The name of this week’s episode of Euphoria, “The Ballad of Palladin,” stems from a song written by Johnny Western, Richard Boone, and Sam Rolfe in 1952. It rose to popularity ten years later and is regarded as one of the most famous Western songs of all time. Some may recognise it from the movie Stand by Me, when the boys venture off to find the body of a dead boy, singing the song together. The Western theme aligns with this season of Euphoria’s Wild West atmosphere. At fir

From crying on camera to sharing everything, the line between feeling and showing has never been more blurred. We all remember the first time we saw it: someone crying in their car, phone propped up, camera angled just right, tears falling in a way that could be watched. The immediate reaction wasn’t empathy, it was, honestly for me personally, discomfort. Not because someone was hurting, but because it felt like we weren’t supposed to be there. Like we had walked into a priv

After publishing “You Don’t Have to Get Plastic Surgery, But Good Luck Competing If You Don’t,” we sparked a conversation that clearly resonated with many, one that sits at the intersection of beauty, pressure, and opportunity in today’s world. When Tatiana, an influencer navigating this space in real time, reached out to share that the article reflected her reality, it felt only natural to take the discussion a step further. This interview is an extension of that piece, grou

Recently Sophia wrote the article: “The Things We Don’t Post: The Weight We Don’t See On Mental Health, Silence and the Courage to Speak” and it stayed with me. Not because it said something new, but because it said something we’ve all been quietly avoiding: there’s a gap between what we feel and what we show. And lately, that gap feels like it’s getting wider. Somewhere along the way, we didn’t just learn how to feel our emotions; we learned how to present them.There’s a di

In a culture built on constant visibility, being seen has never been easier or more misleading. Bella Hadid has spent the better part of a decade at the center of that contradiction. Her image has circulated endlessly: across runways, campaigns, paparazzi shots, and social media feeds. She is, by all measures, one of the most visible figures of her generation. And yet, that level of exposure has never quite translated into clarity. If anything, it has done the opposite. This

We say we want love, so why are we negotiating it… There’s a conversation that keeps coming up lately, at dinners, in group chats, on socials, in passing comments that are half-jokes but not really… “Women just want a provider.” “Men are scared of being used.” “Girls these days only date for money.” And on the other side: “Men don’t want to invest anymore.” “They want girlfriend benefits at zero cost.” “They call you a gold digger the moment you have standards.” Somewhere

There’s a quiet narrative that sits beneath most creative careers. Work hard. Improve. Build something. And eventually, you’ll arrive. Arrive at success, recognition, a version of yourself that feels complete. Sitting across from Oliver, I found myself questioning that narrative in real time. Because neither of us seemed particularly interested in arriving. Oliver, a UK-based director working across fashion films, music videos, and narrative-driven projects, creates from a pl

There’s a certain kind of desire we don’t talk about enough. Not the kind that builds into something real, but the kind that exists in the in-between. The almost. The chase. The part where wanting feels more powerful than having. Here’s an uncomfortable truth I had to admit to myself at some point: I used to lose interest the moment I got what I wanted. Not slowly. Not over time. Instantly. The second it shifted from wondering if he wanted me to knowing he did… something in m

Let’s be honest, plastic surgery didn’t just become accepted. It became expected. Somewhere between the rise of injectables and the algorithm, we stopped questioning it. What was once whispered about is now casually discussed over dinner, openly documented on TikTok, and framed as just another form of self-care. Botox at 25. Lip filler as a rite of passage. “Subtle tweaks” positioned as maintenance, not transformation. And the narrative that made this shift possible? Empowerm