“Gilmore Girls,” the popular series that focuses on the lives of teenage daughter Rory Gilmore and her young mother Lorelai Gilmore, has been a fan favorite for mother-and-daughter duos to bond over. This classic seven-season TV series is available on Netflix and debuted in October 2000. However, while this show is comforting and heartwarming, the unrealistic academic standards it sets could cause some emotional distress for its teenage audience and steer viewers away.
The main character, Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), has an immense amount of pressure on her to get into Harvard, which has been her dream school ever since she was a little kid. Rory’s first appearance is as a sophomore at Chilton, a prestigious private school. As Rory excels at Chilton and applies to colleges, she begins to realize Harvard may not be the correct school for her, which is the case for a lot of seniors nowadays trying to figure out their future. Not only do Rory and her grandparents create huge expectations for her academically, but her grandparents also dream of her attending Yale University like her grandfather, another difficult reality.
Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), who is my favorite character due to her spunky personality, is the mother of the straight-A, academic excellence Rory Gilmore, but they could not be more different from each other. Lorelai dropped out of high school and never attended college, yet still became extremely successful by managing an inn. Although Lorelai and Rory took different paths, they both helped each other grow through their ups and downs.
Rory constantly stressed herself out and put the utmost amount of effort into her education, and even after eventually getting accepted into multiple Ivy League schools, Rory still doesn’t allow herself to catch a break. Throughout her teenage and young adult years, fun was the least important thing to her; all that mattered was succeeding in life which in her opinion was succeeding in education. Education is important, but being able to put yourself and happiness first is also significant.
Lorelai, on the other hand, put her education last. It took some years but she built a life on her own from the ground up. She became a very successful mother and business owner, running and owning her own inn. Lorelai loved to have fun and always made sure she was enjoying herself. Her life was not all smiles and rainbows though, her charming and witty personality drew in a lot of men, which resulted in quite a few failed relationships. But, in my opinion, these challenges only contributed to her strong persona and character.
Despite Rory and Lorelai’s differences, this show portrays a loving mother-daughter relationship in a nice small Connecticut town. “Gilmore Girls” has a warm vibe, and I especially love how Rory and Lorelai help each other step out of their comfort zones. “Gilmore Girls” captures the stress and emotional toll of high school and college. Still, the amount of pressure Rory puts on herself does not help the situation as she normalizes pushing more and more for academic perfection.
All in all, “Gilmore Girls” is a heartwarming series full of love and relatable conflicts. But this iconic mother-daughter duo also shows how everybody’s life path differs. If you are not a straight-A student or you do not want to attend college, it does not mean you are a failure. It may take time but everybody’s life story can succeed, not just those who excel in school.
