Ever since I started watching Grey’s Anatomy in 2017, the show has been a big part of my life. I have cried, laughed, and most importantly, learned while watching it. Whenever I watch a show I like, I become pretty obsessed with it and I have rewatched it many times (as one does). So by now, I have watched Grey’s repeatedly, but the show still manages to teach me something new every single time.
Callie Torres is my favourite character, but more than that, I think we can agree that she is one of the best characters in Grey’s, right? She is strong, smart, hot, fun, a great friend and mom, and overall, just a freaking badass! I have learned a lot about life and myself while watching Callie’s own journey in the show, so here are some of the lessons she taught me (and that I hope she can teach you, too!)
- Be proud of who you are
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During her time in Grey’s, we follow Callie’s journey in discovering and embracing her sexuality, which leads to Callie becoming one of the most groundbreaking bisexual characters of all time. She is always proud of herself and teaches us that it’s okay for us to be whoever we want and love whoever we want.
There is this awesome quote that she said that I really love (and it shows exactly why she is so groundbreaking): “So, I’m bisexual. So what? It’s a thing and it’s real. I mean, it’s called LGBTQ for a reason. There’s a ‘b’ in there and it doesn’t mean ‘badass.’ Okay, it kind of does, but it also means ‘bi.'”
- Stand up for yourself
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On the same note, Callie never fails to stand up for herself, whether in relationships, work or family issues. Callie does not let people take her down. A great example of this is when her father, after learning she’s in a relationship with Arizona, a woman, comes to the hospital with a priest to try to “convert her.” Callie iconically says: “You can’t pray away the gay!”
Callie also stands up to Derek, George and Richard many times so that they take her more seriously at work, and see her for the amazing doctor she is. By watching Callie do that I learned to be more confident and stand up for myself when I feel like I’m not being treated right.
- Walk tall
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One of my favourite quotes from the show is “All you can do is be brave enough to get out there. You fought, you loved, you lost. Walk tall, Torres.” Mark says this to Callie when she’s feeling down and humiliated after Erica left her. She tells Mark that she used to walk tall around the hospital, but then both George and Erica came along and the humiliation she went through when George cheated on her and Erica left her made her feel shorter. Mark, then, tells her to stay strong and try to get through this with her head held high.
And that’s a great lesson that I learned, along with Callie. Bad things happen in our lives, we get pushed down and it hurts, but then we have to get up and fight back. What I learned from Callie is that we can’t let those things get to us, we have to stand up and, like Mark says, walk tall.
- Friends are family
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Callie is a great friend, she is always there for everyone: Meredith, Derek, Cristina, George and, of course, Mark. She goes out of her way to help them. Mark and Callie’s friendship is my favourite relationship in anything I’ve ever watched or read, so I’m a little biased when it comes to talking about them, but I do think they’re a great example of how friends can become family, in every way. Mark is always supportive of Callie and she never fails to put him in his place (and offer a helping hand when needed). When Mark thinks he is going to be a grandfather, for example, Callie offers to raise the baby with him and even builds (and eventually takes down) a crib!
Seeing Callie’s relationships and the way she is with her friends taught me about the power of friendship. Friends are family and they can help us get through anything, and we can help them in return.
- Just have fun and dance it out!
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In the end, the important thing is to just have fun. Callie is probably one of the funniest people on Grey’s Anatomy; she’s always making jokes, having fun and enjoying her work. That doesn’t make her a bad doctor or get her less respect from her peers. She’s fun, honest and hardworking. I think this is the main lesson I learned from Callie.
So, whatever you do, just try to have fun. You are going to make mistakes and you are going to go through hard phases in your life, but don’t let that take you down. Stand up, do what you have to do and try to enjoy it while doing it. And in good Grey’s Anatomy fashion, don’t forget to dance it out once in a while.