Tanya | Week 2 | Like Mother, Like Daughter
Like Mother, Like Daughter
It is officially September. Yes, that’s right, get excited because it’s that time of the year when the air is crisper, when people flock to Starbucks for their new fall menu of pumpkin-themed drinks, and best of all, when it’s Gilmore Girls rewatch season. Every year at the start of fall, I find myself back in the small, cozy town of Stars Hollow, bundled up in my favorite sherpa blanket while sipping my orange and spice herbal tea, because nothing says fall more than Stars Hollow’s town meetings and festive events. But what truly makes Gilmore Girls more than just a cozy seasonal show is the way that it represents the generational influence of family on identity—specifically, how the three Gilmore women discover their own identities in relation to each other. The show is not just about witty banter and endless cups of coffee (but rest assured, there is no shortage of that); the part that keeps me coming back every September is the joy of watching these three women quarrel, team up, and occasionally drive each other insane—all while remaining a part of each others’ lives, for better or for worse.
Quick overview for those who haven’t watched Gilmore Girls (if not, you definitely should): it’s about three generations of Gilmore women: Emily, Lorelai, and Rory. Lorelai had Rory as a teenager and left her mother Emily’s overly fancy, old-money home to raise her daughter on her own in a quirky little town called Stars Hollow. The show blends all of their family drama with their affection for each other, all while each Gilmore girl tries to figure out who she truly is.
Gilmore Girls is the comfort show of so many people—and not just because of Lorelai’s sardonic, yet utterly charming remarks (“my mother—she was here…The room smells like guilt and Chanel No. 5.”). Beyond the humor, it’s the way that Emily, Lorelai, and Rory all have their own distinct personalities, while still being tied together by their lasting family bond. And not in the typical sense of family, as Lorelai and Emily are basically at war half the time, while Lorelai and Rory are the definition of “my mom is my best friend.” They might not be a picture-perfect family, but that’s what makes their dynamic so interesting: each Gilmore girl’s identity is shaped by her relationship to the generation before her. Emily clings to tradition, hosting these perfectly orchestrated dinners and always emphasizing the importance of social etiquette, while Lorelai is all about rejecting those expectations by being stubborn and independent and proving that she is capable of doing things her way. I find it most fascinating to see how Rory is a bit of a mix between the two: she is highly ambitious and studious because of Lorelai’s encouragement, but she also can’t fully escape her grandmother’s traditional expectations. Together, the Gilmore girls prove that identity isn’t this fixed definition of yourself that’s set in stone; rather, it is something that is heavily shaped by the generations before you.
Gilmore Girls will never truly get old, no matter how many times I watch it, because it is the perfect representation of the fact that identity is not just a matter of who you are in the present. As partially referenced in my previous blog post, it is a collection of the generations that came before you, and how you choose to respond to that. Watching Emily, Lorelai, and Rory navigate through their daily lives consisting of Friday night dinners and “coffee coffee coffee” mornings will never fail to remind me of how much weight those little interactions with family truly carry.
Credits: https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/177258935314005082/
Hi Tanya! Yes, the fall season is definitely the best in my opinion because there's such a special feeling about it... not only the environment, but singing Christmas songs and being in the holiday spirit never gets old! Not to mention the breaks from school that we get during the winter are the best! I definitely think most people can relate to the Gilmore Girls especially when we talk to our parents. Being in a more progressive society than our parents grew up in, we typically tend to resist or disagree with our parent's stricter traditions. Personally for me, my parents are the two extremes, my dad being very old school and my mom being very progressive. Even though our ideas directly conflict, somehow it works out because of communication. How does this work?? (I might need to watch Gilmore Girls because the parallels are too good!) Regarding Rory, I think in a way our generation can relate to her because we are also exposed to two conflicting sides, whether that be between parents and society or between a mom and a dad. Thank you for providing such an interesting point of view to Gilmore Girls, it will be on my list!
ReplyDeleteHi Tanya! I’m a bit uncultured with TV series so this blog was quite fascinating (perhaps Gilmore Girls will save me from boredom during Thanksgiving Break). Thanks for the preface and making the rest of the blog easy to follow, especially emphasizing the influence of each woman on each other. It was definitely fun to follow the generations from grandmother to mother to daughter and recognizing they impact each other’s upbringing and lives.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s important that you bring up choice; the option to emulate or disapprove of the previous generation, deciding whether or not they align with your values. Just the mere act of defiance is enough to shape identity—these people have a strong sense of their core principles, hence unwavering in conformity. While it’s impossible to eradicate your roots from the generations before that would establish a person’s physical qualities and influence belief systems, it is ultimately up to the individual to decide what their existence strives for. But choosing to embrace family is always lovely to see—there is always something special about mutual trust that I believe is inherently beautiful. Thank you for writing this blog Tanya!