Gilmore Girls: Lorelai Gilmore Is My Spirit Animal
After months of waiting, wishing, and saving, I finally moved into my own place last week. Vintage appliances and the smaller square footage aside, it’s just what I need. I’m still unloading boxes and setting things up, but the place has slowly begun to feel like home. There was a very specific moment, however, when everything kind of dropped into place and I started to get comfortable. For months my poor library has been stuck in boxes. Not that I have had a whole lot of time for recreational reading, but the atmosphere my books bring is almost as delicious as actually reading them. As I giddily stocked up my bookshelf and sipped my coffee, a familiar voice played in the background. Encouraging me to stick it to the man and declare my independence as a young modern woman.
With my Gilmore Girls DVDs running and my books finally basking in the light of day, the apartment became my apartment. With Lorelai Gilmore and her story playing in the background, this new place becomes recognizable. She has been with me through a lot, and with her triumphs and mistakes I learned many life lessons.
It’s good to have role models in life. Role models teach us what is best when they lead by example, and show us how not to handle something when they make wrong choices. In this way, Lorelai is an amazing role model for young women. She has made countless mistakes, and has not always handled them all so gracefully, but they are mistakes that many of us make in the real world. For example, unexpected pregnancies (that can turn into blessings in disguise), accepting engagements you don’t intend to follow through with, and forgetting that it’s laundry day when you’ve got an important meeting to attend. The show’s relatable concepts and characters are the reasons for it’s major following. We love the people of Stars Hollow, and often wish we could live there ourselves.
Lorelai Gilmore may just be the most relatable character that I have ever come across. Was I raised in a wealthy upperclass family? Did I give birth at 16 years old and work at an inn? Well, no. But I do love my java, spout cultural references, and have a special place in my heart for take out chinese food. She named her dog after the great Paul Anka, and I named mine after Viggo Mortensen. Just a few examples of the more frivolous similarities, but there are deeper parts of the Lorelai chain that resonate with fans as well. Like her relationship with Sookie St. James, Lorelai’s closest friend and ally. They worked together, played together, and even started up a business side by side. The two deal with jealousy troubles just like in the real world, as well as issues concerning time management and money. But at the end of the day Sookie is someone Lorelai turns to for comfort. They are just so stinkin cute together. There is not much better than a good ol’ best friend story.
Lorelai and her daughter Rory often plan their day around when and where they plan on eating. It’s a beautiful thing, really. Sure the girls are somehow magically in perfect health and shape, but otherwise this is a pretty realistic adaptation of life. They frequent Luke’s Diner every morning and can be found ordering in for dinner. The Gilmores’ diet consists of coffee, pizza rolls and pop tarts, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Gilmore Girls is a television show about a mother and daughter duo trying to have it all. Love, comfort and stability are all great aspirations and desires to work towards, and seeing how hard Lorelai strives to have that for herself and the people she loves is a great story indeed. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve viewed the entire series (last I recall I was at 9, but that was a while ago) and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. I may not be able to call Stars Hollow home, but at least I can go there any time I’d like.