Daria was the adult animated sitcom that featured a smart, sarcastic and cynical high school student through her life in a middle-class suburban American town. The show became popular for its iconic characters, it’s very 90’s brand of humor and its critical viewpoint on the world and all of its players.
While the show premiered twenty-three years ago in 1997 on MTV and ran until 2002, its sentiments are still relevant and just as poignant as ever. All five seasons of Daria can be watched on Hulu, by the way! And while we're entering a decade even further removed from the show's 90's roots, some of its "conventional wisdom" still rings true today. Here are ten great examples!
“...Yes, but I want to be a starving artist so I need to ring up more debt!”
In the film Is it College Yet?(2002) Daria and classmates are seniors at Lawndale High School and are preparing to go off into the real world to pursue college and adulthood. Jane, being an average student at best, toys with the idea of applying to art school.
This joke comes after her brother points out that she’s already an artist so why should she have to go to college and learn to be. In 2020 starving is not just for the artists as all are feeling the crushing weight of student loan debt. If Jane where a real person she would probably still be making payments on those loans today…
“The problem with going to restaurants is that they’re not in my room.”
In the age of social media and internet dependency, people are finding it easier and easier to feel connected to their friends, family and the world through personal smart-devices. One doesn’t have to go anywhere to enjoy the company of friends or learn about the current events of the world. Yet, those pesky eating establishments still force us to occasionally step out and see the light of day. This quote comes from season five; an episode titled “My Night at Daria’s”. Daria and her boyfriend try to figure out how to spend the evening together which brought us this hilariously relatable tidbit.
“I believe in coffee. Coffee for everyone.”
In “Cafe Disaffecto”, within the first season of Daria, Daria speaks with a teacher about her participation in a new development for student engagement at their school. There will be an opening of a student coffer-house in Lawndale and the students are asked to participate in reading poetry or other literature for their classmates.
Naturally, Daria is seemingly allergic to participating in anything that would involve interacting with her classmates. However, this statement about coffee offered one benefit of the new addition. “...Coffee for everyone.” speaks for itself even more so in 2020 where we are busier and moving faster than ever.
“You know how fads are. Today it’s Brains, tomorrow it’s pierced tongues. Then the next day, pierced brains.”
This next quote is from none other than Daria's best (and only) friend: Jane Lane, “Lane Miserables” of season three. Jane and Daria make such great friends because they share a negative outlook on the society they live in and are consistently critical of things that gain popularity and traction among their peers. Jane makes a great point here: not only are the fads changing rapidly but they are all pretty silly as well. So? Are they worth attempting to follow diligently?
“‘Thin Thighs For Your Man.’ But I don’t like my men with thin thighs.”
In “See Jane Run” of season two, Daria reads aloud the heading of an article on the cover of a fashion magazine. She makes this joke to point out how absurd the title itself sounds, but also to call attention to the beauty standards women are expected to meet and how ridiculous it would be if men were expected to comply in the same ways. Daria was particularly clever at calling attention to these sorts of issues. While in 2020 we’ve socially come a long way, we could do with a reminder to remain critical of the messages we receive from media outlets.
“But at school, I'm The Queen(...) the perfect African-American teen, the role-model for all the other African-American teens at Lawndale.”
Moments like these are true what sets Daria apart from its 90’s adult-animated-series counterparts. Today’s millennials are known for being outspoken against social issues and injustices. Perhaps that’s because they grew up watching this show… In “Gifted” of season two, Jodie laments about her experiences as a black teenager who lives in a predominantly white town and has mostly-white classmates.
Jodie and her boyfriend Michael are really the only black students we see at Lawndale and they are repeatedly given the platform to express themselves and their truth.
“...because inner beauty is just as important as outer beauty. Like, can you have a CD without a CD player? I don’t think so.”
A surprisingly insightful comment from Daria's younger sister Quinn. In “Monster” of season two, Daria decides to make Quinn the subject of her video project for school. Quinn attempts to make herself appear perfect for the camera and gives this quote while practicing yoga. Of course, to reference CD players at all feels nostalgic. Yet, the analogy here kinda makes perfect sense! Despite the old-school technology reference, I’m sure in 2020 all can agree that inner beauty and wellness is the key to outer well-being!
“Then, one day, I found myself all grown up with my own point of view, and feeling no particular obligation to listen to anyone else's B.S. ever.”
In the episode titled, “I Don’t” of season two the Morgendorffer family reunited for a family wedding. Much to the disdain of Helen, she must cooperate and get along with her sisters while in town. Here we meet the person who is might understand Daria better than anyone: her Aunt Amy. Aunt Amy shares her viewpoint of individuality and navigation through the pressures of those around us. It’s clear that Daria admires are a lot and for good reason. Aunt Amy is the adult projection of Daria and of cynical teens everywhere who should feel reassured that if you stick to your guns, you’ll be alright!
“You gloss over everything with a cynical joke and no one knows what you really believe in.”
In “Write Where It Hurts" of season two, Helen delivers some typical mom-advice to Daria. While Daria criticizes everyone around her there is no shortage of her peers and relatives criticizing her back! Helen makes a point here that I think is apparent on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. It is a bombardment of scary, angering and frustrating news, sprinkled with jokes and memes that make fun of it all. Perhaps the joking is a coping mechanism or an opportunity to avoid actually dealing with the issues at hand. Either way, Daria’s cynical humor survives in the year 2020.
“And there is no aspect, no facet, no moment of life that can't be improved with pizza.”
In Is it College Yet? Daria unexpectedly wins an award at graduation and must make an impromptu speech before all of her peers and former teachers. What she has to say in this final manifesto perfectly sums up everything this show has been trying to convey to its audience all along. She advises them to criticize the establishment, ask questions, trust your intuition and above all else: Pizza.