If we want to look for any television show for love advice, it would be Glee—Gleecest is out of control, even if you just look at season one alone. I mean, has anyone ever considered what a mess of a hook-up map that would look like? Fortunately, it’s a mess we can work with. So after sifting through all the love songs and heartbreaks and dating drama, HC has found 6 real-life takeaway points on love from Glee.
1. He’s not out of your league
Remember when Rachel put on that Grease outfit to try and seduce football captain Finn, who was dating perfect cheerleader Quinn Fabray at the time? And how they tried to keep their unofficial romance a secret, because Finn was just way too cool for her? How times have changed. Rachel may have dressed like a small child and an old woman at the same time, probably got a slushie thrown in her face at least once a week, and she definitely made the list for top most annoying and manipulative Glee members, but she won Finn’s heart—so much so that he still hasn’t completely gotten over her, and it’s Season 4. There are no such things as leagues when it comes to love, ladies. After all, Lauren Zizes gave Puck a chance ;).
2. Don’t lie to get what you want
Terri (#honeybadger) and Quinn Fabray, we’re looking at you. Terri faked a pregnancy to keep her marriage intact, and Quinn told Finn that his sperm magically traveled in the Jacuzzi and made her pregnant (it’s fine, we don’t love Finn for his brains, anyway—just his dance moves). Yeah, that failed. Instead of bringing these men closer to them (the ultimate goal of their outrageous lies), it drove Will and Finn away. Moral of the story? Honesty sucks, but lies make everything even worse. Too bad we can’t just sing our problems away with a group musical number that ends the episode.
3. Goodbye can be a good thing
We were all pretty confused when Finn, after breaking up with Rachel “for her own good” at the end of the third season, returned to find a completely new Rachel with a new life and a new man. We weren’t sure if he was going to cry or start a fight when Rachel and Brody sang “Give Your Heart a Break” together. Sorry Finn, but what did you expect? Rachel knew that she couldn’t keep waiting for him, and well, with a guy like Brody coming in to the picture (#thatsmile, #thoseabs), who can blame her? The lesson we can take from this? When a guy tells you goodbye, it’s not time to sit around waiting or figuring out ways to win him back. It’s time to move on with your life to see what else is in store for you (like Broadway… and a really awesome wardrobe).
4. Womanizers have feelings, too
Puck wasn’t all about the sex—he really loved Quinn. And his little brother Jake is no different: he may be a total player, but he’s really into Marley. I mean, did you see the chemistry between them during the “Crazy” mash-up in the bleachers? Classic. You shouldn’t write a player off because all of your friends are skipping down the hallway belting “Womanizer” in perfectly choreographed movements. What you should do is let him prove that he’s committed to you, just like Marley is making Jake work for her.
5. You don’t have to have the same dream
It’s the age-old dilemma: love or career? But Emma had enough—even she acknowledged that the majority of her time at McKinley was spent pining after Will. When he expected her to up and move to DC with him because that was what he wanted to do, she was rightfully offended: “That’s your dream, not mine.” Go, Emma. We shouldn’t have to re-work our dreams because our guy has a different plan. Your goals come first, and if he really loves you, he’ll respect that.
6. Express yourself
Raise your hand high and proud if you teared up a bit when Santana sang the acoustic version of Taylor Swift’s “Mine” to Brittany. Glee members are pretty fearless with their emotions, and those soulful serenades in front of the entire choir room—which in real life would probably be way more awkward—are exactly what we need to see. No, we’re not saying you should grab your guitars and serenade that cutie in your Economics class—but we are saying to be a little bolder. No relationship has progressed without expressing how you feel.