RIP Dawn & ‘Donna

Michelle Trachtenberg + Madonna’s funerary project

Michelle Trachtenberg has died at 39. For many of us, she will always be Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of the most innovative and influential shows of our generation. It was a precursor to prestige TV that flourished with the emerging internet, using demons and vampires as metaphors. Michelle’s first appearance is now legend: in the season 5 opener, the show casually revealed that Buffy had a little sister all along, leaving viewers baffled. It was the talk of school and AOL chatrooms the next day. Only later did we learn her mystic origins. Dawn was insufferable and clumsy, like a real little sister. Some characters just stay with us, whether we like them or not.

With the announcement of the Buffy reboot, nostalgia for the show was back. Michelle died of natural causes, close to the age of fans who grew up with the show, which is deeply unsettling. As Buffy illustrated, nothing is scarier than a real, human loss.

Madonna just released a new fashion project set in a cemetery, shot by Steven Klein. Always interesting when ‘Donna chooses to pop up.

The paradox here is that she talks about embracing death while using every cosmetic and image technology to look eternally young and as far from it as possible. Madonna is now iconic in the literal sense: a symbol for something else, an avatar we reflect on, retouched beyond recognition.

What does this new project say about how we truly view aging and dying right now?

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How pop culture affects how we view disease, death and ourselves, in POST & Analog Cruising.

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