Can you feel that chill in the air? Had your first pumpkin coffee in a while? Had the urge to throw on some Uggs and a sweater? You know what that means, itâs fall. For many people (me included) with Fall comes the rewatching of the iconic Gilmore Girls.
Throughout the 7 seasons of the cult-classic Gilmore Girls Rory and Paris have proven their intelligence time and time again. Although many fans believe they are equals, one question lingers in the minds of many others. Who was better than the other?
When tackling this debate there is one thing we must keep in mind, this is not a question of who was smarter or more successful in the long run as both of those are too subjective. This is just a matter of who was the better character. Now with that out of the way let’s get into it!
Now the best way, in my opinion, to settle this debate is to analyze each character fairly and consider the different arcs and growth of the two characters respectfully. Also, this is all my opinion and youâre allowed to disagree etc, etc. Ok, letâs dive into each character!
Oh and of course spoilers ahead, if you haven’t watched all 7 seasons and the spin-off show I urge you to find another Her Campus article in the meantime. Or binge the show lol.
Rory Gilmore:
“Who cares if I’m pretty if I fail my finals?”
Now out of these two Rory is the one we know the most of. I mean She is THE Gilmore Girl, she is our main girly and fashion icon of the show. A good majority of fans agree that her character took a turn for the worse after she attended Yale but I disagree. Yes, I think her character does some regression in the âDark Periodâ of the show (aka Roryâs gap year) and A Year in The Life but I honestly think she just grew up more realistically. All of the expectations her family and Stars Hollow that were put on her also leaked into our (the viewers) expectations for her as well. I have to admit that Yale Rory was a shock to me after some of the things she did *cough* sleeping with a married Dean *cough* but other than those exaggerated arcs I think Rory was just growing up and didnât know how to become an adult and also meet all the expectations everyone had for her. Iâm only a sophomore but looking back to Freshman year, I feel like a whole new person after starting school and being on my own for the first team, albeit I donât have the added pressure of being a prodigy or going to an Ivy League school but I digress. It felt real, if she went on to also be perfect at Yale she would be too boring. Sheâs the main character, she needs a little drama now and then to keep things interesting.
However, I do think her growth as a character is very stagnant at times. I feel as if she has learned the same lessons over and over and she still didnât get it. Like, no Rory you canât kiss another boy when youâre upset with your current boyfriend, and no Rory, you canât expect everything to be handed to you like it was when you were in school. Sheâs aggravating at times but you canât deny sheâs no Mary Sue (a character that is seemingly perfect and has no flaws).
To put it simply, for me Rory Gilmore is the epitome of the Tweet ââWe need more complex female charactersâ yâall could barely handle her.â
Paris Geller:
“I can scare the stupid out of you, but the lazy runs deep.”
Now Paris is a complex character to me. Iâm being completely honest I thought she was such a mean girl towards Rory and I hated whenever she was in a scene in season 1. She knows just how to get under peopleâs skin and abuses that power whenever she can, but as time goes on she turns from a villain to a girl whoâs just misunderstood. In later seasons we learn that her parents are âdistantâ to say it nicely and are even antagonistic to each other having Paris be raised by her nanny. Side note I loved the little interaction we see with Paris, Nanny, and Nannyâs kids at their high school graduation, itâs such a heartwarming but also sad scene for Paris as her parents couldnât even bother to go to their own daughterâs high school graduation. Anyways, Paris is known for her cold and hot-headed at times demeanor and that hot-headedness of hers is why she was rejected from her dream school Harvard, and attended Yale instead. While some fans believe this was the most âunrealisticâ part of the show I love it, not the whole weird purity culture thing the show tries to pull off for some reason but what comes after. I love that Paris attends Yale over Harvard because if she did go to Harvard she wouldâve been stuck in the shadows of her family name, but at Yale, she got to carve her path. I think thatâs a very poetic parallel in the show, while Rory is continuing the legacy of her Grandparents by going to Yale and wouldâve been on her path at Harvard, Paris is on her path at Yale and wouldâve been continuing her familyâs legacy at Harvard.
Sheâs driven, and sheâs not afraid to speak her mind, and I love that for her.
Conclusion:
As you can see, I love these two characters dearly flaws and all. But I must admit I have more of a soft spot for one than the other. So, who is the better smart girly inspo? In my opinion⊠it has to be⊠Paris Geller.
I can hear the gasps from here! But I honestly believe Paris had more overall growth as a character and is just more interesting to me, to be honest. Like yes, I love Rory but sheâs so âoh woe is meâ and makes her momâs experiences and struggles her own when sheâs never really had to struggle and be on her own like her mom. As for Paris, she comes from a broken family and yes she came from a rich family too but she does truly work hard for what she wants while Rory just sits and waits because she thinks things will just be handed to her like everyone in her life told her it would and even when things have gone wrong for her when thinking this way she doesnât understand sheâs the problem.
Paris still has her flaws, but sheâs shown growth, I cannot say the same for Rory.