Isn't this the ultimate irony, what you just said about Daria; "she made it cool to be a wry loner," that she was "different in some way... no, she was exactly what MTV and all other TV, PR, BS propagandists meant for people to "think." I don't know how many cookie-cutter "Darias" I unfortunately grew up with back in the day. Every generation is marketed a "different" version of what they want people to become. She was a precursor to all the CORPORATE "woke" garbage that is currently being spewed from the burning garbage dumps of globalist think-tanks.
I feel like here in the U.S., we romanticize being a teen way too much and most of us feel like losers if we weren’t the most popular people in school, but tbf, I feel like for 75% of us, high school was hell lol, I was scrawny, had acne, socially awkward, so of course people weren’t gunna be too kind, I’m 22 now and put on some healthy weight, I go out more, I’ve made awesome friends, life gets better, but yeah, I don’t like how the US make sit seem as if our teenage years should be the best and most important years of our lives. I remember constantly beating myself up for not being “popular” back in school, but now I’ve realized it’s more common than I thought.
And even when she's wrong, she manages to work through it and adjust her preconceptions instead of rigidly clinging to her views. After re-watching the whole series, I really felt the full scope of her humanity; she's an intelligent teen that's already disillusioned by the inanity and absurdness of life. She's too smart for her own sake--already seeing the world for what it is at just 16--so her cynicism is the direct result of that.
To be a "not like other girls" she would have to position herself as superior to other women to get male validation which she never did. She never said she was better than other girls. She kind of just mocked everybody around her but not in juxtaposition to her but in juxtaposition to society.
@@PrincessKLS Daria said it herself "Quinn wears superficiality like a suit of armor 'cause she's afraid of looking inside and find absolutely nothing". Her character arc is about starting to look inside and actually finding something
I think that’s probably an incorrect category to put daria in, considering that the conventional “nlog” tends to behave in a way that awards them external validation/is expected to
Daria and Jane's friendship was truly the heart and soul of the show. Love interests may come and go, but Besties are for life. Not even Daria falling for Jane's boyfriend could split them apart for long.
"She knows she's a winner. She couldn't be thinner. Now she goes in the bathroom and vomits up dinner." This episode with her artwork and this quote to go with it was my first exposure to eating disorders in popular media. How uncomfortable the truth of them makes everyone else. How they'd rather turn away and bury their heads in the sand than see the damage under the veil of "beauty". Good stuff, this show.
It's crazy how many female or femme presenting celebrities came out in recent years saying they had a disorder and I thought "I didn't know, we thought you were healthy, we all thought". Also that people will praise a look for being gorgeous without minding the effort and pain it took to achieve it.
@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 yes, exactly. I heard a woman on tiktok doing like a slam poetry about her ED and to paraphrase (poorly, I'm sorry) it went something like " When you start out thin people are concerned and see you as sick but when you start ED overweight you're inspirational, beautiful, a success story, how could I NOT fall in love with my illness???" The raw emotion in her voice literally stopped me in my tracks and gave me the most intense wave of goosebumps I've ever felt. Seriously, I was walking through my house listening and it just about dropped me. I would give anything to find that video again or know who she is. Powerful stuff that haunted me for days.
I agree--and tbh, the shock value of the poem forced people to notice a really sensitive issue. But... the poem still really irked me. It kinda made light of eating disorders to the point that it... ignores the humanity/reality of the people who suffer from them? Like the girl in the painting wasn't dealing with a mental health condition, and was just another popular girl being shallow? But Daria is just a teen with a lot more to learn, so I'll give her (a fictional character--I need to chill) the benefit of the doubt.
I think what people forget is that the "not like other girls" trope is a modern invention. In the Era of the show cable tv was the mainstream source of teen pop culture and was heavily inauthentic and market controlled. With that said this show was more about revealing what it was genuinely like to be outside of the mainstream which was pretty undocumented in popular teen culture unlike today with the plethora or social media outlets where everyday people can share their experiences. I just think the obsession with being pick me or anti pick me wasn't even a luxury to be discussed at the time of this show due to the cultural context at the time.
@@robinita46853 I never said they weren't complex people, but I just get a sort of "pick me" vibe from other girls in cartoons who try to be "not like the other girls". I don't get that with Daria. Basically what I'm saying is, Daria just IS "not like the other girls", she doesn't try. That's what I was saying, sorry if it came out the wrong way.
“Not like other girls” refers to a whole thing of a girl/woman of any age liking stereotypically “boy/dude” things to stand out and get guys or whatever. Yes, it’s actually conditioning and whatnot and every human being is deserving of empathy. Hate the conditioning and restrictions insidiously imposed by society; not people. Daria and her descendants are not this because they are inherently “not like other girls”. They don’t do it to fit in or stand out. Quite the opposite. They desire nothing more than to be their counter-culture quirky nerdy intelligent hardcore selves quietly and mostly alone (with the exception of a few close friends and family which everyone needs).
One of my favorite things about Daria is how the Quarterback and Cheerleader characters, Brittany and Kevin actually seem to like Daria or at the least aren't malicious towards her.
one of the first episodes where brittany asks daria to come to her birthday party is a great episode. you can feel that there is going to be some kind of friendship. in real life cheerleaders or jocks wouldnt do things like that (most likely i dont live in america so i dont know but from the things i know about it i am sure they wouldnt). always thought that was a nice touch. they accepted her never really "respected" her but they where not picking on her either.
For a neurodiverse teen like me back then, struggling to understand the human condition, Daria was my inner monologue made manifest. Her feeling of outsiderness and her minimal facial expressions...they felt like me in a way no other character on TV did at that time. I was a Daria, and Jane was who I wanted to be. I cannot overestimate the impact this show had, and her message of authenticity to ones self and self-reflection have stayed with me through the years.
I've watched the whole show a couple of times, but on my last rewatch with my boyfriend we paused on a very late episode of the series, where Daria is in the cardboard box and contemplates her memories of her childhood. The two of us are neurodivergent, and everything seemed to finally click; Daria was always the way she was, even as a very young child, and I could view her experiences of those of a neurodivergent character. She has a very strong identify, she can and does care deeply about issues, but she is in her own lane and isn't worried about putting forth emotion outwardly despite feeling many things.
i truly believe Daria is in someway neurodiverse, but as i am a self diagnosed not exactly sure person then i dont wanna just first judge, but i think i feel like you, Daria spoke to me because her experience with social life, her world view and stuff like "why dont you smile more" or in general reproches about her attitud where always things i hear on my daily life by my parents, teachers in general and just like Daria i struggle to find friends for my lack of social skills or any attempt to actually have them and have other people look down on me as weird, quite, unsocial etc.
Can we talk about how Jake and Helen along with the Rugrats parents, Hank and Peggy Hill, Marge and Homer (during this era), and the Patakis presented a view of Boomer parenting and how they were trying to parent differently than their own but also caused some trauma?
@@kazza6078 Yeah because everyone is talking about Disney doing Intergenerational Trauma but I feel these cartoons tacked on how trauma or even mere disagreements with your parents on your upbringing impact how your childhood (as Millennials) and how you raise your kids (both Boomers and Gen X, if we wanted to add Gilmore Girls) is influenced by that. Like Jake with his abusive father and his enabling but secretly resentful mother, how Helen's mother affected her daughters' relationships with one another and how they course correct with Daria and Quinn, how Hank and Peggy try to be better parents to Bobby and Luanne despite an abusive same sex parents and zoned out opposite sex parents, Marge's upbringing by her Mom left her the repressed people pleaser she is and tries to do better with Lisa (who is able to poke at the absurdities) and how Abe treated Homer influenced Homer's relationship with Bart, Helga Pataki's parents being both an addict and an overbearing patriarch who insists he is always right, and why the Rugrats parents turn to Lipshiptz (who is sketch) rather than their parents' flawed methods (can showcase how vulnerable parents trying to do better by their kids can hurt them by listening to charlatons).
Daria was influential to me not just because it wasn't simply "outsider girl with edgy commentary", but it took time to actually explore how accurate her perceptions actually were. Most characters start as stereotypical archetypes and get broad, including Daria herself. It was accurate to life, in that way. We realized that characters like Quinn and Brittany weren't as dumb as their appearances led us to believe. Between Jane pursuing track or Daria's experimenting with contacts, maybe the outsider kids weren't as disinterested in fitting in as they seemed. We saw friends have arguments, we saw parents acknowledge they weren't flawless authority figures. Things are complex and it can make life messy, and it can make you as a teen frustrated as you try to navigate through it. Daria remains one of my favorite shows not because of any perception of Daria's disaffected "coolness", but because it merely pointed out that the world is flawed and ugly in a lot of ways but it also has enough redeeming qualities to make it bearable as long as you're open to seeing them. _"There is no situation that can't be improved with pizza."_
Great comment! Never saw the show but based are your take it sounds worthwhile! Only disagreement: If I were eating GREAT food or having GREAT (or even good!) sex, and someone tried to hand me a pizza, I'd be deeply disturbed and displeased.
I think Daria's ability to just be brutally honest in a way that is so deliberately and poignantly put is like a pressure release for the viewer. By saying aloud the thoughts that fester in silence within us, she validates them in the face of a world that doesn't want to hear them.
I always kind of wondered if she was on the spectrum in some way. Not saying there would be anything wrong with that, obviously. I think it would be great. Just wanted to make that clear, in case someone gets the wrong idea (This is the internet after all.) It’s just an interpretation I’ve sort of played with. Daria understands social interaction seemingly in a cold meticulous manner. Something to be studied and not necessarily intuited all the time. That could just be her studious mind in action, of course. But her blunt honesty and her complete disregard for societal etiquette as well as her high level of intellect can be read as cues for a high functioning form of autism or at least somewhere on the spectrum. That said, she does seem to have a high level of emotional maturity and indeed emotional intelligence as the series progresses. So it’s not an interpretation I could fully support that well in the long run. Just seems like an interesting angle, that’s all
@@someonerandom8552 I have autism and I relate to her a lot. Also, plenty of autistic people are capable of emotional reflection and maturity. Its a myth that autistic people are unempathetic. Personally, i just find it hard to empathize with people's problems when i feel the problem is socially constructed for seemingly no reason. The double empathy problem is real
In high school, me and my best friend had a "frankness day," where we said everything we thought. Both of us were sort of like that anyway. My friend said something really cruel to someone, and that was it for me. I was no longer playing that game.
I’m autistic and I relate to Daria too. I often feel like the “Daria” in my world, surrounded by people with superficial and materialistic interests often seen as someone cynical and miserable when I’m not. But I’m not Daria, I’m me. 😎
When I was in high school, I never met people like Cher or Regina George. But, i have met people like Daria and Jane. The power couple were just like Kevin and Brittney. Heck, there was even a kid who had the same set of parents as Daria's.
George Carlin once said the most cynical people used to be idealists. If you think about it, it's painfully true. What drives that cynicism? Deep disappointment. If you never cared to begin with, you wouldn't be disappointed and I think that's why drives Daria (and most cynics).
But was daria an idealist at any time? There's even flashbacks when she was a little girl and her personality was as dry and sarcastic as she is as a teenager...
You can be an idealist without being bubbly or a marysue. It just means you're smart enough to see what can be better but also eventually see it never will thanks to, generally, people. That's why so many cynics "hate people." They're the source of most of the world's problems, after all.
Oh yeah! He was right about most things and 100% correct on this one. I am 42 and I’ve pretty much given up on anything good ever happening again in America. Thankfully, I don’t live there anymore.
I see in a lot of Daria reviews and analysis people talking about how she captured that short zeitgeist from post-grunge to Y2K and I always think that she could still be popular today with the disenfranchised millennials and early gen zs
@@LookToWindward Honestly I think its for the best. Keep Daria how she is. If anything there should be more shows inspired by her than reboots or spinoffs of the show...
Daria is definitely one of my favorite shows. It's crazy how some of the themes and messages haven't changed today. They better not reboot this show. It's a 90's classic for a reason.
I related to both Daria and Jodie, who shared a similar worldview but addressed it differently. But since Daria was a white girl, she had the privilege to be apathetic in a way that Jodie didn’t.
I always found it fascinating that a show from the 90's not specifically focused on black issues addressed the "one of the good ones" stereotype. it's not just that she feels like an outsider for being one of the few black kids in a predominantly white school but she feels like it's her duty to present overtly positive image of black people because for most of her peers she will be the first black person they ever interact with and will judge all black people they meet from that point forward based on their reaction to her
Yes! And I feel White Privilege is touched in how Jodie and Brittany were brought up (Brittany doesn't have to be exceptional and even gets a party to celebrate her C plus while Jodie's parents expect her to take a lot of extracurricular activities and even push her to a Ivy League school rather than the HBCU she wanted).
I always liked that Daria knew her faults and acknowledged them, but didn’t feel bad for them, rather using them to make them strengths. She called out people and society, deadpan as ever, and watched the world around her, and never let it change her. When she did have moments of doubts or drama with her friends and family, it didn’t feel like it was making fun of her for having these genuine moments of life, but rather showing how you can “not care” what people say or do like Daria and still actually care about the important things. She didn’t feel unrealistic, they just upped the anti with Daria’s characterization. She doesn’t let people box her, no matter how hard they try, and she felt and expressed her distain for the pressure of the world in a way that only a teen can, in a way that tv had never let it’s teen characters, especially girls, done before. I also liked that other characters either called her out, like Jodie and Jane, when she was being narrow minded or ignoring the actual problems because she wasn’t thinking about others around her. They got humanized as well and were full characters with their own problems that they faced, especially Jodie as a black teenage girl in the 90’s. Even tho Jodie’s character was more so in the background, she was always doing something and even delivering lines just as thought out or even more than Daria about the world around her and the issues they were facing in the 90’s that even still stand today. Jane was the in between character of being as sarcastic as Daria, and yet being more expressive and less cynical of the world and those around them, which I think balanced it out really well. There isn’t a show like Daria anymore, which sucks, but I’m glad we got it when we did in the 90’s cause I don’t think it would be as good now
Yeah when they wanted to do a spin-off to Hey Arnold called the Pataki's. Nickelodeon turned it down because they said the subject matter was too dark and MTV wouldn't pick it up because they said they already had a show with a similar theme and that was Daria.
Poison Ivy from the Harley Quinn animated show is also very Daria-esque, but she's actually popular and beloved in universe too, showing a shifting trend of attitudes towards women who keep it real.
Daria is one of my absolute favorite shows of all time. I think the review missed an opportunity or maybe they'll circle back to how much depth some of the more "conventional" characters had. Quinn for instance becomes a lot more interesting of a character as the series progresses and her and Daria's relationship has some very poignant moments in the series. From episode one when Quinn referred to Daria as that "girl who lives with me" to her expressing her deep fear to Daria that they'll grow apart as adults and hate each other like their aunts do. She wasn't just an antagonist to Daria and that's what made the show so good too. It wasn't just Daria and Jane vs the world; there was a lot more nuance than that. It made the show as a whole feel more lived in and realistic.
@@CrimsonNineTail oh yeah with Aubrey Plaza. I remember it well. They're making a spinoff movie with Jodie as the main character as an adult. It's supposed to be an animated movie and she'll be an adult post college. I'll be interested to see who else from Daria gets added
YES!! I love that Jodie and Mac were calling out virtue signaling even back then. Remember their teacher, Timothy O'Neill? He was clearly a satirical take on people being cheery and over sensitive to every little thing. All this stuff is trendy now, and Daria would *annihilate* society today, lol. That's how this show operated, and it was seriously on another level. My only wish is that Beavis and Butthead could have cameoed in the finale somehow, haha. Obviously it's one of my favorite shows ever, and I like how The Take puts it in context with the landscape at the time. These were my teenage years, so stuff like this and My So-Called Life really spoke to me. I liked Dawson's Creek too, but Buffy The Vampire Slayer was also a pretty sarcastic show about HS norms. There was another one called "Popular" that's actually from Ryan Murphy that deserves a shout out too
I went to high school from 1966 to 1970. There was just no alternative anything. My classmates were 50-year-olds in 16-year-old bodies. Me and my friends got through it by getting into Dadaism and absurd drama. Beckett was our favorite. I saw a Look magazine article on hippies (and there were definitely no hippies in my high school). I thought "Whatever that is, it's got to be better than this." I went straight to the high school counselor and said "I want to go to a hippy college." He had no idea what I was talking about, but as I was leaving his office this ancient Jewish secretary pulled me aside and said "Look into Oberlin and Antioch." I went to Oberlin. That secretary, with a few words, changed my life in a very good way.
The words "Millennial Hopefulness" made me laugh. I'm in that particular age group, and at no point in high school or my adult life have I ever been 'hopeful' about this dumpster fire that is life in the US. It didn't die because we were hopeful. It died because TV was dying in the face of the oncoming internet.
First discovered the show when I was about 15, so not too much younger than Daria was. I remember relating to her almost immediately, thinking I could and should be exactly like her (smart, sarcastic, a writer, etc). The show is one of my all time favourites, was so glad to find it when I did, it means so much to me 💜
I appreciate the show actually criticizing her at times. Her viewpoint is sympathetic but hardly flawless and is at times pretentious and arrogant. And it takes other perspectives to see that and point it out.
I think Daria, like King of the Hill, is one of those rare satires that manages to do its job so well (and portray characters so accurately) that it succeeds in capturing broad appeal -- even the targets of the jokes can't help but enjoy it!
Daria was a character I was immediately drawn to. I had the round glasses, pleated skirt, and combat boots. When I wore them all together once I was accused of trying to be "cool like Daria"- never made that mistake again. She was my age, and that show, on Mtv of all places, made it feel ok to be intelligent and not care about sports and so many other niche things that at the time were seen as weird. The biggest impact though was definitely learning how superficial and commercial the world was. Rewatching it recently hit So different as an adult. Sick Sad World is hilarious, realizing how truly Boomer the Morgendorffers are bc my parents and in-laws are so similar to them, and the teachers just.. yeah. I would definitely recommend it. la la laa la la
I loved Daria as a teen because the show didn't try to make a villain or hero story but tried to look at more complex aspects. Nobody in Daria have a perfect life and that resonates with everybody. Daria has a pretty comfortable life and her parents are somewhat supportive of her weirdness and even though Daria has a more mutual relationship with her Aunt, I came to appreciate how understanding Daria's mom was. Daria, though she pokes fun at certain aspects of the society, is keenly aware that those aspects affect her more than she would want and she realizes that to some point she will have to adapt and even adopt those aspects to become a successful adult just like her mom did.
I can only go so far to say that Daria was and still the epitome of 90s. The non-conformist attitude of Daria herself feels more refreshing with the context of the show itself.
exactly, that sort of flat reply to the command for everyone to join in. It was kind of apathetic though, the flip side of gen z save the world craziness.
Daria always was and still is one of my favourite tv shows. I love all of the characters, they're all incredibly funny and reminded me of people from my life. I was in school when I first discovered it and I never felt more seen . Daria is still one of the most relatable characters in fiction to me My favourite episode was always the last one, (if you don't count the "Is it college yet?" special)where she sees a big box and is reminded of how she used to hide in a box when her parents argued in her childhood. That episode is a wonderful character study of Daria,looking closer into her general outsider attitude and how it affected her and her parents throughout her life, and also examining her insecurities and past traumas. After watching that episode, I started headcanoning Daria as neurodivergent because I , as an autistic kid with an early diagnosis, felt that that episode resonated with me like nothing did at that time Great video!
One of my favorite shows as a 18 year old girl who did not grow up in the time period. My mom says I watch so much of this show that I started “acting like Daria” maybe I’ll see what that means by the time I finish the video🤷🏽♀️
I have the same feeling for Bojack about what the creator read in a blog: "If it wasn't so funny, it would be unbareably sad". I think they soul-series!!! Finally, some overview of a show without making us feel guitly of how toxic it's perceived now! Thanx, girls!!!
My role model!!! I cannot stop re-watching this series. Such a pioneer tv show. I always wonder what she would say about today! This series is well-developed teen angst and melancholia that was prevalent in the 90s. And her criticism of adults, fellow students, the capitalist system and the world, in general, was spot-on. Quote like this one: “Sometimes your shallowness is so thorough, it’s almost like depth.” were amazing! MTV was never the same after!!!
I got compared to Daria and Wednesday Addams all the time and I think it was people thought it was because I seemed depressed. But I really wasn't and I was quiet but not shy. I had my friends and spoke with them endlessly. I just had my own interests and didn't get the hype of popular things very often. Just like Daria.
The funny thing is, it seems to be that everybody is only remembering the 90s for the exact opposite reasons. Like "Friends" and Beanie Babies and Power Rangers and Blockbuster and that whole scene, especially those boy bands who came in late and somehow saved popular music from all that diversity and individuality the 90s actually had in music. We've gone from a Daria-styled image of the decade to a Quinn one.
If there is one thing I'm grateful to MTV for, it's Daria. I loved that show. I always found Daria to be such a relatable character. And over time, I grew to like many of the other characters as well.
Daria is one of my favorite shows. I didn’t get to see the complete original run, but I watched here and there on MTV, and got to binge the entire series once it reached streaming. It’s classic, and perhaps, a product of its time, but I feel that many themes still carry on and are still relatable today. Maybe because it was so different for its time that it stood out and was great. “La la la la la la…” pops into my head every now and then.
I am so happy you made a video on Daria! I didn't grow up with this show exactly , but my high school and college years were really shaped by this show, and I always felt there was a lot to unpack with it.
Thank you guys for making this, Daria is one of the most complex, yet likable characters from the 90s. Daria will always go down as one of my favorite animated shows!
When I was in high school and early college, I simultaneously had a crush on Daria and also wanted to be like her. She had this wit, style, and intelligence about her that I admired and she had enough confidence in herself to run counter to the rest of the world, or at least not care what they think. I…. Did not have that confidence.
Part of me wonders what Daria would've been like if it'd continued into the Bush years? With the show wrapping by mid-2001 and the final movie premiering in Jan 2002, we'll never know how Daria would've functioned in a post-9/11 society dominated by the rise of reactionary patriotism, increased xenophobia, and the War in Afghanistan. Would the trauma of these incidents cause her to retreat into her early high school practices of avoidance, skepticism, and non-engagement or would she move to more vocally calling out the unjust systems she found prevalent around her as she incrementally did as her character developed throughout the series? The other part of me is relieved that the show ended when it did. In a sea of animated shows cancelled without a fulfilling conclusion or staying past their welcome, Daria stands out as one of the few to reach a satisfying end. The show reflected a moment of the 90s with an outlook that lives on past it. For me, the show itself is safe in memory along with my 90s nostalgia and I'm fine if it stays there.
ABSOLUTELY ADORE DARIA! Related to her when I was growing up, and even more when I re-watched all seasons and specials of the show when I was going through a rough time in my 20s. Great critique of the show and the character!
I wish there was a Daria for Gen Z. I miss the jokes, the witty banter, the sarcasm, character development and the social commentary that was reflective rather than an overbearing virtue signal parade.
There kind of is. Poison Ivy, the second most important character on the Harley Quinn animated show. Of course that show is much more violent and crude than Daria though. Still pretty awesome with a lot of heart.
That’s why there will be no Daria for Gen Z. She is the antithesis of virtue signaling and being a SJW or woke. As we move into a post modern world people want to capture the life and vigor of the disenfranchised but want to do it from the safety of their social positions. Daria rejected the whole system, but was in a place she could do so. Jodie was a great foil for Daria because her Blackness forced her to navigate the world in a different way despite sharing similar views. This generation would have to start looking inward and finding personal self worth other than documenting themselves living a fantasy life that is just a little bit better than the next one posting. Your Daria would have a media presence because she doesn’t by the hype.
@@calvinbethea3369 that was the awesome thing about Daria- it was able to acknowledge and address issues in a very progressive way, without virtue signalling about it. That being said, to some people even that is virtue signalling. Because everything that doesn't conform to extremely conservative values is virtue signalling to some people. But I do get what you mean. Funnily enough, I find that the "look at us! we're so woke!" thing is usually coming from big corporations chasing money. And so it is pretty far from actually being woke, because if they thought it would make them money, they'd switch to being racist homophobes in a microsecond.
wow! in my opinion, you two went above 💯. your channel has been amazing and eye opening in the most possible way. "Realizing your actuality" I understand what that means. ( I was 32 when that happened) side note whom ever narrated this... your amazing!!!! your 10 out of 10. thank you. in my opinion you are the the voices of this channel. the passion and dedication is definitely something that see throughout. I'm such a fan. can't wait too see what's to come, but also love to re-watch old videos as well.
I may have been super young during the time having been born in 94 but my memory is exceedingly vivid and remembered seeing this on tv. rediscovered it later in life and its major nostalgia. I got the whole series on dvd for xmas a few years ago and rewatch all the time. defiantly gives me little island in this sick sad world from time to time.
Funny how I’ve been rewatching Daria for the 3rd time this week and this video comes out! I was born in 2002, but I feel like I grew up with this show ☺️
It's not hard but thinking with my feminist 21st century brain. I wonder if a show like Daria could be written today where the cisgender girls, enbies, and possibly transgender boys (if written into the script) could discuss things like periods, etc.
When this popped up on my notifications, I almost screamed out loud! I've never been so excited to watch RUclips video. Thanks for making this! Love your channel! ❤
I LOVE Daria and raised my kids so they love her too! My grown kids went to a punk show over the weekend, and my oldest wore a "Sick Sad World" shirt. I'm still looking for one!
Lovely critique. I always appreciated Daria. She was the voice for a lot of women who people choose not to engage. The women they look over. She was left of center, stylish, and had amazing wit. She was in her own world. MTV during that time was so much more fascinating. Also on a petty note this title makes me happy. A friend of mine swore I couldnt call this a 90's show. I literally grew up watching it live!
Daria is a Xennial. Her parents are boomers and teachers because most of the Gen Xers were still in college and in their early 20s and trying to figure stuff out in life because they would be and still is a generation with the less wealth. Most of us now in our late 30s and 40s understand Daria because we were in the same generation. I have the entire series on DVD and re-watched it and still love it today and can't wait for The Jodie spinoff.
Daria's interesting because she definitely has the voice and POV of many GenXers, yet I believe she's a Millennial (or a cusper). I know more Xers who relate to her and more Millennials who "get" her but dont see her as relatable, per se.
I think it depends more on their personality rather than what generation they're from. I'm not from either generation (I'm from gen z), but I think a lot of people my age probably related to her as a teen (and even now). I wish I had known about this show when I was in high school. This is just a general thing that a lot of people can relate to regardless of when they grew up. I don't know. I can't speak for how millennials think, but I think most zoomers can relate to Daria. Maybe that's also because we were raised by gen x, so we might think in similar ways. Lol jk
@@mynameisreallycool1 i’m a gen z y/a too & I watched this show while i was in secondary school. It really helped me out & i’m so glad i was lucky enough to discover that at that age because it made me feel validated in who i was. But, I have grown up to be less cynical than I used to be
I think she was born in 81, which puts her just at the cusp. Some people have Millennials start in 80 and some in 82. Xennials are usually 77-82. Quinn would be firmly Millenial.
I see Daria as a Gen X character because the shows creative team were GenXers. It's not a millenial point of view of high school, but the one of people in their mid-twenties to early thirties reflecting back to their high school experience and applying it to the 90's while commenting on the current culture.
Daria harkens me back to the time that MTV, while declining its music-related content, was still showing some smart and interesting shows. Now MTV is nothing more than 24-hour "Ridiculousness" marathons.
Both B&B and Daria weren’t afraid to show what the world was really like. During that time period, people were depressed and rebellious. No one is perfect, and both shows displayed that. They show that your attitude towards life makes all the difference, Beavis and Butthead being oblivious to it and living happy lives while Daria understands it and is often saddened by it. I miss when all shows had a meaning, stupid or not
Daria really helped me get thur middle school.. I was so isolated from other girls cuz I didn't like n-sync and spent most of the time reading (which definitely didn't make me popular 😒 until later in highschool when I basically found a group of similar geeky Gothic and overall different girls.. who accepted who I was )
I watched Daria as a millennial kid and loved it. I'm a young millennial. I loved grunge, I still do actually and I still love Daria. I think the alternative culture of the 90's isn't a thing of the past given how relevant Daria's perspective is today when we fight the same exact toxic values and many people hold this feeling of alienation. I did see Ghost world as a Daria live action movie, the resemblance is uncanny.
Story starts off in the year 97 , Field day a young black male who immersed himself in 90s everything as far as television goes, is partnered with a white high school teen for soccer station ⚽️ he punts the ball into the goal the young black teen does the Daria hand thing as he misses interaction with the ball. The white teen laughs as we both knew the 90s, the show .. The video does a great breakdown of why that moment was golden
I cannot count how many of my classmates in middle and high school called me Daria. And I loved it. My older brother still to this day, and we are in our late 30s and early 40s, calls me Daria. I thank him for it.
I really liked your take on the show. The only thing I would have added as well is the prospect of the rumoured and upcoming continuation of it. Like how Daria as a person most likely will have evolved etc
I sure miss the 1990's. You could drop in on most motels and get a room for cash on the spot, no online booking, no credit card necessary. You could easily find coin operated phones. You could buy a small TV set for little more than $100, and it need not have been flat screen. You didn't need to have a phone app to order in any restaurant. You could even find restaurants that allow smoking. I don't see a lot of improvement now.
Most of those things you mention were good. Restaurants that allow smoking are the one exception; smoking is not something that a person can keep to themselves inside an enclosed space.
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Isn't this the ultimate irony, what you just said about Daria; "she made it cool to be a wry loner," that she was "different in some way... no, she was exactly what MTV and all other TV, PR, BS propagandists meant for people to "think." I don't know how many cookie-cutter "Darias" I unfortunately grew up with back in the day. Every generation is marketed a "different" version of what they want people to become. She was a precursor to all the CORPORATE "woke" garbage that is currently being spewed from the burning garbage dumps of globalist think-tanks.
*This video didn't suck.*
Daria modeled for me that I could be unimpressed with the “best years of my life” without being depressed
it’s such a weird cliche for an adult to say, too. as a 38 year old, the BEST years of my life didn’t start till 30 lol
I feel like here in the U.S., we romanticize being a teen way too much and most of us feel like losers if we weren’t the most popular people in school, but tbf, I feel like for 75% of us, high school was hell lol, I was scrawny, had acne, socially awkward, so of course people weren’t gunna be too kind, I’m 22 now and put on some healthy weight, I go out more, I’ve made awesome friends, life gets better, but yeah, I don’t like how the US make sit seem as if our teenage years should be the best and most important years of our lives. I remember constantly beating myself up for not being “popular” back in school, but now I’ve realized it’s more common than I thought.
❤️
Daria is a "not like other girls" i can actually respect, she is called out when she gets something wrong and is a pretty realistic teen
And even when she's wrong, she manages to work through it and adjust her preconceptions instead of rigidly clinging to her views. After re-watching the whole series, I really felt the full scope of her humanity; she's an intelligent teen that's already disillusioned by the inanity and absurdness of life. She's too smart for her own sake--already seeing the world for what it is at just 16--so her cynicism is the direct result of that.
@@beaniepq Yes and in later seasons if you pay attention closely even Quinn makes social commentary too just in a "chirpier, friendlier" voice.
To be a "not like other girls" she would have to position herself as superior to other women to get male validation which she never did. She never said she was better than other girls. She kind of just mocked everybody around her but not in juxtaposition to her but in juxtaposition to society.
@@PrincessKLS Daria said it herself "Quinn wears superficiality like a suit of armor 'cause she's afraid of looking inside and find absolutely nothing". Her character arc is about starting to look inside and actually finding something
I think that’s probably an incorrect category to put daria in, considering that the conventional “nlog” tends to behave in a way that awards them external validation/is expected to
To this day Daria in my opinion is the best interpretation of the pressures of teen life and still holds up 20+ years later
Yes the show definitely still holds
Evergreen show, and ever relevant.
Yep this show even 25 years later hits RIGHT ON with how teenage life still is! :)
For the most part, yes. The shrill teacher and overweight woman could have been cut
Daria and Jane's friendship was truly the heart and soul of the show. Love interests may come and go, but Besties are for life. Not even Daria falling for Jane's boyfriend could split them apart for long.
I was so obsessed with Tom, I thought he was so cute.
Trina Q, couldn't agree more! I've always had a loyal bestie, like Jane, in my life, in one way or another.
"She knows she's a winner. She couldn't be thinner. Now she goes in the bathroom and vomits up dinner."
This episode with her artwork and this quote to go with it was my first exposure to eating disorders in popular media. How uncomfortable the truth of them makes everyone else. How they'd rather turn away and bury their heads in the sand than see the damage under the veil of "beauty".
Good stuff, this show.
It's crazy how many female or femme presenting celebrities came out in recent years saying they had a disorder and I thought "I didn't know, we thought you were healthy, we all thought". Also that people will praise a look for being gorgeous without minding the effort and pain it took to achieve it.
@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 yes, exactly. I heard a woman on tiktok doing like a slam poetry about her ED and to paraphrase (poorly, I'm sorry) it went something like
" When you start out thin people are concerned and see you as sick but when you start ED overweight you're inspirational, beautiful, a success story, how could I NOT fall in love with my illness???"
The raw emotion in her voice literally stopped me in my tracks and gave me the most intense wave of goosebumps I've ever felt. Seriously, I was walking through my house listening and it just about dropped me. I would give anything to find that video again or know who she is. Powerful stuff that haunted me for days.
I agree--and tbh, the shock value of the poem forced people to notice a really sensitive issue. But... the poem still really irked me. It kinda made light of eating disorders to the point that it... ignores the humanity/reality of the people who suffer from them? Like the girl in the painting wasn't dealing with a mental health condition, and was just another popular girl being shallow? But Daria is just a teen with a lot more to learn, so I'll give her (a fictional character--I need to chill) the benefit of the doubt.
@@beaniepq you do make a good point.
If my memory serves me correctly, that episode was titled, "Arts & Crass". Please confirm.
What I like about Daria is that she doesn't TRY to be "not like the other girls". She just is
That’s not better. Because those other girls are also complex people.
I think what people forget is that the "not like other girls" trope is a modern invention. In the Era of the show cable tv was the mainstream source of teen pop culture and was heavily inauthentic and market controlled. With that said this show was more about revealing what it was genuinely like to be outside of the mainstream which was pretty undocumented in popular teen culture unlike today with the plethora or social media outlets where everyday people can share their experiences.
I just think the obsession with being pick me or anti pick me wasn't even a luxury to be discussed at the time of this show due to the cultural context at the time.
@@LexaLite Well said👏🏾
@@robinita46853 I never said they weren't complex people, but I just get a sort of "pick me" vibe from other girls in cartoons who try to be "not like the other girls". I don't get that with Daria. Basically what I'm saying is, Daria just IS "not like the other girls", she doesn't try. That's what I was saying, sorry if it came out the wrong way.
“Not like other girls” refers to a whole thing of a girl/woman of any age liking stereotypically “boy/dude” things to stand out and get guys or whatever. Yes, it’s actually conditioning and whatnot and every human being is deserving of empathy. Hate the conditioning and restrictions insidiously imposed by society; not people. Daria and her descendants are not this because they are inherently “not like other girls”. They don’t do it to fit in or stand out. Quite the opposite. They desire nothing more than to be their counter-culture quirky nerdy intelligent hardcore selves quietly and mostly alone (with the exception of a few close friends and family which everyone needs).
One of my favorite things about Daria is how the Quarterback and Cheerleader characters, Brittany and Kevin actually seem to like Daria or at the least aren't malicious towards her.
one of the first episodes where brittany asks daria to come to her birthday party is a great episode. you can feel that there is going to be some kind of friendship. in real life cheerleaders or jocks wouldnt do things like that (most likely i dont live in america so i dont know but from the things i know about it i am sure they wouldnt). always thought that was a nice touch. they accepted her never really "respected" her but they where not picking on her either.
Lol real life isn’t like a 90s highschool sitcom sure there are cliques but they still just hangout with anyone ain’t like they’re gangs 😂
For a neurodiverse teen like me back then, struggling to understand the human condition, Daria was my inner monologue made manifest. Her feeling of outsiderness and her minimal facial expressions...they felt like me in a way no other character on TV did at that time. I was a Daria, and Jane was who I wanted to be. I cannot overestimate the impact this show had, and her message of authenticity to ones self and self-reflection have stayed with me through the years.
I've watched the whole show a couple of times, but on my last rewatch with my boyfriend we paused on a very late episode of the series, where Daria is in the cardboard box and contemplates her memories of her childhood. The two of us are neurodivergent, and everything seemed to finally click; Daria was always the way she was, even as a very young child, and I could view her experiences of those of a neurodivergent character. She has a very strong identify, she can and does care deeply about issues, but she is in her own lane and isn't worried about putting forth emotion outwardly despite feeling many things.
i truly believe Daria is in someway neurodiverse, but as i am a self diagnosed not exactly sure person then i dont wanna just first judge, but i think i feel like you, Daria spoke to me because her experience with social life, her world view and stuff like "why dont you smile more" or in general reproches about her attitud where always things i hear on my daily life by my parents, teachers in general and just like Daria i struggle to find friends for my lack of social skills or any attempt to actually have them and have other people look down on me as weird, quite, unsocial etc.
Neurodiverse I googled this.... your farts on a scale of 1-10? 10 being best.
Can we talk about how Jake and Helen along with the Rugrats parents, Hank and Peggy Hill, Marge and Homer (during this era), and the Patakis presented a view of Boomer parenting and how they were trying to parent differently than their own but also caused some trauma?
This would make a great video
@@kazza6078 Yeah because everyone is talking about Disney doing Intergenerational Trauma but I feel these cartoons tacked on how trauma or even mere disagreements with your parents on your upbringing impact how your childhood (as Millennials) and how you raise your kids (both Boomers and Gen X, if we wanted to add Gilmore Girls) is influenced by that. Like Jake with his abusive father and his enabling but secretly resentful mother, how Helen's mother affected her daughters' relationships with one another and how they course correct with Daria and Quinn, how Hank and Peggy try to be better parents to Bobby and Luanne despite an abusive same sex parents and zoned out opposite sex parents, Marge's upbringing by her Mom left her the repressed people pleaser she is and tries to do better with Lisa (who is able to poke at the absurdities) and how Abe treated Homer influenced Homer's relationship with Bart, Helga Pataki's parents being both an addict and an overbearing patriarch who insists he is always right, and why the Rugrats parents turn to Lipshiptz (who is sketch) rather than their parents' flawed methods (can showcase how vulnerable parents trying to do better by their kids can hurt them by listening to charlatons).
I’d love some Hey Arnold videos! There’s a lot there!
@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 what do you mean "Disney doing trauma"
like, did something bad to their child actors, wh-what are we talking ab here
@@crybaby3710 Turning Red and Encanto, to name a couple
Daria was influential to me not just because it wasn't simply "outsider girl with edgy commentary", but it took time to actually explore how accurate her perceptions actually were. Most characters start as stereotypical archetypes and get broad, including Daria herself. It was accurate to life, in that way. We realized that characters like Quinn and Brittany weren't as dumb as their appearances led us to believe. Between Jane pursuing track or Daria's experimenting with contacts, maybe the outsider kids weren't as disinterested in fitting in as they seemed. We saw friends have arguments, we saw parents acknowledge they weren't flawless authority figures. Things are complex and it can make life messy, and it can make you as a teen frustrated as you try to navigate through it. Daria remains one of my favorite shows not because of any perception of Daria's disaffected "coolness", but because it merely pointed out that the world is flawed and ugly in a lot of ways but it also has enough redeeming qualities to make it bearable as long as you're open to seeing them. _"There is no situation that can't be improved with pizza."_
Great comment! Never saw the show but based are your take it sounds worthwhile!
Only disagreement: If I were eating GREAT food or having GREAT (or even good!) sex, and someone tried to hand me a pizza, I'd be deeply disturbed and displeased.
Amen to everything you said!
wow! sounds like you should be making your own media analysis videos! great comment!
Well said
I don't know....Brittany and Quinn are both pretty brainless and don't have that much of an arc. They end the show pretty much where they started...
I think Daria's ability to just be brutally honest in a way that is so deliberately and poignantly put is like a pressure release for the viewer. By saying aloud the thoughts that fester in silence within us, she validates them in the face of a world that doesn't want to hear them.
I always kind of wondered if she was on the spectrum in some way.
Not saying there would be anything wrong with that, obviously. I think it would be great. Just wanted to make that clear, in case someone gets the wrong idea
(This is the internet after all.)
It’s just an interpretation I’ve sort of played with. Daria understands social interaction seemingly in a cold meticulous manner. Something to be studied and not necessarily intuited all the time. That could just be her studious mind in action, of course. But her blunt honesty and her complete disregard for societal etiquette as well as her high level of intellect can be read as cues for a high functioning form of autism or at least somewhere on the spectrum. That said, she does seem to have a high level of emotional maturity and indeed emotional intelligence as the series progresses. So it’s not an interpretation I could fully support that well in the long run. Just seems like an interesting angle, that’s all
@@someonerandom8552 I have autism and I relate to her a lot. Also, plenty of autistic people are capable of emotional reflection and maturity. Its a myth that autistic people are unempathetic. Personally, i just find it hard to empathize with people's problems when i feel the problem is socially constructed for seemingly no reason. The double empathy problem is real
@@bugspray6662 Interesting. No doubt there are a lot of myths about autism, indeed fuelled by the media over the years
In high school, me and my best friend had a "frankness day," where we said everything we thought. Both of us were sort of like that anyway. My friend said something really cruel to someone, and that was it for me. I was no longer playing that game.
I’m autistic and I relate to Daria too. I often feel like the “Daria” in my world, surrounded by people with superficial and materialistic interests often seen as someone cynical and miserable when I’m not. But I’m not Daria, I’m me. 😎
When I was in high school, I never met people like Cher or Regina George.
But, i have met people like Daria and Jane. The power couple were just like Kevin and Brittney.
Heck, there was even a kid who had the same set of parents as Daria's.
Seconded, you'd be more likely to meet some snarky outsiders than the popular Mean Girl.
Same for me but I grew up in the Pacific Northwest
I think most of the Cher/Regina George wannabes I met was in my middle school or late elementary school years.
George Carlin once said the most cynical people used to be idealists. If you think about it, it's painfully true. What drives that cynicism? Deep disappointment. If you never cared to begin with, you wouldn't be disappointed and I think that's why drives Daria (and most cynics).
That’s an interesting point.
But was daria an idealist at any time? There's even flashbacks when she was a little girl and her personality was as dry and sarcastic as she is as a teenager...
You can be an idealist without being bubbly or a marysue. It just means you're smart enough to see what can be better but also eventually see it never will thanks to, generally, people. That's why so many cynics "hate people." They're the source of most of the world's problems, after all.
Oh yeah! He was right about most things and 100% correct on this one. I am 42 and I’ve pretty much given up on anything good ever happening again in America. Thankfully, I don’t live there anymore.
@@Boobalopbop glad to see another person escaped
I wonder how many "ex-pats" are Daria fans
20 plus years past high school, and I still love Daria! She was a piece of me. Unlike her, I’ve learned to be less cynical, as I grow.
I mean we never follow Daria as a 30 something so how do we know she never grew?
@@maloneaqua how can she grow if the character is no longer playing the role in the cartoon? What are you talking about?
I'm approaching 40 & am actually more cynical now, than I've ever been.
I'm surprised you didn't mention how basically Aubrey Plaza's career (and 98% of her characters) exits because of Daria .
Do you mean, "exists"?
Aubrey Plaza makes Daria look normal
They had a skit where she played Daria.
It was sad they didn't make a Daria movie starring Aubrey Plaza.
I see in a lot of Daria reviews and analysis people talking about how she captured that short zeitgeist from post-grunge to Y2K and I always think that she could still be popular today with the disenfranchised millennials and early gen zs
As someone who saw Daria first time in early 2010´s I fully agree.
There have been various reboot and/or spinoff rumors in the past couple of years but nothing has yet materialized.
@@LookToWindward Honestly I think its for the best. Keep Daria how she is. If anything there should be more shows inspired by her than reboots or spinoffs of the show...
i am gen z, and she definitely resonates with me. i can relate to her.
Daria is definitely one of my favorite shows. It's crazy how some of the themes and messages haven't changed today. They better not reboot this show. It's a 90's classic for a reason.
I heard that there were plans to do a reboot the show was going to centered around daria and jodi
I related to both Daria and Jodie, who shared a similar worldview but addressed it differently. But since Daria was a white girl, she had the privilege to be apathetic in a way that Jodie didn’t.
I always found it fascinating that a show from the 90's not specifically focused on black issues addressed the "one of the good ones" stereotype. it's not just that she feels like an outsider for being one of the few black kids in a predominantly white school but she feels like it's her duty to present overtly positive image of black people because for most of her peers she will be the first black person they ever interact with and will judge all black people they meet from that point forward based on their reaction to her
I may be remembering wrong but I feel like Jodie even mentioned this in an episode.
@@silverwolf6384 The parade episode where Jodie and Mack are Homecoming King and Queen every year and they just decided to go with it comes to mind
Yes! And I feel White Privilege is touched in how Jodie and Brittany were brought up (Brittany doesn't have to be exceptional and even gets a party to celebrate her C plus while Jodie's parents expect her to take a lot of extracurricular activities and even push her to a Ivy League school rather than the HBCU she wanted).
Yessss!!!
Daria needs to be re-aired today.
No remake.
Just re-air all the episodes as they are.
With the original MTV soundtrack.
Yes.
I always liked that Daria knew her faults and acknowledged them, but didn’t feel bad for them, rather using them to make them strengths. She called out people and society, deadpan as ever, and watched the world around her, and never let it change her. When she did have moments of doubts or drama with her friends and family, it didn’t feel like it was making fun of her for having these genuine moments of life, but rather showing how you can “not care” what people say or do like Daria and still actually care about the important things. She didn’t feel unrealistic, they just upped the anti with Daria’s characterization. She doesn’t let people box her, no matter how hard they try, and she felt and expressed her distain for the pressure of the world in a way that only a teen can, in a way that tv had never let it’s teen characters, especially girls, done before. I also liked that other characters either called her out, like Jodie and Jane, when she was being narrow minded or ignoring the actual problems because she wasn’t thinking about others around her. They got humanized as well and were full characters with their own problems that they faced, especially Jodie as a black teenage girl in the 90’s. Even tho Jodie’s character was more so in the background, she was always doing something and even delivering lines just as thought out or even more than Daria about the world around her and the issues they were facing in the 90’s that even still stand today. Jane was the in between character of being as sarcastic as Daria, and yet being more expressive and less cynical of the world and those around them, which I think balanced it out really well. There isn’t a show like Daria anymore, which sucks, but I’m glad we got it when we did in the 90’s cause I don’t think it would be as good now
There wasn't a show like it before Daria either. In other words, it's one of a kind or unique.
Yeah when they wanted to do a spin-off to Hey Arnold called the Pataki's. Nickelodeon turned it down because they said the subject matter was too dark and MTV wouldn't pick it up because they said they already had a show with a similar theme and that was Daria.
It's sad how Daria gets a spin off but not Hey Arnold. Life is unfair sometimes
A show about the Pataki's would have meant Hey Arnold with no Helga. So, no sorrow here for the lack of a spinoff.
@@clartblart3266 Huh?
Poison Ivy from the Harley Quinn animated show is also very Daria-esque, but she's actually popular and beloved in universe too, showing a shifting trend of attitudes towards women who keep it real.
Daria is one of my absolute favorite shows of all time. I think the review missed an opportunity or maybe they'll circle back to how much depth some of the more "conventional" characters had. Quinn for instance becomes a lot more interesting of a character as the series progresses and her and Daria's relationship has some very poignant moments in the series. From episode one when Quinn referred to Daria as that "girl who lives with me" to her expressing her deep fear to Daria that they'll grow apart as adults and hate each other like their aunts do. She wasn't just an antagonist to Daria and that's what made the show so good too. It wasn't just Daria and Jane vs the world; there was a lot more nuance than that. It made the show as a whole feel more lived in and realistic.
Curious, have you ever seen Collegehumor's Daria movies trailer? Pretty funny and might cover what it would be like if Quinn and Daria were adults.
@@CrimsonNineTail oh yeah with Aubrey Plaza. I remember it well. They're making a spinoff movie with Jodie as the main character as an adult. It's supposed to be an animated movie and she'll be an adult post college. I'll be interested to see who else from Daria gets added
As a 90s kid, I acknowledge this video.
Slightly acknowledge*
I totally love this video
One of my favorite shows of all time!! Daria and the cast really got me through some things
Yeah daria still is one of my favorite shows of all time 😃
Me too. I adore Daria.
YES!! I love that Jodie and Mac were calling out virtue signaling even back then. Remember their teacher, Timothy O'Neill? He was clearly a satirical take on people being cheery and over sensitive to every little thing. All this stuff is trendy now, and Daria would *annihilate* society today, lol. That's how this show operated, and it was seriously on another level. My only wish is that Beavis and Butthead could have cameoed in the finale somehow, haha.
Obviously it's one of my favorite shows ever, and I like how The Take puts it in context with the landscape at the time. These were my teenage years, so stuff like this and My So-Called Life really spoke to me. I liked Dawson's Creek too, but Buffy The Vampire Slayer was also a pretty sarcastic show about HS norms. There was another one called "Popular" that's actually from Ryan Murphy that deserves a shout out too
Absolutely. Popular was great!
I went to high school from 1966 to 1970. There was just no alternative anything. My classmates were 50-year-olds in 16-year-old bodies. Me and my friends got through it by getting into Dadaism and absurd drama. Beckett was our favorite. I saw a Look magazine article on hippies (and there were definitely no hippies in my high school). I thought "Whatever that is, it's got to be better than this." I went straight to the high school counselor and said "I want to go to a hippy college." He had no idea what I was talking about, but as I was leaving his office this ancient Jewish secretary pulled me aside and said "Look into Oberlin and Antioch." I went to Oberlin. That secretary, with a few words, changed my life in a very good way.
The words "Millennial Hopefulness" made me laugh. I'm in that particular age group, and at no point in high school or my adult life have I ever been 'hopeful' about this dumpster fire that is life in the US. It didn't die because we were hopeful. It died because TV was dying in the face of the oncoming internet.
First discovered the show when I was about 15, so not too much younger than Daria was. I remember relating to her almost immediately, thinking I could and should be exactly like her (smart, sarcastic, a writer, etc). The show is one of my all time favourites, was so glad to find it when I did, it means so much to me 💜
I appreciate the show actually criticizing her at times. Her viewpoint is sympathetic but hardly flawless and is at times pretentious and arrogant.
And it takes other perspectives to see that and point it out.
Definitely! Sometimes her attitude came back to bite her in the ass
I think Daria, like King of the Hill, is one of those rare satires that manages to do its job so well (and portray characters so accurately) that it succeeds in capturing broad appeal -- even the targets of the jokes can't help but enjoy it!
BINGO!!! Exactly, 2 of my favorite shows of all time yet I feel like they're underrated. Timeless for sure, the comedy seems to age like fine wine.
Daria has been my comfort character since my own middle and high school years. Love to rewatch the series every now and then.
Daria was a character I was immediately drawn to. I had the round glasses, pleated skirt, and combat boots. When I wore them all together once I was accused of trying to be "cool like Daria"- never made that mistake again. She was my age, and that show, on Mtv of all places, made it feel ok to be intelligent and not care about sports and so many other niche things that at the time were seen as weird. The biggest impact though was definitely learning how superficial and commercial the world was.
Rewatching it recently hit So different as an adult. Sick Sad World is hilarious, realizing how truly Boomer the Morgendorffers are bc my parents and in-laws are so similar to them, and the teachers just.. yeah. I would definitely recommend it.
la la laa la la
Seriously one of the greatest shows of all time.
My aunt calls me Daria because I remind her of Daria and it makes me so happy
Love, love, love Daria. I rewatch the show very often. So many of Daria's reactions are relevant today because the world hasn't really changed.
I loved Daria as a teen because the show didn't try to make a villain or hero story but tried to look at more complex aspects. Nobody in Daria have a perfect life and that resonates with everybody. Daria has a pretty comfortable life and her parents are somewhat supportive of her weirdness and even though Daria has a more mutual relationship with her Aunt, I came to appreciate how understanding Daria's mom was. Daria, though she pokes fun at certain aspects of the society, is keenly aware that those aspects affect her more than she would want and she realizes that to some point she will have to adapt and even adopt those aspects to become a successful adult just like her mom did.
I can only go so far to say that Daria was and still the epitome of 90s. The non-conformist attitude of Daria herself feels more refreshing with the context of the show itself.
I totally agree 💯
exactly, that sort of flat reply to the command for everyone to join in. It was kind of apathetic though, the flip side of gen z save the world craziness.
Daria always was and still is one of my favourite tv shows. I love all of the characters, they're all incredibly funny and reminded me of people from my life. I was in school when I first discovered it and I never felt more seen . Daria is still one of the most relatable characters in fiction to me
My favourite episode was always the last one, (if you don't count the "Is it college yet?" special)where she sees a big box and is reminded of how she used to hide in a box when her parents argued in her childhood. That episode is a wonderful character study of Daria,looking closer into her general outsider attitude and how it affected her and her parents throughout her life, and also examining her insecurities and past traumas. After watching that episode, I started headcanoning Daria as neurodivergent because I , as an autistic kid with an early diagnosis, felt that that episode resonated with me like nothing did at that time
Great video!
I still rewatch her. I was a kid when this came out and was obsessed with her
I rewatched the show a few years ago and I still love it 💙
One of my favorite shows as a 18 year old girl who did not grow up in the time period. My mom says I watch so much of this show that I started “acting like Daria” maybe I’ll see what that means by the time I finish the video🤷🏽♀️
I have the same feeling for Bojack about what the creator read in a blog: "If it wasn't so funny, it would be unbareably sad". I think they soul-series!!!
Finally, some overview of a show without making us feel guitly of how toxic it's perceived now! Thanx, girls!!!
My role model!!! I cannot stop re-watching this series. Such a pioneer tv show. I always wonder what she would say about today! This series is well-developed teen angst and melancholia that was prevalent in the 90s. And her criticism of adults, fellow students, the capitalist system and the world, in general, was spot-on. Quote like this one: “Sometimes your shallowness is so thorough, it’s almost like depth.” were amazing! MTV was never the same after!!!
I got compared to Daria and Wednesday Addams all the time and I think it was people thought it was because I seemed depressed. But I really wasn't and I was quiet but not shy. I had my friends and spoke with them endlessly. I just had my own interests and didn't get the hype of popular things very often. Just like Daria.
The funny thing is, it seems to be that everybody is only remembering the 90s for the exact opposite reasons. Like "Friends" and Beanie Babies and Power Rangers and Blockbuster and that whole scene, especially those boy bands who came in late and somehow saved popular music from all that diversity and individuality the 90s actually had in music. We've gone from a Daria-styled image of the decade to a Quinn one.
We did. 😢
If there is one thing I'm grateful to MTV for, it's Daria. I loved that show. I always found Daria to be such a relatable character. And over time, I grew to like many of the other characters as well.
I loved this show! The writing was intelligent, and the characters sympathetic. It was very well-rounded, not just one-dimensional.
Daria is one of my favorite shows. I didn’t get to see the complete original run, but I watched here and there on MTV, and got to binge the entire series once it reached streaming. It’s classic, and perhaps, a product of its time, but I feel that many themes still carry on and are still relatable today. Maybe because it was so different for its time that it stood out and was great. “La la la la la la…” pops into my head every now and then.
Honestly. Daria is super relatable. This was me as a teen addict except I grew up in the aughts.
I am so happy you made a video on Daria! I didn't grow up with this show exactly , but my high school and college years were really shaped by this show, and I always felt there was a lot to unpack with it.
Thank you guys for making this, Daria is one of the most complex, yet likable characters from the 90s. Daria will always go down as one of my favorite animated shows!
When I was in high school and early college, I simultaneously had a crush on Daria and also wanted to be like her. She had this wit, style, and intelligence about her that I admired and she had enough confidence in herself to run counter to the rest of the world, or at least not care what they think. I…. Did not have that confidence.
One of my favorite lines is “ I’m not miserable. I’m just not like them” it’s kind of her mission statement in owning her individuality
Part of me wonders what Daria would've been like if it'd continued into the Bush years? With the show wrapping by mid-2001 and the final movie premiering in Jan 2002, we'll never know how Daria would've functioned in a post-9/11 society dominated by the rise of reactionary patriotism, increased xenophobia, and the War in Afghanistan. Would the trauma of these incidents cause her to retreat into her early high school practices of avoidance, skepticism, and non-engagement or would she move to more vocally calling out the unjust systems she found prevalent around her as she incrementally did as her character developed throughout the series?
The other part of me is relieved that the show ended when it did. In a sea of animated shows cancelled without a fulfilling conclusion or staying past their welcome, Daria stands out as one of the few to reach a satisfying end. The show reflected a moment of the 90s with an outlook that lives on past it. For me, the show itself is safe in memory along with my 90s nostalgia and I'm fine if it stays there.
Daria had that “ so what if you think I’m weird, you think I care?” She called it as she saw it and owned it
Daria always kept it real
Daria was my favorite show when I was a teenager! And it still holds up!
Omg Daria was so me! I’m also 38 and this show still resonates with me.
ABSOLUTELY ADORE DARIA! Related to her when I was growing up, and even more when I re-watched all seasons and specials of the show when I was going through a rough time in my 20s. Great critique of the show and the character!
I wish there was a Daria for Gen Z.
I miss the jokes, the witty banter, the sarcasm, character development and the social commentary that was reflective rather than an overbearing virtue signal parade.
There kind of is. Poison Ivy, the second most important character on the Harley Quinn animated show. Of course that show is much more violent and crude than Daria though. Still pretty awesome with a lot of heart.
That’s why there will be no Daria for Gen Z. She is the antithesis of virtue signaling and being a SJW or woke. As we move into a post modern world people want to capture the life and vigor of the disenfranchised but want to do it from the safety of their social positions. Daria rejected the whole system, but was in a place she could do so. Jodie was a great foil for Daria because her Blackness forced her to navigate the world in a different way despite sharing similar views. This generation would have to start looking inward and finding personal self worth other than documenting themselves living a fantasy life that is just a little bit better than the next one posting. Your Daria would have a media presence because she doesn’t by the hype.
It wouldn't work edgy is trendy
@@calvinbethea3369 that was the awesome thing about Daria- it was able to acknowledge and address issues in a very progressive way, without virtue signalling about it. That being said, to some people even that is virtue signalling. Because everything that doesn't conform to extremely conservative values is virtue signalling to some people. But I do get what you mean. Funnily enough, I find that the "look at us! we're so woke!" thing is usually coming from big corporations chasing money. And so it is pretty far from actually being woke, because if they thought it would make them money, they'd switch to being racist homophobes in a microsecond.
I know right 😭
wow! in my opinion, you two went above 💯. your channel has been amazing and eye opening in the most possible way. "Realizing your actuality" I understand what that means. ( I was 32 when that happened) side note whom ever narrated this... your amazing!!!! your 10 out of 10. thank you. in my opinion you are the the voices of this channel. the passion and dedication is definitely something that see throughout. I'm such a fan. can't wait too see what's to come, but also love to re-watch old videos as well.
I may have been super young during the time having been born in 94 but my memory is exceedingly vivid and remembered seeing this on tv. rediscovered it later in life and its major nostalgia. I got the whole series on dvd for xmas a few years ago and rewatch all the time. defiantly gives me little island in this sick sad world from time to time.
Funny how I’ve been rewatching Daria for the 3rd time this week and this video comes out! I was born in 2002, but I feel like I grew up with this show ☺️
This show was way ahead of its time. I loved it as a teenager and it’s points on our culture and society are still relevant today.
yess I've been waiting for this one!
Gender neutral story writing isn't that hard, Daria proves it
It's not hard but thinking with my feminist 21st century brain. I wonder if a show like Daria could be written today where the cisgender girls, enbies, and possibly transgender boys (if written into the script) could discuss things like periods, etc.
It's weird how a story about a teenage girl can't discuss teenage girl issues. Just because some men will get the ick. 🙄
@@PrincessKLS it definitly could considering the fact that even disney has stuff discussing periods
When this popped up on my notifications, I almost screamed out loud! I've never been so excited to watch RUclips video. Thanks for making this! Love your channel! ❤
watched the entire show and it was veeeeeeery enjoyable, I rarely finish an entire series
I LOVE this show I’m so glad I randomly came across this show & watched it. I can definitely relate to Jane ❤
I LOVE Daria and raised my kids so they love her too! My grown kids went to a punk show over the weekend, and my oldest wore a "Sick Sad World" shirt. I'm still looking for one!
Lovely critique. I always appreciated Daria. She was the voice for a lot of women who people choose not to engage. The women they look over. She was left of center, stylish, and had amazing wit. She was in her own world. MTV during that time was so much more fascinating. Also on a petty note this title makes me happy. A friend of mine swore I couldnt call this a 90's show. I literally grew up watching it live!
You’re voice reminds me of the principal in the show. I like how it makes the video sound.
Same
Daria is a Xennial. Her parents are boomers and teachers because most of the Gen Xers were still in college and in their early 20s and trying to figure stuff out in life because they would be and still is a generation with the less wealth. Most of us now in our late 30s and 40s understand Daria because we were in the same generation. I have the entire series on DVD and re-watched it and still love it today and can't wait for The Jodie spinoff.
Daria was my 90s adolescence...
Daria's interesting because she definitely has the voice and POV of many GenXers, yet I believe she's a Millennial (or a cusper). I know more Xers who relate to her and more Millennials who "get" her but dont see her as relatable, per se.
I think it depends more on their personality rather than what generation they're from. I'm not from either generation (I'm from gen z), but I think a lot of people my age probably related to her as a teen (and even now). I wish I had known about this show when I was in high school. This is just a general thing that a lot of people can relate to regardless of when they grew up.
I don't know. I can't speak for how millennials think, but I think most zoomers can relate to Daria. Maybe that's also because we were raised by gen x, so we might think in similar ways. Lol jk
the show is very much the creation of Gen Xers and reflects their experiences more than the Gen Y..
@@mynameisreallycool1 i’m a gen z y/a too & I watched this show while i was in secondary school. It really helped me out & i’m so glad i was lucky enough to discover that at that age because it made me feel validated in who i was. But, I have grown up to be less cynical than I used to be
I think she was born in 81, which puts her just at the cusp. Some people have Millennials start in 80 and some in 82. Xennials are usually 77-82. Quinn would be firmly Millenial.
I see Daria as a Gen X character because the shows creative team were GenXers. It's not a millenial point of view of high school, but the one of people in their mid-twenties to early thirties reflecting back to their high school experience and applying it to the 90's while commenting on the current culture.
Daria harkens me back to the time that MTV, while declining its music-related content, was still showing some smart and interesting shows. Now MTV is nothing more than 24-hour "Ridiculousness" marathons.
Both B&B and Daria weren’t afraid to show what the world was really like. During that time period, people were depressed and rebellious. No one is perfect, and both shows displayed that. They show that your attitude towards life makes all the difference, Beavis and Butthead being oblivious to it and living happy lives while Daria understands it and is often saddened by it. I miss when all shows had a meaning, stupid or not
You could have made this an hour long and I would have loved every second of it!
I love Daria. Her skepticism always spoke to me and definitely related. Especially when it came to her family!
I enjoy that daria wasn't unpopular, and in fact no one was really. It felt much more realistic to my high school experience
Daria really helped me get thur middle school.. I was so isolated from other girls cuz I didn't like n-sync and spent most of the time reading (which definitely didn't make me popular 😒 until later in highschool when I basically found a group of similar geeky Gothic and overall different girls.. who accepted who I was )
I watched Daria as a millennial kid and loved it. I'm a young millennial. I loved grunge, I still do actually and I still love Daria. I think the alternative culture of the 90's isn't a thing of the past given how relevant Daria's perspective is today when we fight the same exact toxic values and many people hold this feeling of alienation. I did see Ghost world as a Daria live action movie, the resemblance is uncanny.
A friend once said to me "you love watching Daria?... you ARE Daria" ... Still rings true 20 years later.
I’ve been rewatching this for months. So good
i've been waiting for a video like this for years
Story starts off in the year 97 , Field day a young black male who immersed himself in 90s everything as far as television goes, is partnered with a white high school teen for soccer station ⚽️ he punts the ball into the goal the young black teen does the Daria hand thing as he misses interaction with the ball. The white teen laughs as we both knew the 90s, the show .. The video does a great breakdown of why that moment was golden
Daria was the symbol of 90s counterculture. The only modern version of her is Jenna Hamilton (MTV Awkward) and Tessa (ABC Suburgatory)
Just getting through school was all I ever really aspired to... I'm a 90s teen and watched Daria religiously
The subject of this video was already shockingly close to our comment requesting an analysis of the art of alchemy/hermetic magic. Thank you.
Omg finally a deep analysis on Daria, one of my all time favorite shows!
I was so devastated when they canceled My so called life.
is that show worth to watch? just heard about it from this video never knew about it. maybe because i am not an american i dont know.
I cannot count how many of my classmates in middle and high school called me Daria. And I loved it. My older brother still to this day, and we are in our late 30s and early 40s, calls me Daria. I thank him for it.
Accidentally stumble across "Daria" one night. Thought the show was hilarious. Even though I was an older male, I could relate to Daria.
You're standing on my neck.
I'm suprised you didn't bring up Aubrey Plaza. She played a Daria like character
Growing up for me was thinking I was Trent. Adulthood for me has been realizing I’m actually Jake.
I love her more now than I did when I was a teen. I've rewatched the series and it still stands as hilarious to me
Daria was one of my favorite shows when I was in high school. I really related to Jane.
I really liked your take on the show. The only thing I would have added as well is the prospect of the rumoured and upcoming continuation of it. Like how Daria as a person most likely will have evolved etc
dude your shops are always so well produced
I sure miss the 1990's. You could drop in on most motels and get a room for cash on the spot, no online booking, no credit card necessary. You could easily find coin operated phones. You could buy a small TV set for little more than $100, and it need not have been flat screen. You didn't need to have a phone app to order in any restaurant. You could even find restaurants that allow smoking. I don't see a lot of improvement now.
Most of those things you mention were good. Restaurants that allow smoking are the one exception; smoking is not something that a person can keep to themselves inside an enclosed space.