What Gilmore Girls Taught Us About Friendship
Gilmore Girls has a large, well-deserved place in my heart and I know that is also true for millions more across the world. Ever since that first scene at Luke’s where we were introduced to Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, we've been rooting for them and valuing them as our own friends.
Over the 7 seasons, I've learnt more about friendship than I have with any other TV show. Its authentic setting showed us what true friendship means and exactly how much it takes to make the people who mean the most stick around.
Having recently re-watched Gilmore Girls, I wanted to jot down some of the lessons I realised have stuck with me ever since.
YOUR MUM CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND.
The main story of Gilmore Girls, of course, revolves around the mother-daughter relationship of Lorelai and Rory and the show taught us that, sometimes, your mum is your best friend - and there is everything right with that!
True friendship only relies on one thing and that is having someone who will be there for you no matter what. Everything else is irrelevant and we would all be lying if we didn't value Rory and Lorelai’s friendship the most out of any relationship on the show.
NO FRIENDSHIP IS PERFECT.
The reason so many of us fell in love with Gilmore Girls was that it did not shy away from showing the bad times.
Remember those episodes where Rory and Lorelai refused to see or speak to each other?
They were excruciating to watch and we all cried tears of joy when they finally got past their troubles. The show taught me that a little bump in the road shouldn’t always mean the end of a friendship.
If we truly care about someone, we will know they are worth fighting for - a friendship needs to be constantly worked on to make it last.
Through our lifetimes we all change, we all grow up and leave things behind but in order to keep friendships throughout all of this, it is important for them to change with you. A changing friendship isn’t negative, it has to evolve with you.
FAMILY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE BLOOD-RELATED.
There was something beautiful about the way the rest of Stars Hollow treated Rory as their own child and it gave her a place she could always call home if she was struggling at University or with her career - as seen in the 4 episode Netflix revival.
Family doesn’t always mean your blood relatives, you can create your own family and those bonds can be stronger than everything.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE ALWAYS THERE FOR YOUR FRIENDS.
Sometimes we can get too carried away thinking what our friends are doing for us and we should take a step back and make sure that we are really always there for them.
It was hard sometimes seeing Rory neglect parts of her life when she got busy, but her true friendships made it right until the end. That's a testament to her character.
Make sure your friends feel valued by you and don’t expect them to always be there for you if you don’t give anything in return!
SOMETIMES THE BEST FRIENDSHIPS ARE THE ONES PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND
Because I mean whoever thought Paris and Rory would work out?!
Their friendship survived everything - even living together for several years, which we all know is the make or break!
Gilmore Girls taught us a lot about life, love and friendship. It will be forever a memory of growing up for me. Sometimes I have to remind myself that they are just characters and, in reality, there is no Lorelai or Rory Gilmore wondering around the streets of a place named Stars Hollow.
But I know it will be one of those shows that we will speak about forever and I can just imagine a group of my friends all sitting down to watch it again in 50 years time. Thanks to the creators of the timeless show that is Gilmore Girls and for the lessons that will stay with us forever.
Written by Joanna
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