Who didn’t want to be Rory Gilmore when they were a teenager? Rory was smart and pretty. She had a cool best friend to keep her up to date on the newest bands. Cute guys (literally) fought over her, and she had one of the best moms ever. Even if you didn’t tune in to Stars Hollow every week from 2000 to 2007, you’ve probably caught reruns of Gilmore Girls on ABC Family. And, like countless other girls, you’ve probably both identified with and envied Rory as you watched her fast-paced journey to womanhood. Among the pop culture references, colorful hi-jinks and banter about coffee, Gilmore Girls was ultimately about growing up and building relationships. Looking back on it, there are a number of life lessons to be learned from the show.
1. Guys come and go, but your best friends — including your mom — are always there for you (even if you steal a boat).
Rory had many suitors throughout the series. There was the “boy next door” Dean, “the rebel” Jess, “the kind-of-obnoxious-but-secretly-sweet” Logan, and she didn’t end up with any of them. Her best friend Lane was always there for her, though. Even though Rory and Lane were on very different paths (Rory going to Yale and Lane staying in Stars Hollow and joining a band), they still kept each other up to date about their lives and were there to give each other advice.
Likewise, Lorelai and her best friend/business partner, Sookie, were always there for each other throughout Lorelai’s tumultuous relationships. And, of course, Lorelai and Rory’s relationship, as not only mother and daughter but also best friends, was one of the defining constants of the show. Even though there were disagreements between Lane and Rory; Lorelai and Sookie; and even Rory and Lorelai (who can forget the season when Rory and Lorelai stopped talking to each other after Rory dropped out of Yale?); the duos eventually reconciled and became even closer. The lesson here is to never give up your best friends over a guy. They are the ones who will be there with a shoulder to cry when he breaks your heart.
2. Things change, and it’s okay if your life doesn’t end up exactly as planned.
From the first episode of the series we knew that Rory wanted to go to Harvard. She already had the sweatshirt, the mugs and even the admissions brochures. It was the reason she was leaving Stars Hollow High and going to the super competitive and expensive private school, Chilton. All of the characters took it for granted that she was going to Harvard. Well, guess what, Rory didn’t go to Harvard. It was her dream when she was a kid, but when it came time to actually make her decision (using pro-con lists, of course), Yale was what she really wanted.
This lesson is relatable for anyone. Maybe you grew up convinced that you would one day be a doctor, but now you can’t stand your biology classes at Carolina. Instead, you love your English class. Maybe it’s time to take a step back and think about changing majors.
Lorelai’s life also did not end up as planned. When she was young, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. However, having a baby and running away from home at the age of 16 was not what she had in mind. Lorelai never regretted having Rory, and she was able to build a successful and happy life despite her struggles.
3. Life is short, enjoy it
One of the best parts of Gilmore Girls was Rory’s and Lorelai’s carefree attitudes toward life. They ate junk food with no shame, had frequent movie marathons, and could throw a party like nobody’s business. Their plan for Rory’s 21st birthday was legendary (it involved Atlantic City, black jack, 21 drinks and 21 guys’ numbers). They never let naysayers like Lorelai’s strict parents or Luke (who condemned their bad eating habits, yet also supplied them with unending cheeseburgers), to get them down or change their philosophy on life. Of course, Gilmore Girls is a TV show, so it’s unrealistic that you could eat as much as they do, exercise as little as they do (which is never), and still expect to be as skinny as they are. But it’s still a good philosophy by which to live. Sometimes you have to eat junk food without worrying about the calories and ignore the Debbie Downers that try to ruin your happiness. After all, W.W.B.C.D. (What Would the Barefoot Contessa Do)?
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. Sometimes the perfect guy is right in front of you, you just don’t realize it.
This one obviously refers to Luke and Lorelai. They had such great chemistry that it was easy to see from the beginning that they were more than just close friends. Yet, it still took a long time, and a few failed relationships, for Lorelai to realize that Luke really cared about her. Their relationship may not haved worked out due to Luke’s surprise love child, but had it been real life, Lorelai and Luke could have gotten married as planned and been happy together.
Think about the guys you know. Maybe there’s a guy that you’ve completely friend-zoned who just might be the right guy for you.
5. People who are mean to you are either a) threatened by you or b) secretly like you and don’t know how to express it.
I haven’t talked about Paris much yet, mostly because I was saving her for this lesson. When Rory first came to Chilton, she and Paris competed at everything. As a result, Paris was a wicked b-word toward Rory. However, since they both had similar goals and a similar drive to succeed, they were constantly paired together. Once they got to know each other, Paris admitted that she was so mean because she knew Rory was smart and could threaten her goal to get into Harvard. She was also jealous of Rory and Lorelai’s close relationship, and Tristan’s fondness of Rory.
But once they worked through those problems, they became good friends and even moved in together at Yale. In the case of Tristan, he picked on Rory all the time, but that was just to cover up his true feelings. This is a well known life lesson, but Gilmore Girls just reinforces it. It’s especially good to remember that when someone is being mean to you, it’s usually because you’re awesome.
Sources:
Lorelai and Rory (photo): www.abcfamily.com
Rory’s going to Yale! (photo): http://surlytemple.tumblr.com
Luke and Lorelai (photo): http://sunnydaystarrynight.blogspot.com