Zendaya Defends ‘Euphoria’ After D.A.R.E. Slams Show For ‘Glorifying’ Teen Drug Use & Addiction
After much backlash from D.A.R.E. America, Zendaya is defending her hit show “Euphoria,” despite criticism for “glorifying” teen drug use and addiction.
Last month, D.A.R.E., which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, claimed the hit HBO show — which follows Los Angeles high school students experiencing addiction and more — likes to “misguidedly glorify” drug use among teens. A rep said, “Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behavior, HBO’s television drama, ‘Euphoria,’ chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world.”
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Defending the show and her character “Rue Bennett,” Zendaya fired back, “I’ve had a lot of people reach out and find so many parallels from all ages, all walks of life. So many parallels with Rue and her story and Rue means a lot to them in a way that I can understand, but also maybe in a way that I could never understand, and that means that means the most to all of us.” To D.A.R.E. and others, she adds, “Our show is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing. If anything, the feeling behind ‘Euphoria‘ or whatever we have always been trying to do with it, is to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain. And maybe feel like they’re not the only one going through or dealing with what they’re dealing with.”
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