Depiction of Teenagers in Amy Sherman-Palladino's Gilmore Girls

Rory Gilmore has it all: the vocabulary of an English professor, a supportive best friend, shiny hazelnut hair, and a new book under her arm every week. She is the valedictorian of her prestigious prep school, earns admission into each institution of the exalted Harvard-Yale-Princeton trinity, and is beloved by the good people of Stars Hollow. Her most notable accomplishment, however, is evading the stereotypes that characterize many teenage girls in popular culture.

In our contemporary media landscape, the depiction of teenage girls is largely stale. There are nerdy, acne-speckled outcasts, glossy-lipped popular girls, and snarky rebels with smeared eyeliner and a rabid hatred for their mothers. Rory defies these stereotypes by being at once pretty, smart, kind, and ambitious. In the season two episode "Like Mother Like Daughter," Rory is summoned to Headmaster Charleston's office and accused of being antisocial because during lunch, she reads rather than engaging with her peers. At the end of the episode, she is vindicated. It is suggested that Rory's introversion does not impede her ability to forge meaningful relationships. Rather, her introspectiveness and intelligence are part of what makes her a valuable friend. Rarely is the "quiet" girl simultaneously depicted as well liked, polite, and confident in social situations. As the student body vice president, Rory also proves that the "quiet" girl can be a capable leader and orator.

Aside from her nuanced personal qualities, Rory's bond with her mother, Lorelai, serves as another contrast with the teen girl archetype we often see in media. American television loves to highlight the most antagonistic, manipulative mother-daughter duos. Lorelai's relationship with her mother, Emily, does conform to these tropes. Emily is an overbearing parent who clashes continuously with her quirky, defiant daughter.

Their diametrically opposed personalities frustrate Lorelai and motivate Emily to meddle in her daughter's life. Another typical mother-daughter relationship can be identified between Lane, Rory's best friend, and Mrs. Kim, her traditional, domineering mother. Lane hides aspects of her identity from Mrs. Kim, especially her obsession with rock bands. Disappointingly, Mrs. Kim's character seems to reflect "Tiger Mom" stereotypes rooted in her Korean heritage. Nonetheless, she stifles Lane to the point that their relationship suffers.

Juxtaposed with these tropes, Rory and Lorelai's bond is distinctive. Rory, whose full name is also Lorelai (why can't women name their daughters after themselves if men do the same with their sons? Lorelai figures), was born when her mother was only 16. Aside from their shared name and trademark periwinkle eyes, the two Gilmore girls share a love of reading, junk food, coffee, and sparkling witticisms. Their mile-a-minute dialogue is reminiscent of that in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, another of Amy Sherman-Palladino's beloved brainchildren, though Rory and Lorelai aren't in the habit of dropping F-bombs like Midge and Susie. The Lorelais represent a relatively novel manifestation of the mother-daughter relationship: friendship.

Gilmore Girls is far from perfect, and it is not for everyone. Some find the show sappy and grating. I'll admit that Lorelai's incessant chatter can be annoying, and I often wince at some of its off-color quips that have aged poorly. Both Rory and Lorelai make their share of questionable decisions, particularly when it comes to men. But for studious, ambitious girls who don't see themselves in the reckless teens of modern television, the earlier seasons of Gilmore Girls may be validating. Perhaps that is why, even 20 years later, "Rorys" around the world immerse themselves in the cinnamon-sugar escapism of Stars Hollow—that is, in between reading Plath and topping the class.