Young Adult (YA) film has always needed to pay close attention to the visuals because of its target demographic. Especially in this age where social media sites like Tumblr, Instagram and TikTok reign supreme, determining the visual standards of youth. YA films are tasked not just with creating a visual experience appealing to the eyes of teen and young adult viewers, but also matching and innovating fashion and makeup trends of the time. In the cases of the TV show Euphoria and the film The Craft, each programme managed to do this with The Craft showcasing the timelessness of alternative aesthetics and Euphoria speaking to this generation’s response to and effects on previous popular aesthetics.
Euphoria has been in the news for much of 2022 with the release of its second season. The show consistently attempts to break the boundaries of particular styles when it comes to cinematography and is known for its particularly intense, jarring and gritty subject matter. Its story generally takes a darker turn than most current YA fiction which makes the show’s experimental dream sequences all the more memorable. I doubt many of us would be able to forget the image of a weeping Cassie surrounded by dozens of pink and white roses, Maddy sitting in her pink room emulating Nate’s image of the perfect virginal girl or the jarring chase shots of Jules and Rue riding their bikes through darkness and trees.
Along with the cinematography, the show’s costume design and makeup has talked about since season one. One can see that each piece picked out for every character to wear has been carefully curated not only to match their individual style, but also reflect an underlying meaning to the story at that moment or on the whole. Euphoria’s costume designer, Heidi Bivens, noted in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar that with the rise in viewership in season 2 she gave herself more freedom, allowing for the characters to be dressed in a more ‘fantastical’ way. The transition from season one to season two was keenly observed by fans of the show, which prompted responses on TikTok claiming that the fashion of Euphoria was somewhat unrealistic for teenagers. Regardless, the outfits reflected styles which many young people today wanted to wear, and the fashion industry took note. The show had thousands flowing to social media to recreate the looks and buy pieces which resembled those they had seen on their favorite characters – most notably the pieces worn by Maddy and Kat, which tended to be the more alternative.
Speaking of alternative, The Craft – while not as well-known as Euphoria or other films of its time, like Clueless, Never Been Kissed and She’s All That –had a serious impact the on alternative, namely punk and boho, styles of today. In the 90s witches were all the rage, although, I ask – when haven’t they been?
For those who haven’t seen the film, The Craft tells a story about four teenage witches as they come to grips with their ever-growing magical powers as well as other typical teenage concerns. Each character had their own unique style which developed as the film went on, with the characters of Nancy (Fairuza Balk) and Sarah (Robin Tunney) being the driving force behind the popularization of the opposite trends that their characters wore. Nancy’s style was more punk inspired with darker tones, tighter silhouettes, and the use of materials like PVC and leather associated with the punk and grunge movements. Sarah’s style, on the other hand, was reminiscent of the bohemian or hippie eras with light pastel colors and flowy, loose silhouettes. The fashion is one of the film’s more noteworthy elements – its cinematography isn’t as exciting as Euphoria’s, using camera styles more standard to most 90s teen films.
Whether you’re on the trends and watched Euphoria episode by episode as it was released or tend to go back and take your aesthetic inspiration from older films and styles, the visual power that these pieces of media have is undeniable. And if you haven’t already, while Euphoria’s third season is underway, check out The Craft, if simply for the cooky witchy-ness.