions. According to Mirror, people on Twitter commented about how many genitals there are. The number did not go down for season 2. On Reddit, they believe the drama is “gratuitously sexually explicit.” 

Euphoria is unrelentingly explicit this time around, as if it took one look at its former self and thought: ‘no, not shocking enough, try this.’ There is so much nudity, so much sex, and so much violence; its characters batter each other senseless, mentally and physically, and the camera lingers on each and every mark,” a critic wrote in The Guardian

Some people are likely to forget that the characters are teenagers due to the lives they lead. Some critics felt the show does not tell its stories as creatively in season 2. However, performances from actors like Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney get plenty of praise and balance out the criticism.  

Additionally, there has been plenty of violence in the series. Some viewers have found multiple scenes difficult to watch. 

What the stars have said about their nude scenes

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Several of the stars of Euphoria have given their thoughts about the drama’s nudity. Jacob Elordi confessed that he had a hard time filming intimate moments. He portrays the popular Nate, so he has had to do multiple sex scenes. 

At first, working with an intimacy coordinator was a challenge for Elordi. However, their working relationship improved over time. Sweeney also spoke out about how the coordinator made her feel safe. Even though she has to be nude a lot, she feels comfortable on set for the most part. 

In fact, Sweeney mentioned that the experience made her feel less self-conscious about herself. Nevertheless, she has no problem telling the director her thoughts about her scenes. The series could have had more naked moments from Cassie. 

“There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘OK, we don’t need it,'” Sweeney stated.