At fourteen, I had a crush on Trent Lane. At twenty-six, I find that crush unsettling for the following reasons: (1) he was a cartoon character, so clearly, that’s just odd (especially when you consider how earnest the crush was) and (2) with his tattoos, piercings, and disheveled hair, he was obviously created with me (or girls like me) in mind. The second one bothers me more (even though the first one probably should) because it shows just how easily I’m manipulated. Trent was a total moron/freeloader but he had holes in his jeans, so I fell in love with him. More disturbing is the fact that even now, with all of these years of life and relative sanity under my belt, I’m probably still a little bit in love with him.
Toward the end of Daria’s run on MTV they introduced this Tom guy. He was rich, smart, and had a soft spot for cynical, misfit girls. He, like Trent, was drawn adorable.
