Admit it, whether it’s your first time, second time or seventh time, you are watching Gilmore Girls (start to finish), or have just finished Season 7 Episode 22, and are currently considering whether it is socially acceptable to start it all over again, despite only finishing last night…? And, might I add, if you haven’t watched Gilmore Girls *rolls eyes in Emily Gilmore*, what are you doing? I demand that you drop all responsibilities and start now!
I, as of writing this article, am on Season 7 Episode 11, and I have big plans to finish this weekend; although I am not entirely sure what my evenings will consist of after this… guess I will have to find a new personality….
But Gilmore Girls has become the biggest source of comfort to me, in recent months. With navigating being on my year abroad and at times feeling quite lonely from my normal home comforts, I turned to my favourite TV show. I spend my evenings wishing I studied at Yale, immersed in Luke’s Diner, feeling as though I am a part of Stars Hollow, wishing I could stay in the Dragonfly Inn, and majorly envying Lorelai and Rory’s relationship (except for the beginning of Season 6- do not get me started on how painful this time is for me to watch).
This week, I have created two Gilmore Girl based Spotify playlists, and I am not even sorry. With the weather well and truly turned, the leaves brown and favouring a warm coffee instead of an iced americano, I can’t help but think I have entered my Gilmore Girls era.
What do I mean by my Gilmore Girls era… well for all of us students out there, I am channelling my inner Rory Gilmore because “Who cares if I am pretty, if I fail my finals”? I have begun to favour nights in with my head in a book, coffee shop study days and a feeling that I simply cannot describe, but I feel myself using Rory as inspiration to keep studying, and girl-boss my way through the end of this semester.
P.S as a side note, I saw a Tik Tok the other day of a Rory Gilmore book challenge of all the books that she mentions, are on her bookshelves, or appear in the programme. And I will not lie, I am considering beginning it, because if anyone is well-read it has got to be Rory Gilmore.
Studying in Gilmore Girls is romanticised, and some can look at this as toxic, and perhaps a false representation of what it is like to be a student, but I instead like to look at this in a way of why not romanticise our studies? – as we are only young students once. And if going to get your fifth cup of coffee of the day, on a long day of studying can be romanticised, why not imagine you’re Rory Gilmore- trust me it helps getting through these last few weeks of the winter semester.
In another way, Gilmore Girls has become my source of fashion inspiration for these winter months. When I go shopping, I now think would Lorelai Gilmore wear this? Can I imagine myself walking into Luke’s Diner in this outfit…? Because whether it be cute scarves, long trench coats or 2000’s fashion- I just love trying to bring Lorelai Gilmore’s fashion sense into modern day. And this is not just because I love Gilmore Girls, but because I find myself liking my outfits more, and most importantly feeling more confident in them.
Now, I promise you I am not crazy, it is just that Gilmore Girls for me, and most likely for many, is comforting, it brings me the autumn/winter vibes that help me somewhat adjust my mindset in these depressing months. Any method to prevent SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) from settling in, I will take!
Stars Hollow has me wanting to move across the pond and live in a small American town. And upon me psychoanalysing this, I think that whilst watching Gilmore Girls, we all envy the closeness of the characters, and this idea of a “small-town charm”.
At a time where we are all constantly so in our heads and seemingly a lot more detached from the society around us, this ideal lets us escape reality and imagine what it would be like to live our lives in Stars Hollow- even if it is just as an extra.
We all take sides… sides you ask… yes, the only “sides” that divides Gilmore Girls fans up and down the globe- Team Dean, Team Jess, or Team Logan. I, proudly, standby Team Logan and I will not be convinced otherwise- I have fallen in love with his character and Logan Hunzberger has my heart. Watching Rory go through the highs and lows of her relationships, alongside the highs and lows that Lorelai experiences, is emblematic of the experiences of many around the globe. It provides us with a sense of comfort and reassurance that relationships are complex, and when we watch we Gilmore Girls… we relate!
Okay, so, before I go off on an absolute tangent, what I am trying to convey is that we all rewatch Gilmore Girls at this time of the year, the essence of this show provides us with a comfort that cannot be explained. Whether that be discovering a newfound happiness in this time of the year, gaining a sense of reassurance of the complexities of all kinds of relationships, inspired by Rory’s motivation for studying, or simply that this show makes you happy, and is the first show you go to binge when you spend the cold months inside- we all love Gilmore Girls.