About

Euphoria High School refers to memes and tweets that reference the outlandish nature of the high school experience portrayed in the 2019 HBO show Euphoria. The students in the show are often dressed provocatively and engage in activities associated with adult discourse, like sex and drug use. Memes about the contradiction between real-world high school vs. that of the show started on Twitter in 2019 but picked up in abundance in 2021 on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, particularly using the catchphrase "When You Forget You Go to Euphoria High School."

Origin

The first season of Euphoria premiered on June 16th, 2019,^[1] inspired by a precursor Israeli television show with the same name and concept. It was met with mostly positive reviews from sites like Metacritic upon release.^[2] On June 19th, 2019, Twitter^[3] user thatdevinfield was the first online to make a joke about the hyperbolic and unrealistic nature of high school life portrayed in the show. His tweet (shown below) makes a joke about the "top shelf drugs and outdoor sex" in the show, contrasting it to his own high school experience. The tweet received 166 likes over the course of two years.

Spread

As Euphoria picked up in viewership and renown going into the rest of 2019, more Twitter users posted about depictions of high school seen in the show. For instance, on August 5th, 2019, comedian Brandon Wardell posted a tweet^[4] about the cliché (shown below). It received roughly 8,300 likes over the course of two years.

On August 12th, 2019, Twitter^[5] user deadbodyonline posted a tweet (shown below) that referenced how the students in the show dress in contrast to the high school class they're attending. The tweet received 74 likes after being posted and is the first known meme highlighting how the students in Euphoria dress.

Humorous discourse about high school life in the show continued to be discussed online in 2020^[6] and 2021.^[7] However, when the second season of Euphoria premiered on January 6th, 2022, buzz surrounding the show picked up again online. For instance, on December 30th, 2021, Twitter^[8] user zo1oft posted a tweet (shown below) that made a joke about the GPA scores of students at the school. The tweet received roughly 104,400 likes over the course of two weeks. Zo1oft also replied^[9] to their own tweet (shown below), making a joke about how the students dress when attending a class like APUSH. The tweet received roughly 12,700 likes in two weeks.

As the meme concept of how Euphoria students dress became popularized on Twitter going into January 2022, the memes spread to platforms like TikTok. For instance, on January 6th, 2022, TikToker^[10] ufodelaney posted a video (shown below) that predicted what provocative outfit each Euphoria character would wear to classes like APUSH and AP Stats. The TikTok received roughly 61,100 plays and 9,200 likes over the course of five days.

On January 7th, 2022, TikToker^[11] ellio_spaghettio posted a video (shown below, left) that had text overlay reading, "when you're on your way to school but almost forgot you transferred to euphoria high." He then walks out in a jacket and sweatpants only to turn around and come back in a crop-top and high-waisted pants. Over the course of four days, the video received roughly 4.1 million plays and 756,700 likes.

Another TikToker^[12] named uk3zaezae added to the trend the next day (shown below, right), using the same sound from SpongeBob SquarePants where Squidward asks SpongeBob, "Why aren't you in uniform?" He also comes out in the video wearing something "normal," only to reappear wearing lingerie. The video received roughly 10.7 million plays and 2.4 million likes over the course of three days.

On January 9th, Twitter^[13] user rosedommu posted a tweet (shown below, left) that referenced how Euphoria students dress. The tweet received roughly 16,400 likes over the course of two days. The next day, Twitter^[14] user gabebergado posted a tweet (shown below, right) that hypothesized what the principal of Euphoria high school would look like. The tweet received roughly 29,900 likes in less than 24 hours.

Other stereotypes and clichés were also referenced related to the unrealistic depiction of high school in the show. For instance, on January 10th, Twitter^[15] user lilsasquatch66 posted a tweet (shown below) that referenced other shows with over-the-top depictions of high school like Outer Banks and 13 Reasons Why. The tweet received roughly 24,600 likes in less than 24 hours.

Also on January 10th, 2022, Twitter^[16] user paulswhtn posted a tweet (shown below) that included a text-message screenshot from his mom who said, "I am binge watching euphoria please tell me that your high school was not like theirs." The tweet received roughly 68,900 likes, also in less than 24 hours.

TikTok screenshots and other image macro memes landed on Instagram, with some of them, like a post from Instagram^[17] page on_a_downward_spiral, reaching up to 97,700 likes in one day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References