Things ‘Gilmore Girls’ taught me about life and being a teenager
I got my first glimpse into the Gilmore Girls life when I was 6 years old. At the time, of course, most of the jokes went over my head, but I found myself still fully intrigued by the story of the show. When I was 15, my mother got her hands on all the seasons on DVD and the Gilmore Girls marathon commenced! It had been years since I had seen the show, and as the months went by of 3 episodes a day, I came to realize that my mother and I could definitely be the modern time Lorelai and Rory. Our personalities were a match, and even some of the situations we have been through were mirrored in the show. Like many people, when I watch Gilmore Girls, I feel a connection that my mom and I share with the show.
As a teen, I’m obviously still developing, especially in how I see the world, but watching Gilmore Girls has helped me to kind of figure out where I might stand on some pretty important issues like love, college, jobs, and just life in general. Having a person, a show, or even a book there to help you see an answer to the questions you’re facing in life is amazing, and that’s what Gilmore Girls has been for me. In a lot of ways, it’s taught me more about life — and myself — than anything else. Here are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned thanks to Gilmore Girls.
All boyfriends will be compared to Luke and Jess.
Does he care about you? Does he read the books you do? Is he sarcastic? Does he cook? Is he a Trekkie? Does he have a thing against cell phones? Does he have an adverse reaction to hospitals? Does he wear flannel shirts and a baseball cap? If not, then he is not the guy for me!
There’s a mixture of pride and nervousness that comes with doing something Mrs. Kim disapproves of.
When you eat junk food. When you listen to rock-n-roll. When you wear rock-n-roll makeup. When you wear rock-n-roll clothes. When you dye your hair purple. When you go to high school parties. When you join a band as a drummer and start to hide your other life from your parents. I think we all know that feeling.
It’s okay to be immature sometimes.
Thanks to Lorelai Gilmore, I know it’s okay to not fully grow up when I’m a grownup. I can still wear crazy cool clothes and eat junk food and watch cheesy movies with friends (or, in her case, her daughter). Adults can still ignore their parents and pout when they’re upset with them and we can even go to school wearing a tie-dye shirt and cutoffs.
Every girl has to fall for a bad boy.
We all want a Jess in our lives. Someone who is hilariously sarcastic, reads the same books we do, cares about us, and breaks our hearts (but hopefully not our arms). Someone who knows us better than we do and does what’s best for us — even when it means leaving.
Swans are vicious birds.
Never underestimate swans. Ever.
There are only four food groups.
Fast food, junk food, frozen food, and take out. And a girl can live on that for the rest of her life.
Always carry a book.
You never know when you’ll need one. At school, around town, at the diner, or at prom. You just never know.
Snow is magical.
You can smell it in the air. Its presence gives you that tingling feeling from your nose to your toes, making winter the best and luckiest time of the year.
Sometimes you just have to jump.
Although I would not advise making that jump off a 10 story building. Unless you’re holding an umbrella. And Logan’s hand. Than yeah, go ahead and make the jump.
Backwards baseball caps and flannel shirts never go out of style.
That awkward moment when you see someone your age wear a backwards baseball cap and a flannel and you have to resist the urge to immediately propose to them… or ask them for an order of pancakes with a side of bacon.
Sometimes you gotta just devil egg a car.
Because there is no better revenge towards your ex.
Coffee is needed with your oxygen.
We basically all need coffee in an IV.
Drama and stress are inevitable.
Lorelai seems to always have a lot of stress on her plate, but she always takes it like a champ. We can’t avoid always avoid problems, so we just got to accept it as it is and tough through it.
There are days when you will hate everybody.
Just know that your bad days are pretty much Michel’s good days.
Make sure you’re getting what you want out of life.
Whether you’re moving to a new college, picking a career field, or ordering pizza, make sure you’re not settling for less, especially if you ordered cheesy bread!
There will always be a generation gap between you and your grandparents.
No point in making Metallica references, they will never understand…
Always take the risk.
“People can live a hundred years without really living at all.” — Logan
Don’t be afraid to say what you feel.
If you love your idiot, say it! If you don’t want to marry your ex, say it! If you’re hungry and you need pizza, say it!
The greatest bond is that of a mother and daughter.
Lorelai and Rory just about sum up the best relationship I could ever imagine having with my mother. No matter the specific bond Gilmore Girls fans have with our own mothers, at some point on the show we’ve all said to ourselves, “I’ve been there with her.” Sometimes that’s a bad thing and sometimes it’s a good thing, but no matter the matter we’ve all ended a baffle with an Oy with the poodles already!
Sierra is an eclectic misfit teen who loves writing, journaling, creating art, and trying crazy hair colors. She is also obsessively in love with Harry Potter books, Disney movies, and fried chicken! Follow her on Twitter @sierrafaith28.
