Looking Inside
In the face of television portraying women as objects of male desire, many shows have taken the time to look harder and explore the concept of self-image and the desire to be wanted. In two episodes of the cartoon Daria, one can explore the notions of self-image and desirability through satirical methods. The two episodes, Pierce Me and Too Cute, delve into the notion that anybody is susceptible to the pain and the confrontations associated with being attractive, or craving a man in their life. Daria, entering the television genre of the nineties attempts to show how mainstream concepts aren't always, as they seem, but at the same time playing directly into some of the stereotypes.
The character Daria is portrayed as being innocent and lacking issues of self-esteem, in everything; even down to her clothing. In every episode she is very unusual, but at the same time very plain. She has large round glasses that portray her as a nerd and she wears lace-up boots, a green sweater and a black pleated skirt. All these items would consequently lead the viewer to see her abnormalities, yet in these two episodes we are struck with Daria creeping into the mainstream. Before getting too involved in one of these two episodes one must look specifically into the notion of Daria as a woman. Ensembaly challenged and facing constant harassment of peers, Daria has in her attitude and clothing created a wall that protects her. The wall cannot protect her from what lies underneath the glasses and funky boots. She isn't veering away physically from any of the other characters on the show that she is trying to mock. She has pencil legs that are consistently exposed in every episodeCeverything about her is the skinny girl.
This theory has the potential to be an over simplification, although on the other hand if we look at the writing of Scott McCloud, stating how cartoons must be simplified body shapes in order to acquire and retain the reader's interest in the material then that theory is wrong. With this explanation, rationalizing the "ideal" body that Daria has seems plausible, but without the cartoonist explanation, Daria is an attempt at teenage beauty and the media. Daria's character losses some of its power when you think about her in the latter explanation. Subsequently many questions can arise from this, such as why didn't they make Daria fat, or why isn't Daria an obviously unattractive character? Although the image of Daria as being unique holds true throughout all of the normality that is imposed upon her, she sometimes creeps up on being similar to her opposing characters in the show.
The way in which this skinny Daria is depicted represents the same qualities that Quinne, her sister and the Beverly Hills 90210 generation of the early nineties. In order to be pretty one must first be skinny. This illustration of Daria as being thin correlates to the notion of Daria and popular culture. Within the realm of body image, the question arises of why did they make Daria thin and not fat. Portrayed as an outcast Daria's body fits directly into the mold of the popular crowd at her school. If she were fat would she be deemed an outcast even more? As light is shed on this notion we also see Daria having the same issues as the members of many television shows that combine pop culture and mainstream; that is she is slightly obsessed with the opposite sex.
The viewer begins to see Daria in this new light in the episode Pierce Me, where Daria not only is seen to be pretty but also as a sexual character. In this brief transformation to a sexual being, Daria's appearance in the show drastically alters. She glows, like an adolescent does when "their crush" talks to them. The softness of Daria is explored in these episodes, but more than anything there is a change in physical appearance and body language. This creates a different idea of Daria for the viewer. She is no longer hardened by society and she is looking to the bright side of something that may come. This completely takes the show for a full turn. Daria is now trapped within the gates of body image, self-confidence and how others see her. The show in these two episodes changes and becomes one that epitomizes what it usually satirizing, that is the caring of what other people think.
The centralization of Trent in the Pierce Me episode, encapsulates the feelings that Daria has for him. Daria has her first glimpse at a real chance with Trent. Trent is the character in the show that holds Daria's life on the brink of normality. Although Trent is Jane's sister, the love interest has never created tension between the two girls. That is until there is an opportunity seen, that maybe something will occur between the two of them.
The overriding focus in this episode is on the relationship between Daria and Trent. As there is a progression, the characters have a whole new light shed upon them, not only metaphorically, but also on the screen. Both of the characters, Daria in particular begin to look more attractive. Daria is glowing in this episode due to the possibility of something happening with Trent.
The cartoon itself takes its first twist, when the phone rings. Daria's father cannot understand that a boy is calling for Daria. When her father says to her "Daria its Trent, Jane's brother for you," and this again brings the aspect of Jane back into the triangle. This is when Daria loses control, something that happens very infrequently. She becomes the object of male desire, that is to say that she transforms into a girl that is no longer powerful, but susceptible to the temptations that entail having a crush.
In the Pierce Me episode MTV creates Daria as a transitional character. She is an outcast, opinionated so much that other people can rarely sway a decision that she makes. In this episode Trent become the central force in pulling Daria away from herself. He is the lion tamer, pulling her away from what would be her natural instinct. Daria's quintessential characteristic, that of defying what other people tell her to do, is stripped away in this episode and replaced by a typical teenage girl saga. When she and Trent wander into a piercing studio on their adventure to find Jane a birthday present, and he suggests she get something pierced, he remarks in the nineties punk rock culture brevity, "Daria it would look really hot." She is hooked at this point there is no turning back, she is suckered into manipulating her body, in order for Trent to think that she is hot.
Although Jane isn't completely overjoyed about the prospect of their being something between her brother and Daria, she has a good sense of humor about it. When Daria shows her the pierced belly button, all the Jane replies is simply, "Gee Daria you can join the Human Race, you did something stupid for a guy." This comment although true shows that Daria has also bought into that certain aspect of the Human Race, that she has stayed away from until now. This episode of Daria make the viewer, myself almost uncomfortable with the way that Daria handles the situation. Daria so easily swaying to the opinion of another creates an entirely different set of emotions felt about her. Usually we almost feel badly for Daria because she is a teenage rejected by her peers, but at the same time we respect Daria for her individuality. For some of us, we look at her and think that we wish we could not care about the philosophies of others, but we don't have the strength that she does. After she so easily gives into Trent we are let down by how easily her views can be swayed and that she is not as invincible as we thought she was.
In the next episode Too Cute, Quinne, the Fashion Club, Daria and the Plastic Surgeon, play the main roles. One of Quinne's friends gets a nose job and the other girls in the fashion club run to go get one as well. As the episode goes on we find Daria and Quinne inside the Plastic Surgeons office. Once there the reality of what is going on in this episode sinks in, this is a satirical ploy dealing with teenagers like the movie Clueless. Here we explore the concept of beauty isn't about how you look, but how you can look. As Quinne says, "a respectable member of the scientific community told me money can make everyone beautiful," it is hard to recognize the fact, but it is true. Even Daria, the plastic surgeon says can be made beautiful.
Daria in this episode, in contrast to Pierce Me, has the opinionated persona back and is not easily swayed into decisions or emotional states. Here instead Daria is almost unaffected by the Plastic Surgeon reworking her into a Quinne type character. She only makes the monotone comment, "if I didn't have such low self-esteem she could have gotten to me." At the same time Daria makes this joke, we can read into her how ludicrous the whole plastic re-designing seems to her.
The aspect of the Too Cute episode that is needed to be focused on are the other girls. The fashion club, which makes many appearances on the show, this time, seems to play more of an integral role. That is to say that they almost back up the ideals of Daria by making what they want so ridiculous that it exuberates Daria's stance on the preposterousness of these beautiful girls getting transformed into girls that are even more beautiful. This once again shows the way in which this program is not only beneficial, but also much more mainstream and controversial.
After Daria and Quinne have their bonding moment together at the doctor's office, Quinne believes that she is ultimately ugly and that she ultimately will be unless she has plastic surgery. Daria, the habitually unsympathetic one attempts to console Quinne, by saying "There's nothing wrong with you I mean physically you make other girls mentally ill. You're beautiful." This statement once again shows Daria on the brink of normality fighting off the opposing culture and views, and not getting sucked into them.
The way in which the characters are categorized into ideal beauty standards on the other hand is one of the negative aspects of this episode, that is how they almost insinuate that in order to be pretty once again you must be skinny. The surface layer of this show provides one with a complete outcast perspective of Daria, but at the same time in episodes like this sometimes relating to the other characters is plausible as well. I'm not saying here that all women want to have plastic surgery, at the same time though most women want to be as beautiful as possible and will go to far lengths to ascertain that quality.
In the end these two episodes juxtapose issues of beauty and men. They put each on a high platform in the beginning of the episode and then with one-liners by the characters each loses the value it originally held on to. The show Daria invites people to question stereotypes and at the same time show how people fend them off. Also this program shows that people trying their hardest to fend off stereotypes can also be the ones most susceptible to finding themselves right in the middle of one. Daria herself is a character that not only tried to show the individualistic qualities of women but also uniquely invites people to question how they feel.