In this new era of Netflix web series, we lack patience in the shows we watch. We expect everything to happen fast: the main character now needs to find the love of their life within the first two episodes of the first season or go through some crazy life adventure. I will admit, I also love a good fast-paced, unrealistic Netflix series such as Outer Banks or Stranger Things, but nothing has topped my love for the show Gilmore Girls.
Gilmore Girls centers around single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory in the charming fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Lorelai is a teen mom, where she had Rory at the young age of 16. This only contributed to their close relationship, where sometimes they seem more like sisters, rather than mother and daughter. The series went on from 2000-2007 for seven seasons, where viewers got to see Rory start at Chilton Academy, and eventually watch her graduate from college. In between, Lorelai and Rory go through their own coming-of-age experiences.
While there may be plenty of men, tragedies, and tears, there are also plenty of heartwarming moments that I won’t get into (you have to watch the show first!) Most importantly, this show portrays two independent women who follow their dreams, while breaking the stereotype of what a woman “should be.”
To begin with, Lorelai ran away from her extremely wealthy parents once she had Rory. She ended up in Stars Hollow, where she got a job as a housekeeper at the Independence Inn and worked her way up to become the general manager, doing all of this while raising Rory. Her strength as both a single mother and an independent woman shows girls watching you don’t always need a prince charming to save you.
Lorelai also raised Rory with the mindset of pursuing her dreams, always supporting her daughter’s dream of becoming a journalist. Lorelai even came back in contact with her parents to help pay for Rory’s private high school tuition and have a chance at getting into her dream school, Harvard University. They always put their goals ahead of everything else, which I believe is an essential lesson for every girl.
Yet Gilmore Girls wouldn’t be the same without the romance. Throughout the show, Rory and Lorelai go through their fair share of men. They may not exactly find their prince charmings right away and experience many painful breakups. In the media, girls often see movies and tv shows that convince them they need to find the “perfect” guy right away, and even I have fallen victim to this. Yet Gilmore Girls shows that sometimes you need to go through heartbreak to find the right guy in the end, which is another message that needs to be told in society.
So while the show may be slower-paced than the usual Netflix drama, my love for it has still not been topped. Gilmore Girls is an essential watch for anyone that needs a heartwarming and addicting story, but also a great example for any girl going through her “coming-of-age” experience.