Daddy Issues in Media
HBO, Euphoria (2021)
"Daddy issues" is often used in media as shorthand for emotionally damaged and sexually promiscuous women. They seek out older men to fill the dual role of romantic partner and father figure. Tragic, manic, and freaky, the daddy issues trope narrows what it means for women to have a strained, toxic, or otherwise abusive relationship with their father. And while this experience may be true for some women, this narrowing results in stripped-down, one-note portrayals of women in media.
HBO, Euphoria (2021)
Not to pit women against each other again, but let’s compare two famous women with daddy issues: Cassie Howard from Euphoria and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Of all characters to exhibit the classic idea of daddy issues, Cassie may be one of the most balanced portrayals while still falling prey to the simplification of the trope. After an already strained relationship, Cassie’s father abandoned her completely. We see this unfold onscreen in her approaching older or emotionally unavailable men, using sex as a means to please people, and her overall avoidance of conflict until she hits her limit. "Other men have manipulated Cassie into thinking sex is the only way she can earn their love," said Debby Franklin for mladysrecords. This is all to fill the void left by her father, to ensure that men will stay and give her the love she would otherwise lack from a father. Her body is her primary tool to get this affection.
Photo by Lionsgate Entertainment, 2012
While it could be easier to compare Cassie to other Euphoria characters (Rue or Lexi would be great comparisons), the treatment of Katniss’s backstory in the movies demonstrates the flattening of daddy issues and character. So, when has Katniss ever had daddy issues? He was mostly left out of the movies, but Katniss gets her most iconic traits from her father, in one way or another. Her father teaches her the songs she sings throughout the series and creates the image of her as the Mockingjay. After her father’s death, she takes up the role of protector for her family, leading her to emotionally mature rapidly. She hunts to care for her family, particularly Prim, in his absence. He is the reason she makes the choices she does, much like Cassie’s motivations stem from her father. So why is one character overtly dealing with daddy issues, while the other is an afterthought? Elizabeth Sorrell points out, "Daddy issues are constantly outlined as a kink or an object of fetishization for the supposed submissiveness of those who suffer from them." Cassie is deemed a sex object by the characters of the show, herself included. Katniss, on the other hand, is not sexualized within the text. If it is true that "daddy issues" is shorthand for sexually promiscuous, submissive, and trivial, then removing her father from the movies allows Katniss to be the "strong female character" archetype, an archetype at odds with these traits. This stems from who wrote whom. Credit to Sam Levinson since he does show Cassie's sexualization from her perspective, but she still is a male approach: her spiral in Season 2 reflects an unempathetic view of women who act out for survival in these ways while still choosing to objectify her (see Cassie's excessive nudity). Katniss, meanwhile, was written by Suzanne Collins. Her approach to daddy issues makes Katniss a well-rounded, sympathetic individual. Her issues come out in various ways, from her fierce independence to her wooden social skills. Collins demonstrates the complexities of daddy issues in a way that most portrayals lack.
HBO, Euphoria (2021)
More can be said about this particular comparison, like how Cassie was abandoned by her father, whereas Katniss deals with the loss of an otherwise healthy fatherly relationship. But both characters struggle with self-worth, have complex inner worlds, and try to make life livable in the wake of losing a dad. Yet both suffer, in extremes, from the treatment of daddy issues in our media landscape.
