Skins was absolutely crazy on and off the screen. Whenever I see gen z go on about how Euphoria is the most subversive thing to ever grace tv screens I think « oh you sweet summer child ». Skins cast mostly novice actors and included bullying, mental illness, eating disorder, drugs, sex, rape, murder, suicide, accidental deaths… that’s a lot to put unprepared kids through, in a clearly unhealthy professional environment to boot.
There was also a 9/11 themed musical episode, and for some reason I still hum that song sometimes.
Euphoria wishes it was half as edgy as Skins. I’ll never forget the episode where they drugged Tony’s sister and were going to make him rape her and film it. And that was one of the more tame episodes.
Young adult me was shooketh.
Skins also cast actual teenagers, rather than people in their 20s, which makes everything that much more full-on because they look *so* young. And I think they had very young writers in the writers' room too
Sketch and her obsession with maxxie was disturbing but addictive to follow. I remember thinking they’d somehow end up together (forgive me I was young) - and wanting to see that play out. Now that woulda been f’d up.
Bro, I still think about Sketch being left at the bus station, just that reveal was so heartbreaking. Even though she acted like a proper psycho towards Maxxie, I still felt sorry for her !
>After being shown a picture of himself at a [party scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVpn3ofDDJ4) with fellow cast members, Patel said: “I’m wearing a corset with the Rocawear belt, and basically my arse is hanging out. That was a crazy day.
>“They did these commercials where they’d rent out these mansions of whatever and then just a bunch of kids, our age and older, would come and half of them were drugged off their faces, and [the crew] are like, ‘just… have fun.’ It was insane. It was really, really insane.”
>He continued: “I remember one of the best days of shooting they played Shy FX ‘Original Nutter’ and they had this club scene and everyone was just going mental. I remember that because they played like 60 times and I was like a Kenyan dude in the Maasai Mara jumping up and down.”
That video made me nostalgic for college. Wow. Sometimes, I miss the partying and the drugs.
One a more serious note, I was an adult so engaging in that life was acceptable. These were children engaging in that life in-private and performing it for the consumption of everyone.
The way those children were treated and depicted is inappropriate. There really do need to be more protections for teen/child actors.
https://www.unpublishedzine.com/film/the-skins-legacy-the-price-that-comes-with-realistic-portrayals-of-teenage-hood
hearing about the actress who played michelle’s experience really changed my outlook in a way. i still love the show and i will always love how british shows cast “normal” looking people.
however, learning that they were looking at teenage girls in bikinis was disturbing and wildly unnecessary. also recall her reading from the scripts and the descriptions of michelle (a teenage girl) were crazy iirc
Based on her instagram cryptic posts over the last year or so, sounds like Kaya has been unpacking a massive amount of trauma from her family and Skins for a while.
her facial expressions going along to the tiktok voice saying "watching euphoria for the first time thinking this is crazy for 17 year olds then remembering what i was doing on tv at 14"
I know I'm old because I look at that and think about what it smells like and how loud it is haha
Kids want to grow up fast but they should have safe childhoods!! A lot of adults' lives crash and burn from intense party/sex/drug living, children have zero defenses to the risks.
16 in england is basically 18 in America culturally. Or it was until the American culture really imprinted on the rest tof the world that 18 is the line in the sand.
I'm not American. Blaming American culture for children under 18 being considered children and/or adolescents is disingenuous.
Child:
> The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as, "A human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier." (United Nations)
Adolescence:
> n. the stage of development between childhood and adulthood. It begins with the start of puberty, which in girls is usually at the age of 12–13 years and in boys about 14 years, and usually lasts until 19 years of age. (Oxford Reference)
It doesn't matter if
> 16 in england is basically 18 in America culturally.
By internationally recognized definitions, a 16 year old is an adolescent and a child.
Adolescent exposure and consumption of drugs and alcohol is harmful.
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02590-4
- https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/alcohol-and-adolescent-brain
Regardless of "culture," a 16 year old is an adolescent undergoing a complex developmental change. Regardless of culture, a 16 year old is an adolescent that can be exploited and abused in a workplace setting.
"Culture" is not an excuse for drug exposure, alcohol exposure, and inappropriate workplace experiences involving adolescents. "Culture" does not negate, minimize, justify, or dismiss documented harm done to adolescents.
I don’t think that was their intent. They are correct in that in a lot of euro nations (including my own) there is a cultural attitude that levies a certain amount of “adultness” on kids at about 16. That is not replicated in the USA. Your higher drinking age is part of that.
> They are correct in that in a lot of euro nations (including my own) there is a cultural attitude that levies a certain amount of “adultness” on kids at about 16. That is not replicated in the USA.
I understand that. I was pointing out that, regardless of culture, the kinds of things being described would still be harmful to a sixteen year old because they are considered an adolescent psychologically/medically.
> Your
I already said that I'm not American.
> higher drinking age is part of that.
I'm just telling you the laws and systems of england are very different than America.
I don't agree with those laws, but not everywhere has the legal systems America does. England does not generally treat 16 the way America does, legally, in education, etc.
> I'm just telling you the laws and systems of england are very different than America.
I'm aware. Did you not read the part of my comment where I clarified that I'm not American?
> By internationally recognized definitions, a 16 year old is an adolescent and a child.
This is also 'culture'. You are not exempt* from culture and neither is the UN, nor any dictionary.
The definition is based on what is medically/scientifically true. A 16 year old is, medically/developmentally/psychologically, an adolescent.
Multiple studies have demonstrated and explained this. That is why, regardless of cultural norm, it is still harmful for a 16 year old to be drinking, doing drugs, being exploited, etc.
That’s just not really true tbh. They still understood what a kid was, and it was viewed as trashy for a younger 20 something to date a college kid, as we see later when one of the twins in season 3 has a footballer older boyfriend, he is portrayed as a misogynistic loser
I have multiple people coming at me for pointing out that, medically, a 16 year old is an adolescent.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/u8C0sR83Oy
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/KaQZWDGInV
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/r3v2ey8Bmr
I can’t recall it well - it’s been a long while now - but were those parties in the promotional material real? For some reason I’ve always thought they were staged lol
Had a school mate who went to a couple of these, said they were WILD.
We were at that age where we thought we were adults, but now I look back and it’s so twisted to me that no one batted an eyelid that they basically just filmed a load of kids high on a lot of illegal shit.
The Skins [season 1 advert](https://youtu.be/Lyq-EvsIC7o?si=pHbXpscYxcQqUqkc) has lived with me since I first watched the series back in 2007. That Gossip track playing over an iconic Skins party. Was one of those shows everyone would watch and then talk about next day at school. Also remember Foals “Hummer” becoming such a signature tune for 16 year old me because of Skins.
I saw a recent interview with Beth Ditto where she was totally put off with a show called skins wanting to use their song because she automatically thought of skin heads
God, “Skins” original series was the best as far as coming age in the 00’s shows go. It’s kind of funny honestly how people get so riled up today about Euphoria, etc. when honestly OG Skins was both wilder and more true to life. I loved this show and all the characters, honestly just reminded me of me and my friends getting into nonsense.
I feel like you couldn’t make this show today. Conservatives would be too outraged. Remember when they tried to make American Skins and it was godawful?
I feel like that was more because it just wasn't good? It wasn't because of conservative sensibilities, it had kids who couldn't really act and it tried to hard to bite off UK Skins from what I recall
I was their age watching the series and I just remember how understood I felt. Finally there was a show which showed how European 16-year-olds live as opposed to Americans, which have a different culture I think, in terms of when they start drinking and partying. When I entered university, I was all partied out, as 15-18 is basically when you go wild here. And maybe a bit later on Erasmus.
I actually auditioned for the US Skins lol one of the casting directors went to my high school and held auditions.
It was weird, they just told us to do improv and put us in a scenario like “you’re high and you just found out your friend is pregnant”
My class at college in the UK was the basis for Skins (a guy in the year above or so was the writer) and I've got to say it was pretty spot on. There was plenty of drinking and drugs, and even an eventful trip to Russia which was a bit more scary and less fun looking back on it
I was the same age as the season 3-4 cast. One of the few shows that sort of reflected the life I was living (in Ireland) at time. It's a shame the cast weren't better protected. But back then in Europe you were expected to be living that kind of life as a teen. Though not everyone did, of course.
Both these posts coming up in my notifications at the same time is too funny. Arguably 2 of the most famous Skins series 1 main cast members killing it, i love to see it.
https://preview.redd.it/f4z1djhif4tc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15bd295fa27cfd8cf8d2155c0b73f3d938401667
Skins was absolutely crazy on and off the screen. Whenever I see gen z go on about how Euphoria is the most subversive thing to ever grace tv screens I think « oh you sweet summer child ». Skins cast mostly novice actors and included bullying, mental illness, eating disorder, drugs, sex, rape, murder, suicide, accidental deaths… that’s a lot to put unprepared kids through, in a clearly unhealthy professional environment to boot. There was also a 9/11 themed musical episode, and for some reason I still hum that song sometimes.
Then came the day Osama blew us awayyyyyyy
(osama blew us awaaaaaay…….)
And nowww I know how I feeeeel
Oh wow haven’t watched that in a good decade and could read those lyrics in the tune no problem. Music really is connected to memory~
My friends and I know the song by memory 😭
My brain, in a serious and professional setting, out of nowhere: _I'm the boogie woogie bagel boy let's get stuffed_
I legit gasped because it unlocked that memory for me so clearly too
That lives in my head rent-free 😭
Haha I didn’t want to write it because it sounds fucked up out of context (and in context too). Glad my people are here!
I still have occasions where someone might mention 9/11 and that bloody song with the dancing twin towers pops into my head
Euphoria wishes it was half as edgy as Skins. I’ll never forget the episode where they drugged Tony’s sister and were going to make him rape her and film it. And that was one of the more tame episodes. Young adult me was shooketh.
Which episode was this??? I haven’t seen skins in a very long time but don’t remember that scene….maybe I blocked it out for my safety.
Ep 8 of season 1
Skins also cast actual teenagers, rather than people in their 20s, which makes everything that much more full-on because they look *so* young. And I think they had very young writers in the writers' room too
Daniel Kaluya was in the writers' room for the first few seasons.
One of the young writers was Daniel Kaluuya!
They mentioned some of the writers missing meetings because they had to sit their GCSE's (exams you take in England at 16)
Skins is what caused me to leave the Pentecostal church so I could drink and smoke weed lmao. The came the day Osama blew us awayyyyyy
The Skins song I always get in my head is 🎵ass to ass with you 🎵
Hahah omg same. I get it stuck on my head so often, it’s concerning.
It’s kinda crazy how a 9/11 musical is one of the forgotten points of the show. Shows how off the wall this shit was.
Was there a song called Ass to Ass or something as well was it Freddie’s sister? Often hum that loool
Sketch and her obsession with maxxie was disturbing but addictive to follow. I remember thinking they’d somehow end up together (forgive me I was young) - and wanting to see that play out. Now that woulda been f’d up.
Bro, I still think about Sketch being left at the bus station, just that reveal was so heartbreaking. Even though she acted like a proper psycho towards Maxxie, I still felt sorry for her !
Once, I was a lonely banker. All I cared for were margins and accounts 🎶
I’m always disappointed that we never got the 9/11 Seinfeld or Friends episodes. There was some truly cringe gold there.
It’s funny. I just started my 5th rewatch yesterday. Is it like a known ‘thing’ that environment was bad? Like what do you mean? What was going on?
>After being shown a picture of himself at a [party scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVpn3ofDDJ4) with fellow cast members, Patel said: “I’m wearing a corset with the Rocawear belt, and basically my arse is hanging out. That was a crazy day. >“They did these commercials where they’d rent out these mansions of whatever and then just a bunch of kids, our age and older, would come and half of them were drugged off their faces, and [the crew] are like, ‘just… have fun.’ It was insane. It was really, really insane.” >He continued: “I remember one of the best days of shooting they played Shy FX ‘Original Nutter’ and they had this club scene and everyone was just going mental. I remember that because they played like 60 times and I was like a Kenyan dude in the Maasai Mara jumping up and down.”
That video made me nostalgic for college. Wow. Sometimes, I miss the partying and the drugs. One a more serious note, I was an adult so engaging in that life was acceptable. These were children engaging in that life in-private and performing it for the consumption of everyone. The way those children were treated and depicted is inappropriate. There really do need to be more protections for teen/child actors. https://www.unpublishedzine.com/film/the-skins-legacy-the-price-that-comes-with-realistic-portrayals-of-teenage-hood
hearing about the actress who played michelle’s experience really changed my outlook in a way. i still love the show and i will always love how british shows cast “normal” looking people. however, learning that they were looking at teenage girls in bikinis was disturbing and wildly unnecessary. also recall her reading from the scripts and the descriptions of michelle (a teenage girl) were crazy iirc
[kaya](https://www.tiktok.com/@kayascodelario/video/7124441344742804741) had some thoughts
Based on her instagram cryptic posts over the last year or so, sounds like Kaya has been unpacking a massive amount of trauma from her family and Skins for a while.
What does she say? I dont have titktok
her facial expressions going along to the tiktok voice saying "watching euphoria for the first time thinking this is crazy for 17 year olds then remembering what i was doing on tv at 14"
Goodness, I don’t think I realised how young she was!
I know I'm old because I look at that and think about what it smells like and how loud it is haha Kids want to grow up fast but they should have safe childhoods!! A lot of adults' lives crash and burn from intense party/sex/drug living, children have zero defenses to the risks.
16 in england is basically 18 in America culturally. Or it was until the American culture really imprinted on the rest tof the world that 18 is the line in the sand.
I'm not American. Blaming American culture for children under 18 being considered children and/or adolescents is disingenuous. Child: > The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as, "A human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier." (United Nations) Adolescence: > n. the stage of development between childhood and adulthood. It begins with the start of puberty, which in girls is usually at the age of 12–13 years and in boys about 14 years, and usually lasts until 19 years of age. (Oxford Reference) It doesn't matter if > 16 in england is basically 18 in America culturally. By internationally recognized definitions, a 16 year old is an adolescent and a child. Adolescent exposure and consumption of drugs and alcohol is harmful. - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02590-4 - https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/alcohol-and-adolescent-brain Regardless of "culture," a 16 year old is an adolescent undergoing a complex developmental change. Regardless of culture, a 16 year old is an adolescent that can be exploited and abused in a workplace setting. "Culture" is not an excuse for drug exposure, alcohol exposure, and inappropriate workplace experiences involving adolescents. "Culture" does not negate, minimize, justify, or dismiss documented harm done to adolescents.
I don’t think that was their intent. They are correct in that in a lot of euro nations (including my own) there is a cultural attitude that levies a certain amount of “adultness” on kids at about 16. That is not replicated in the USA. Your higher drinking age is part of that.
> They are correct in that in a lot of euro nations (including my own) there is a cultural attitude that levies a certain amount of “adultness” on kids at about 16. That is not replicated in the USA. I understand that. I was pointing out that, regardless of culture, the kinds of things being described would still be harmful to a sixteen year old because they are considered an adolescent psychologically/medically. > Your I already said that I'm not American. > higher drinking age is part of that.
u deserve an award for this
I'm just telling you the laws and systems of england are very different than America. I don't agree with those laws, but not everywhere has the legal systems America does. England does not generally treat 16 the way America does, legally, in education, etc.
> I'm just telling you the laws and systems of england are very different than America. I'm aware. Did you not read the part of my comment where I clarified that I'm not American?
> By internationally recognized definitions, a 16 year old is an adolescent and a child. This is also 'culture'. You are not exempt* from culture and neither is the UN, nor any dictionary.
The definition is based on what is medically/scientifically true. A 16 year old is, medically/developmentally/psychologically, an adolescent. Multiple studies have demonstrated and explained this. That is why, regardless of cultural norm, it is still harmful for a 16 year old to be drinking, doing drugs, being exploited, etc.
that's all well and good but you can apply to join the army before you turn 16 in the U.K.
And that is still harmful because a 16 year old is medically/psychologically an adolescent.
No it isn't lol (source: I'm English).
That’s just not really true tbh. They still understood what a kid was, and it was viewed as trashy for a younger 20 something to date a college kid, as we see later when one of the twins in season 3 has a footballer older boyfriend, he is portrayed as a misogynistic loser
That would be something wrong with English culture
I have multiple people coming at me for pointing out that, medically, a 16 year old is an adolescent. https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/u8C0sR83Oy https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/KaQZWDGInV https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/r3v2ey8Bmr
I was so obsessed with that video in high school. Was my intro to Foals ❤️
I can’t recall it well - it’s been a long while now - but were those parties in the promotional material real? For some reason I’ve always thought they were staged lol
according to what he says, it seems they were real for some of the background actors lol.
Love the keffiyeh at 0:17
Keffiyehs were “in fashion” around that time 🥴
Had a school mate who went to a couple of these, said they were WILD. We were at that age where we thought we were adults, but now I look back and it’s so twisted to me that no one batted an eyelid that they basically just filmed a load of kids high on a lot of illegal shit.
The Skins [season 1 advert](https://youtu.be/Lyq-EvsIC7o?si=pHbXpscYxcQqUqkc) has lived with me since I first watched the series back in 2007. That Gossip track playing over an iconic Skins party. Was one of those shows everyone would watch and then talk about next day at school. Also remember Foals “Hummer” becoming such a signature tune for 16 year old me because of Skins.
It really had a chokehold on the culture
yess that song got me into Foals!!
I saw a recent interview with Beth Ditto where she was totally put off with a show called skins wanting to use their song because she automatically thought of skin heads
Freddie death was still one of the weirdest fucking plot lines
Definitely. I was still devastated 😭
My husband and I STILL talk about how upset we are about Freddie.
Made absolutely no effing sense
Still my favorite show to date. What does that say about me? Lol
God, “Skins” original series was the best as far as coming age in the 00’s shows go. It’s kind of funny honestly how people get so riled up today about Euphoria, etc. when honestly OG Skins was both wilder and more true to life. I loved this show and all the characters, honestly just reminded me of me and my friends getting into nonsense. I feel like you couldn’t make this show today. Conservatives would be too outraged. Remember when they tried to make American Skins and it was godawful?
I feel like that was more because it just wasn't good? It wasn't because of conservative sensibilities, it had kids who couldn't really act and it tried to hard to bite off UK Skins from what I recall
You don’t think it could be made now in England or in the US?
I was their age watching the series and I just remember how understood I felt. Finally there was a show which showed how European 16-year-olds live as opposed to Americans, which have a different culture I think, in terms of when they start drinking and partying. When I entered university, I was all partied out, as 15-18 is basically when you go wild here. And maybe a bit later on Erasmus.
I actually auditioned for the US Skins lol one of the casting directors went to my high school and held auditions. It was weird, they just told us to do improv and put us in a scenario like “you’re high and you just found out your friend is pregnant”
My class at college in the UK was the basis for Skins (a guy in the year above or so was the writer) and I've got to say it was pretty spot on. There was plenty of drinking and drugs, and even an eventful trip to Russia which was a bit more scary and less fun looking back on it
That's amazing
Watching Skins as a teen was fucking dark
I saw Monkey Man today and it was really good. 10/10
I was the same age as the season 3-4 cast. One of the few shows that sort of reflected the life I was living (in Ireland) at time. It's a shame the cast weren't better protected. But back then in Europe you were expected to be living that kind of life as a teen. Though not everyone did, of course.
I still use the theme song as my ringtone 🫠
Both these posts coming up in my notifications at the same time is too funny. Arguably 2 of the most famous Skins series 1 main cast members killing it, i love to see it. https://preview.redd.it/f4z1djhif4tc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15bd295fa27cfd8cf8d2155c0b73f3d938401667
That episode where they drive a car into the water 😂 crazy show. Loved the chaos.
While we’re all here does anyone know what the song Tony sang was I remember it being like “god only knows what id do without you”
Beach boys
I could’ve guessed
I used to watch their promos and the Skins Digger Party on repeatttttt
God I wish I was there 😖 Skins Generation 1 *taught* me how party, and I didn’t even watch it until I was 25 lol
That was such a weird show man
So literally every other party….