Makeovers

Better known as the "Daria-gets-a-makeover" story. One of the most enduring tropes of Daria fanfiction has been the subject of Daria Morgendorffer disposing of her antisocial, anti-romantic ways by getting a makeover to become more attractive to guys. Sometimes she does this willingly, if hesitantly, and sometimes she is dragged into it kicking and screaming. This trope is most commonly seen in shippers and comedies. It has become a cliche known to almost everyone and is often parodied (see "The Revised Daria Fanfic Cliché Drinking Game" by Aaron Adelman and David Hines).

Daria and the Makeover Issue in Canon
The idea that Daria is physically unattractive and "needs work" is commonly seen in canon episodes. It appears most explicitly in "Too Cute" (Dr. Shar's offer of cosmetic surgery), "I Don't" (the bridesmaid's dress fitting), "Through a Lens Darkly" (Daria's conversation with Quinn), and "I Loathe a Parade" (attempted makeover by the Fashion Club). Daria's own ideas of what constitutes a makeover are simple in comparison (pink lipstick in "Road Worrier" and a belly-button piercing in "Pierce Me"). Her bathroom cabinet at home contains no cosmetics, only her toothbrush, per The Daria Database, and her closet is sometimes shown in MTV artwork as having only extra boots, green jackets, black skirts, etc. Daria did give herself a brief Quinn-ish makeover at the end of "Quinn the Brain," but only as a means to an end; the makeover was swiftly dumped afterward.

Daria's canon attitude about her attractiveness is ambivalent. In Is It Fall Yet? she makes it clear to her mother that she wants to avoid others, but in "Quinn the Brain" Daria merely discards her glasses and dons one of Quinn's pink tees in order to successfully freak Quinn out. In other words, she knows she could look better if she tried, but she won't try. Still, she goes after Tom Sloane without changing any aspect of her persona, for better or worse.

Makeovers and Other Characters
Other Daria characters get makeovers in canon (especially Quinn and the Fashion Club), but it is hardly notable as it happens so often ("Pinch Sitter," "Pierce Me," "Just Add Water," etc.). One expects the foursome to get makeovers; their looks change frequently to encompass any situation (see "Road Worrier," "The Daria Hunter," "Fair Enough," and "I Loathe a Parade"). Helen gets a less-than-successful Fashion Club makeover in "Of Human Bonding" and a better one (with Quinn) in "Pierce Me." Jane Lane gives herself a rather successful makeover in "The F Word" (successful in the sense that it makes her more popular), but she ultimately rejects it.

Makeovers and Fanfiction
As noted earlier, a makeover is often seen as necessary in order for Daria to become popular, specifically to attract a boyfriend, which she generally attempts to avoid. In older fanfiction, Trent Lane is usually the person for whom she is being made over, and the makeover is nearly always successful. The basic idea is that Daria is more beautiful than she thinks (see the overused trope "Daria is a supermodel"). This mass-media trope is often called "Hollywood ugly." In Daria's case, a makeover often requires she complete the aborted transformation begun in "Through a Lens Darkly" with the removal of her manstopper glasses and a few other changes.

Notable Daria-Gets-a-Makeover Fanfics
It will be noted that the makeover theme has been tweaked a number of times to add original (if bizarre) circumstances, as noted below in parentheses.

"An Angel Named Mary Sue," by Angelinhel (Daria gets supernatural encouragement for a makeover) "And When Your Heart Begins to Bleed," by TAG (Daria's makeover makes her less attractive) "Bed and Breakfast Man: Giant Saturday" (Chapter 24), by Ruthless Bunny (the most thorough Quinn-managed makeover of Daria ever, including bra choices) "Brainwashed," by Wouter (Daria is forced to get cosmetic surgery at a "beauty farm") "Daria Strikes Back," by WWMyra "Daria's Cheap Makeover," by KewlDaria "Daria's New Look," by Stevenie Ellis "The DF Continuum: Visitation," Chapter 8, by Steven Galloway (Daria and Jane get made over in their sleep) "Hostile Makeover," by Courtney Wells "Makeover," by Lawndale Stalker (Daria gets a makeover after... nah, won't ruin it, it's too evil) "The Other Side of Time: Been Here Before," by The Sidhe (Daria gets a makeover for a guy from an alternate universe) "The Prom," by Jeff Cuscutis "Rebooting," by Wyvern337 (perhaps the most in-character Daria makeover out there) "Retrograde Girl," by Nemo Blank (Daria gets a makeover while she has amnesia)