Its really not at all surprising Gilmore Girls has stood the test of time. From its very first episode, which aired 16 years ago, it let the leads mother and daughter Lorelai and Rory live outside normal TV ideals of femininity and family structures as they grew from school drop-out young mum to successful entrepreneur and child to Yale graduate.
Dissecting the show on its most foundational feminist level, it celebrated wicked smart women. Cracking 10-jokes-a-minute, the script easily passed the Bechdel test (a hundred times over). While Rory and Lorelai’s lightening-speed dialogue and unrepentant nerdiness was irresistible for audiences, it is the show’s fundamental belief in women’s ability to do anything any man can do which made these characters most intriguing.
Single-mum Lorelai and daughter Rory constantly showed a combination of academic intelligence and pop culture knowledge rarely seen on screen. Amy Sherman-Palladino created a world filled with lovable oddballs and a script that did justice to female friendship, with all of its insecurities and intensities. And, there was no shaming of diversity or size.
Whilst obviously it had its drawbacks in its depiction of beautiful, white women who were unconsciously going through the stock motions of capitalist ‘success’, and far too often made sour fun out of Michel’s sexuality and Lane’s cultural heritage. However, it did also present a world where women were at the centre and where intellect was valued which, unfortunately, are qualities still not found frequently enough on our small (and big) screens. Plus it taught me a few things about feminism along the way, like…
Atypical family structures are A-OK
Lorelai, the self-confessed coffee addict who was disowned by her parents for having Rory at high school is celebrated for her independence, not crucified. She single-handedly challenged TV’s love affair with the traditional 2.5 household. Like best friends, our two leads treat each other with respect and trust and show that one-parent families do not only function but also flourish.
Be proud of what you believe in
Very observant fans will have noticed that Rory had Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Rights Action League posters in her dorm room at Yale. Also, when she wasn’t speed-reading through the whole of the English canon she was hankering down with right-on literature, like The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Bitch
Don’t be afraid to let your inner Paris Gellar loose
At first, this scarily smart blonde is portrayed as Rory’s nemesis and competition, but as the show goes on it’s hard not to warm to Paris Gellar. From the moment we meet her in the halls of Chilton, she is a determined, fast-talking, learned lady who intimidates parents, teachers and friends alike. She feels no need to dampen her smarts or to reward everyone around her with a sweet, self-deprecating persona. Instead, she is out to excel and really doesn’t care what you, I or anyone else thinks.
Sex shouldn’t be demonised
No one ever talks about it, and rightly so, but Lorelai had several relationships over the course of the show’s run, which under normal TV circumstances would have been scrutised and judged. Though this hardly needs to be applauded, sex isn’t shunned as a topic and girls are never slut-shamed.
Women can do anything they want
In this quaint Connecticut town, more women than men are business owners, and working in jobs often gendered as more ‘masculine’ to boot. From inn owner Lorelai, to dance instructor Miss Patty, to town mechanic Gypsy, to antique dealer Mrs Kim, women are seen as in charge, in control and having better business acumen than the men of Stars Hollow.
Resist the lineage of patriarchy!
Lorelai does not feel the pressure to give her child its father’s name, reacting against traditional norms that favour the man. In the pilot episode, Rory explains why her name is a shortened version of her mother’s: ‘She was lying in the hospital thinking about how men name boys after themselves all the time, you know, so why couldn’t women? She says her feminism just kind of took over. Though personally I think a lot of Demerol also went into that decision.’
Shatter female stereotypes
From the wealthy grandmother, Emily to the kooky cook Suki, the universe of women in Stars Hollow is complex and diverse. Significantly when Lorelai and Luke get engaged it is she who does the asking. And, when Logan asks Rory to marry him she tells him no because she wants to see the world and have her own adventure, not just be a tag-along to his.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.