Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire is our day-one. She taught us that sometimes finding yourself means first finding amazing friends that will always be there for you and share your appreciation of hair-scrunchies. She taught us to stand up for what we want (like bras), and that although the Ethan Crafts in our lives are wonderful to look at, a beautiful mind is more important. And let’s not forget one of the most important lessons of all: sometimes when you’re looking for love in all the wrong places, take a good look at the person who has been with you since the beginning! Sometimes the best relationship is with your best-friend!
That’s So Raven
Who knew that a show about a psychic in high school would resonate with us even as we enter adulthood! Apparently, Raven really could see the future. She could see us struggling with body issues, toxic relationships, and racism. Raven did crazy stunts like hosting a fashion show for beautiful women of all sizes, showing Alana, Loca, and Muffy that being popular isn’t everything, and standing up to a store manager for treating her poorly just because of the color of her skin. That’s So Raven is arguably the most progressive show on the Disney Channel thus far.
Gilmore Girls
Whether you are team Dean, Jess, or Logan until you die, I think we can all agree that Gilmore Girls has permanently impacted our lives. Rory and Lorlai showed us that sometimes your best friend is your Mom. And that’s pretty awesome. She is always there for you through heartbreak, cravings for breakfast at Luke’s, and dealing with crazy overbearing relatives. In the end, Rory chose her career over a boy and although we were all PISSED at the finale, looking back we realize that following your heart is the most important lesson in life.
One Tree Hill
There’s so much a girl can learn from One Tree Hill. For example, clothes over bros, not to kiss the musician you go on tour with, and that love conquers all just to name a few. It’s hard to sum up all nine season of One Tree Hill, but maybe that’s because there are so may dimensions to this show. One Tree Hill shows the lives of high-school students transform into adults before our very eyes. But if one thing is for certain, I think it is that Nathan and Haley James set the standard for relationships, Brooke is the ultimate female warrior, and Lucas really should’ve ended up with us.
Friends
Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, and Joey were undoubtedly our role models growing up. Our preteen minds envisioned living in a glorious apartment in New York City with our best friends. Not only is this one of the funniest television shows we will ever know, but it is also really accurate, (for the most part.) Sure, we could never make enough as a barista to live in Greenwich Village but the show portrays the reality of rooming with your best friend, falling for your best friend’s brother, and picking up the pieces of the mess you made while trying the whole growing-up thing. Friends is classic.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Sabrina was without a doubt, the coolest teenager. She loved Britney Spears, hot pants, crimping her hair, and had a talking cat. But we’ve learned even magic can’t make adolescence any easier! She too struggled with expressing herself, not fitting in, and shying away from her hunky crush, Harvey! Her awesome aunts Hilda and Zelda always tried to help Sabrina find her way, but eventually she just had to figure it out for herself just like the rest of us. And she did a pretty good job. Everything fell into place in the end when she rode off into the sunset on the back of Harvey’s bike! #GOALS
Full House
After you’re done swooning over your memories of Uncle Jesse, try to remember one of the best feel-good shows on TV when you were a kid! Full House featured the adorable olsen twins that were the sass-masters and a huge family made of loving people. Sure Danny gave an abundance of hugs, and the messages of each episode borderlined on cheesey but the overall theme of the show was to appreciate the people that are there for you no matter what; family. You can’t live with them, can’t live without ’em!
Boy Meets World
And finally, Boy Meets World completes our list! Although this show revolved around the life of a boy, the teachings of Cory, Shawn, Topanga, Eric, and most importantly, Feeney have stuck with us. We learned how to be a friend, not to judge people, and Topanga taught us all about feminism and how cool it is. Cory went through some pretty crazy stuff while growing up with his best friends but those events in his life shaped him into the person he ended up becoming. So perhaps what we can take from this series is that whenever we feel like we are going through a rough patch, it is critical to look to the future because heartache doesn’t last forever!
HC: *collective AWWWWWW!