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How D.W. Read Became The Queen Of Millennial Memes

As 'Arthur' sadly comes to an end after 25 years on air, Jackson Langford reflects on the inescapable fact that no cartoon character has been memed like Dora Winifred Read – a powerful, feminist, toddler icon.

When the concept of a ‘meme’ first broke out into mainstream cultural zeitgeist, it was nothing more than large white text over a picture of a cartoon dinosaur or a teenager holding up her Goosebumps books. But in 2021, a meme can literally be almost anything, from Emma Roberts staring into the camera on a beach to a shitty edit job on some Gossip Girl screenshots. It’s chaos out there.

Through it all, Arthur has proven consistent meme material. Since 1996, the anthropomorphic animal that the show’s creators want us to believe is an aardvark, together with his family and friends, has given us endless memes, sometimes decades after the episode in question aired. We’ve all seen Arthur clenching his fist, we’ve all seen Francine singing in the shower and we’ve all seen Buster leaning over the desk with glasses raised.

But no character, in Arthur or any other children’s programme, has been memed like D.W. Read.

Arthur’s five-year-old sister Dora Winifred is, in no uncertain terms, an icon. Wikipedia describes her as “bossy, selfish, spoiled, vindictive, and often downright cruel and malicious” which is nothing but a direct and deliberate (see: misogynistic?) misinterpretation of her impact on pop culture. Her assertion over her wants, her refusal to let societal structures impede her from achieving her goals, her disappointment when outside forces leave her isolated and her ability to think on her feet has inspired generations of children to adapt those traits with them into primary school and beyond.

She’s meme-worthy because, unlike so many other celebrities, she’s relatable. Here are just a few examples:

She understands the longing and desire sparked by coronavirus and isolation

Cartoon character D.W. read clutching gate in sunglasses and pink dress

Arthur, PBS Kids

In an episode aired in 2005, D.W. wants to go swimming at her local pool. Swimsuit on, sunglasses over eyes and pep in her step, she runs up to the chain-link fence only to discover that the pool is closed.

A shot of her meekly grasping onto the fence as something she desperately wanted was snatched from under her without warning resonates perhaps too strongly with our COVID-ridden world, especially in Australia. As we continue to suffer due to a spectacular failure of a vaccination rollout, and express frustration at our government’s refusal to take responsibility over it, it feels like all we can do is watch the disaster unfold right in front of our eyes from the confines of our own home.

Couple that with freedoms other countries are experiencing due to successful roll-outs, and the hopelessness D.W. feels in this moment is all too real.

She understands the importance of being direct, even if it can make things uncomfortable

Arthur, PBS Kids

Sometimes, you have to let people know when they're overstaying their welcome. Especially in a pandemic. 

She won’t let hollow threats from older men stop her from getting what she wants

Arthur and D.W. have a notoriously difficult sibling relationship. While D.W. is still learning her way around a big scary world, Arthur – three years her senior – takes it upon himself to control her movements in their own home, no less. Arthur forbids D.W. from entering his bedroom – while unnecessarily insulting the high brow artistic expression that is Mary-Moo Cow – and D.W., unable to read, refuses to heed the sign’s empty message.

Arthur, PBS Kids

The internet has taken this moment and made it into memes about being wilfully ignorant of things like red flags on dates, but there’s more to be learned from this moment. Arthur’s lack of patience with D.W.’s curiosity may have directly hindered her from following his instructions. Instead of Arthur being a little bitch, he could have spent time helping D.W. learn to read, in which this problem might have been avoided.

However, this also speaks to D.W.’s admirable tenacity despite her seniors consistently setting her up for failure. Her frustration with the powers that be eventually boil over in a moment of courage, as she bravely stands down “authority” because she’s sick of being screwed over.

How many times have we young people been told to “get into the housing market” despite impossibly expensive prices, only for the government to blame it on us because we eat avocado toast? How about right now, when young people are being told that we’re spreading COVID, when lots of us still aren’t eligible for vaccination because of our age? More power to D.W., honestly.

She uses youthful wit to her advantage

Arthur, PBS Kids

Like the gaslighting, gatekeeping girlboss she is, D.W. understands the importance of hustle. As already outlined, as a young person the odds are stacked against you. Houses are more expensive, jobs are harder to get, tertiary education and HECS debt feel like they’ll haunt us forever.

So, you have to cut some corners. You just have to. Maybe not in a way that exploits someone that can’t see without their glasses, but the solid messaging is there.

Written by Jackson Langford, senior music and culture writer at MTV Australia. Hot takes at @jacksonlangford and hotter pics at @jacksonlangford.

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