Euphoria, the teen drama on HBO, has become a hit for its depiction of the dark aspects of teenage life and its representation of the youth. Amidst rumors of a feud between Euphoria’s creator, Sam Levinson, and Barbie Ferreira aka Kat, the actress posted an Instagram story announcing that she will not be back for Season 3 of the show.
Barbie Ferreira’s teary-eyed goodbye message has left her fans in a shock. The actress thanked her co-star Hunter Schaefer for a fan art of Kat and bid goodbye to her character. Here’s a breakdown of Barbie’s best moments as Kat Hernandez in Euphoria.
Standing up to Principal Hayes (Season 1)
When a video of Kat got leaked amongst her peers, she is quickly called to the principal’s room to answer for something that wasn’t even her fault. She jumps to her defense and questions the principal as to how bad it truly is for her reputation when not only her classmates body-shame her but her principal is also taking the same route. Although it was her in the leaked video, the whole thing blows over quickly because of the way Kat handles the situation.
Kat’s ‘love yourself’ scene (Season 2)
There are very few shows that have handled the body positivity movement as a discourse without being too preachy. The scene where Kat talks to imaginary women with perfect figures who try to empower her by saying, ‘I wish I had your confidence’ or trying to make her see that she needs to love herself was an eye-opener.
Kat’s wardrobe makeover
While the wardrobe makeover is a long-standing trope that has been used in pop culture for quite a while, Kat’s empowerment comes from her confidence. In the beginning, Kat is covered up in clothes, unlike her scantily-clad schoolmates. Her sexual revelation also comes through her change in clothes where she exudes confidence by embracing her sexuality through dominatrix type of clothing. Her fashion choices make her stand out in the crowd.
Kat Hernandez’s journey in Euphoria from being the ‘fat best-friend’ to the empowered one, wasn’t easy. In her message to fans, Barbie also talked about how she put all her “care and love” into the character that she played — a plus-size high school girl trying to come to terms with who she is. Barbie’s portrayal of a girl who doesn’t fit into the ideal body type is not just about empowerment but also a struggle to love oneself and be content. And Kat was a winner all through the show. No wonder Barbie Ferreira’s Kat truly struck a chord with a lot of young women around the world.
