Regarded as a prototype for today’s hipster culture, the personification of teenage angst and probably the first one to adopt the iconic ‘bitch face’. Daria Morgendorffer has been something of a pop culture and style icon for all the millennials out there. But what exactly was so great about this show that it even inspired fashion for the 2017 Fall Style guide?Â
An original MTV series, Daria first aired back in 1997 and was a spin off from the Mike Judge’s somewhat intellectually deprived series, ‘Beavis and Butthead’. A show openly satirising the social hierarchy of high school life and suburbia, the animated series follows the adventures of a teenage girl, Daria Mordendorffer, an intelligent yet sarcastic young woman. She currently resides in lowest caste in her school along with the ‘art geniuses’ and ‘geeks’ and is more or less, an outsider… not that she cared!
A black sheep at school and at home, she was a far cry from the attractive and popular younger sister and socially ambitious mother. Super unusual for a female lead back in the 90s. Loved for her sarcastic, witty behaviour and confident ability to speak her mind, Daria became a character the audience could relate to. She reached out to women the most. Daria became a model to those who didn’t allow another person’s perception of them to define their existence. She doesn’t give a damn about how people thought of her! Daria in retrospect is very much a reflection of the silent observer, trapped in a room filled with narrow minded idiots but unable to leave. Pretty sure everyone’s been in a similar situation.
Nevertheless, creating Daria Morgendorffer was a gutsy move for creator Glenn Eichler, as nineties tv at the time had a reputation for over sexualising both men and women. Even if she was a cartoon character, the ideal ‘mainstream girl’ for teens back then were blondes with huge boobs. Anyone remember watching Pamela Anderson’s iconic hair flick in Baywatch? Surprisingly, we hear little of strong minded women like Daria in the 90s. Possibly, the public were taken back with a young woman who was comfortable stating her opinions without caring about the consequences.
As a fashion icon, Daria adopted her own style. Who can forget those signature black chunky doc martins, oversized green jacket and circular glasses.  She more or less created the hipster culture today. It’s somewhat ironic how a character, created by a man, is idolised amongst the female gender today. As a figurehead for feminism, Daria created an alternative for women to move away from the overtly sexualised female lead with a wishy washy personality. She went her own way, instead of following the herd. And look at the results. Aside from establishing a new subculture, Daria’s character sparked a college humour trailer and inspired upcoming fashion trends for a variety of designer brands.
And Daria Morgendorffer’s chic fashion sense seemed to be the primary inspiration for this year’s Fall Fashion Week.It’s not just Daria who rocks the tailored jacket and black mini-skirt combination. Alessandro Michele of Gucci recreates the look of the powerhouse woman with precision. His model dons a similar styled jacket to Daria’s, right down to the loose fit, padded shoulders and colour.
Many of the millennials today looked up to Jane, best friend to Daria for her ability to look effortlessly ‘cool’. Proenza Schouler recreates her look with a colour palette made for Jane and the 2017 fall update with a two colour patent leather dress. Red and black has never looked so good together.
Mrs. Morgendorffer, Daria’s over achieving mother, already knew a thing or two about style and keeping up with the latest trends. Well so does Altuzzara!
A PSA for those who doubt themselves, in style, or life in general. As stated by the wise Daria Morgendorffer herself, “don’t have a low self-esteem, have a low esteem for everyone else!” Who knows, maybe one day you’ll wind up a style icon in the next several years!
