There's A Reason You're Not The Biggest Fan Of Cassie Howard's Style
In honor of the "Euphoria" season 2 première, let's take a look at why the main character's style isn't a reflection of her true self.
If you binged and loved season 1 of HBO’s Euphoria, then you most likely loved the illustrious outfits and makeup looks that accompanied one of the most popular shows in the world. There’s also a big possibility that you’ve bought Maddy’s (Alexa Demie) I.AM.GIA cutout pants or dipped your toes into Face Lace adhesives to copy your favorite Jules (Hunter Schafer) look. When you think of the deemed “Euphoria” aesthetic, your mind usually races to the icons: Maddy, Jules and Kat (Barbie Ferreira). You don’t necessarily think of Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) — and there’s a reason for that.
In season 1 of Euphoria, we, as an audience, never find out who Cassie actually is. We learn a lot about Cassie, but we don’t get a good understanding of who she is as a person; whereas, we get a good understanding of the other main characters. This is represented in their choice of clothing. We visually can get a glimpse of who Rue (Zendaya), Jules, Maddy and Kat are just by looking at them. But since Cassie has yet to find herself as a person, this is intentionally represented in her “boring” outfits.
But, these “boring” outfits do have a purpose. (Can anything really look boring on the gorgeous Sydney Sweeney?) Many argue that Cassie’s style is actually a reflection of dressing for the male gaze — as her pining for love and male approval is highlighted throughout season 1. For example, this is reiterated when she agrees to change out of her Alabama Worley Halloween costume (something she was looking forward to wearing) in order to appease her boyfriend McKay (Algee Smith).
Because we rarely see Cassie experiment with her style, she sticks to her color scheme of white and pink, which represents innocence and femininity — two things she longs for. The color blue pops into her wardrobe (more than Cassie would probably like), showcasing her true emotions of hurt and sadness.
But towards the end of season 1, we get to see a small fraction of Cassie’s true self during her abortion. In her dreamlike state, we see Cassie go to a place where she feels most like herself — the ice. As she skates around to Arcade Fire’s “My Body Is A Cage” (which perfectly encapsulates how Cassie’s become her own cage), she’s wearing a blue figure skating dress with jewels and feathers to go with an intense blue rhinestone eye look. Cassie has never worn such an extravagant look before, and in those few moments, we get a closer look at the real Cassie — the one who only needs the acceptance of herself.
By the end of the season, fans were hopeful that season 2 would bring a journey of self-discovery for Cassie. But from the looks of the few teasers Euphoria and HBO have released, it doesn’t seem like it. The trailers tease the relationship between Cassie and Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) … and things for Cassie don’t seem promising. From dressing like a “country music star” to aggressively practicing her skincare routine, time will only tell if Cassie will finally find herself this season.
Season 2 of Euphoria premieres on HBO and HBOMaz on Jan. 9.
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