User:ToQ100gou/Effy Stonem (rewrite)

Elizabeth "Effy" Stonem is a fictional character from the British television drama series Skins, played by Kaya Scodelario. Part of Generation Two (series 3 and 4), she debuts in the first series as a minor character before her role is expanded.

In the first series, Effy is introduced as the aloof runaway sister of main character Tony Stonem, who does not speak until the eighth episode. She is portrayed as a rebellious, manipulative, and enigmatic person, who often uses her charisma and seduction to get what she wants, She is intelligent and perceptive, but struggles with mental health issues, such as depression and psychosis. She has a turbulent romantic history, most notably with James Cook and Freddie McClair throughout Series 3 and 4.

Effy was one of the show's most popular and controversial characters and has received both praise and criticism from critics and viewers alike. Kaya Scodelario was praised for her performance. Some critics have accused the character of glamourising mental illness. Effy's visual aesthetic has been influential in Internet subcultures, and the character continues to be popular among Generation Z viewers. Kaya Scodelario was included in Entertainment Weekly's 2009 "Summer Must List", being named "Bad Girl" for her portrayal of Effy. She was included in AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters.

Fictional biography
Effy was born on January 28, 1992, and is Tony Stonem's runaway sister and one of the few people he truly cares about. She usually goes to social events with her own group of friends, leaving Tony uninvolved in most of her social life, though he helped her on more than one occasion to deceive their parents as to her whereabouts. The official website refers to "Tony's little sister and her shadowy ways." Until the first season's eighth episode, "Effy", she does not speak at all, instead sitting silently in the background of the scenes in which she appears, usually with a cold stare or a wry smile (a trademark of hers). In her first speaking appearance, she describes how she feels toward others:

Sometimes I think I was born backwards... you know, come out of my mum the wrong way. I hear words go past me backwards. The people I should love I hate, and the people I hate..."

Tony sarcastically comments that she is participating in a sponsored silence, and when asked by Michelle why she never speaks, she simply doesn't answer. On her blog she reveals that her parents had her see a counselor for withholding speech, but that proved ineffective. Various psychologists who have studied Effy's character and personality have come to the conclusion she may have suffered from selective mutism, in Generation 1 and 2, something that affected her in the later seasons. From Effy's blog, she was likely influenced by silent film actress Clara Bow, who she profusely references as the "It" Girl from It, which was released in 1927. Her family dysfunctions the times we see them together are also thought to give Effy this trait.

Psychological assessments
Various psychologists have suggested that Effy may have suffered from selective mutism early in the series. As her mental state deteriorates in Series 4,