In the Media

Seventeen
July 1998
Daria's Pad - The acerbic MTV teen seeks refuge in her bedroom from the sick, sad world.
Article by Sara Glassman

Sixteen-year-old Daria Morgendorffer, from Lawndale, USA, has a bedroom with quite a history. The previous owners had locked up their crazy aunt in what is now Daria's padded room. But Daria appreciates her cushy interior. "It muffles sound, so my parents can't eavesdrop. And it does cut down on the pain when my sister's actions finally drive me to bang my head against the wall repeatedly," she says. Her treasured skeleton poster reflects Daria's eclectic style. "If that's the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, I know it's going to be a great day," the teenager declares. What do friends and family think of Daria's room? "My friend Jane thinks it's cool - she says my personality will probably grow into it. And my sister, Quinn, is generally too scared of the decor to set foot in here, so that works out very nicely."

Daria's bedroom also offers a safe haven from her school, Lawndale High. "If it weren't for those bothersome truancy laws, I'd spend a lot more time in here," says Daria, who tinkers with formulas for biological weapons when she's not watching Sick, Sad World. She's looking to expand her territory, though. "I need my parents' and my sister's spaces, too, but so far I haven't been able to get them to move out. I'm working on it." We think she's joking.