Hello everyone, my name is Alexa and I am a Gleek. A geek for Glee. A Glee superfan.
This week we are writing about our guilty pleasures and my immediate first thought was Glee, but I absolutely do not feel guilty about my love for Glee. Instead, I feel pressure to feel guilty from other fans. Other Gleeks like to say they love to hate it like Twilight. But, the main difference for me is that Twilight was serious while Glee has always been satire.
Gleeks like to validate their love for Glee through putting it down, by saying that it was a car crash that you couldn’t look away from. Or, by arguing that at some point Glee stopped being funny because it started to take itself seriously.
I know that Glee had its problems—namely Lea Michele and Ryan Murphy—but all in all, Glee was unhinged on purpose. It’s a prolonged comedy skit that over-dramatizes in order to make the audience think, a classic strategy in film and literature. Rachel sent Sunshine to a crackhouse to expose the lengths that people go to make it on top. This is true of show-biz, but it’s also true of any aspect of capitalist society.
The racism on set and Ryan Murphy’s routine of using the actor’s real insecurities in the script are inexcusable and real critiques of the show; however, I refuse to be ashamed of loving Glee. Episodes related to sexuality, gender identity, and even gun control (hot take, I know), were very thoughtfully done for the 2010’s, more so than other shows like 13 Reasons Why.
Instead of sensationalizing violence and otherness, Glee’s comedic approach actually got down to the bottom of issues in a way that provoked critique. By pulling out the show’s flaws, such as Mr. Shue’s repeated sexualization of his underage students, fans and critics are actually doing what the show intended and rethinking the status quo.
I used to roll my eyes a little but when people would credit the media and artists with getting them through the hardest times in their lives. While I’m pretty sure I haven’t gone through the hardest times of my life quite yet, I know that Glee has been the only thing that makes me laugh and smile during my lows. When I hated my life like any other sixteen year old, Glee was my escape that allowed me to detach myself from external pressures and enjoy 20-ish minutes of ridiculousness.
This is why I refuse to be embarrassed that I love Glee. I’ve been watching the show since it first aired in 2009, when I was only 9 years old, and while I was exposed to some things a little earlier than necessary, I know I came out of it a better person. Even with its issues, Glee has had a huge hand in making me a critical thinker. The self-absorbed nature of every character was pushed to the point of absurdity and encouraged me to become a more empathetic person. I completely love Glee as a piece of pop culture entertainment as unironically as possible and you can’t even blame it on the alcohol.