Hey everyone! As a few of you have mentioned about the first day at Chilton, I said in this video that Rory was planning on going to the dry-cleaners. I realised after posting it that in fact Lorelai made this comment, not Rory. I am now editing the video to remove that little section. It's quite an insignificant thing and my point about Rory being parentified is something I still 100% stand by, as many of you have agreed it is incredibly obvious. But sorry if my comment confused anyone! 💖 When I was noting down the girls' dialogue in that specific Chilton scene, I read through an online script, which was actually very fun, but unfortunately it had an error with the girls' names. I thought I was being more time-efficient and factual, but in the future I will have to play every scene through like I would normally do :) Also, one of you said that the clothes scene is confusing, which I agree with- because Lorelai has nothing to wear and needed to get the dry-cleaning, yet a recurring theme later on is how many clothing items they have 🤔

I hated that Lindsey was blamed for dean cheating on her that was so stupid to me dean made the choice to betray his first wife

What I never liked about the show - is portrayal of eating habits. We are constantly told how much Lorelai and Rory eat, and especially MEN in the show are impressed by it, but actually - they never show us that they eat a lot. They always leave half full plates, or walk away from Luke's without finishing the food and etc... I think this is a very "cool girl" thing: they can eat more than a man, never exercise and still look conventionally beautiful, while the rest of us have to be on a diet.

Growing up is realizing the real Cool Girls are the ones who are secure with who they are and what they love, and encourage others to do the same.

I really felt bad for Lindsey she sorta reminds me of natasha from sex and the city she didn't deserve to get treated like that by dean or rory

the casual sexism in Gilmore Girls reminds me of memories of talking to aunts, teachers, older women in general when I was younger that were intelligent and that I really respected, but can now see were very judgmental of all girls who were not their ideal- e. g. girls who used crop tops and short shorts, girls who were obsessed with boys, girls who didn't care for school... and I feel very glad that I was able to reflect on that and outgrow it. Isn't it amazing how, looking back, young women had all of society pushing to divide us? I love Gilmore Girls, but I am so happy we evolved from that

I loved Gilmore Girls back in the day but what always bothered me was that they potrayed it as cool and sophisticated to be a big fan of old movies and old bands. And if a character liked more modern stuff, it was potrayed as "too mainstream" or "so lame" or "not unique". You can be unique and still love modern movies and hate old movies. I consider myself as a classic girly woman. While I loved "male subjects" at school (I HATE that this prejudice exists and don't agree with it) like maths and chemistry at school and work in a male dominated area (lawyer), I love dresses, make up, curling my hair, mani/pedis, massages, brunch etc. And sometimes Gilmore Girls made me feel like I am less worth than Lorelei and Rory in the eyes if men because of that.

I think Rory being "parentified" makes sense. Lets remember that Lorelai was 16 when she had Rory. She wasn't through being a kid, when she had a kid. Plus, Lorelai never had a "normal" childhood either. Emily and Richard forced her to behave a certain way; which prompted her to act rebellious and leave home not long after having Rory.

This is wonderful. As a 65 year old woman, it is fascinating to think back on the decades I've been sentient, and see the types of things that were simply part of the air we breathed that are being exposed and challenged now.

The funny thing too about the Donna Reed episode was that Lorelai makes fun of this idea of Donna being 'virtuous' but that's exactly what she wants Rory to be. The idea of her daughter having sex makes her feel like she's failed and gives her anxiety. Meanwhile, if you ever watch the Donna Reed Show, it almost always ends implying that Donna and her husband are about to have sex. Usually with her being the one instigating it.

It's a perfect embodiment of the problem. The show has a good idea. Have lorelai and rory have a healthy relationship with food and unambiguously enjoy it. But then completely undermines that point with the characters themselves making fatphobic jokes.

Btw am I the only who found it ridiculous that in the first Chilton episode, Lorelei seriously didn’t have anything else to wear? 😅 even if her nice clothes weren't available (I think they were at the dry cleaning?), she must have had other clothes than what she actually wore 😅 But then she wouldn't be the cool mom, so there's that 😅

I agree with you on all of it. Gilmore Girls is my number one fave show of all time, but I hate the fat shaming and hating other women that aren't them or Sookie or Lane. And also, with OTH, they had a very sexist perverted creator. Who wouldn't let Brooke and Peyton be a thing or have Peyton with Anna. But that's a whole other story. Hope you're enjoying your time in Paris!

so happy i'm not the only one who thinks rory was parentified by Lorelei it makes me sad cos sooooo many of her toxic behaviours are literally her mum's personality and ppl hate her sm for it.

tbf, we underestimate how young Lorelai is to have an adult teenage daughter, it hits differently watching the show the same age as Lorelai (rather than Rory, like the first time) and realising how much responsibility that would be for me, no wonder she chafed and failed at points. Lorelai always has to do stuff too soon, before she is mature enough to shine. We forget that aspect of the pregnant single teenager trope; those choices are going to follow you around for life; Lorelai has to grow up with Rory as a fellow passenger.

In the revival, Rory's selfishness (and, I suppose, sexism) didn't seem to be hidden like it was in the original series. I loved GG but found it refreshing that she was no longer presented as a hero in the end. She's just a person, for good or ill.

I love how you talk about it’s ok if you like cool girl like things and more girly things. Because at the end of the day women should be allowed to like whatever with feeling embarrassed or belittled for their interests

Who else is watching Gilmore Girls again for Fall? 🍂🍂🙋‍♀🙋‍♀ The vibes are immaculate

i have been recently rewatching and saw a scene which struck a nerve with me. It was where rory tries to comfort tristan and persuade him to go out with paris by saying how summer 'lacks substance' and isn't as interesting or ambitious as paris and its like what do you even know ab this girl ? she also talked ab the girl jess was dating as shallow or 'slutty' as well.

I need to make a video on why Logan was the absolute worst. The way he talked down to Marty, lost millions of dollars, made Rory doubt herself, ruined her graduation with the ‘all or nothing’, didn’t defend Rory at the horrible dinner with his parents. He’s the worst. At least Jess challenged her, encouraged her to write a book, get herself back to Yale and could bounce literary discussions back and forth. Logan was lazy and entitled.

The whole mother-daughter "best friends" dynamic was so disturbing. Your mom isn't your buddy, she's your mom. You only get one of those and that relationship is not a "girlfriends" relationship.

I don’t think they at all intended to blame Lindsey for Dean and Rory’s affair. Lorelei calls Rory out directly for it, it’s in the text. So does Lindsey’s mother. Rory is outed about it because she writes a letter to Dean breaking it off - and the fact that Lindsey found it is Deans fault. Even when the marriage falls apart and Dean and Rory get what a different show would frame as a happy ending, the relationship is poisoned by the way it started. I think the show blames Dean for manipulating and being dishonest to both Rory and Lindsey and it’s the audience who tries to pick one or the other woman to blame.

16:32 YES! The whole idea of feminism has always been to create CHOICE not force women to do one thing or the other!

As a real life ultra feminine girl this stereotype has lead people to think I was either stupid or mean

this is so off topic but i just rewatched the scarlett johansson clip at 3:57 and why is she so attractive when she's fighting people 😭😍

Rory and Dean blamed Lindsey, but no one else did. The show clearly blamed Rory and Dean, by having Lorelai be mad at Rory for it and also by showing Lindsey's sadness.Sure, Lindsey is portrayed as a stupid housewife, but what i love about the writing in GG, is thar it's never one-sided when it comes to conflict. It very much allows Dean to be seen as an asshole.

That One Direction song creeps me out to be honest

HOLD ON... getting my pumpkin spiced latte....

I just began my first rewatch too! Nothing wrong with acknowledging the faults in the show while still enjoying it's good traits and comfy vibes❤ I can't believe you don't have 50k yet! Congratulations in advance 🎉

The FIRE Movement (Financial Independence Retire Early) had this infuriating thread a few years ago in which a lot of bros in their blogs and on podcasts bragged about getting their wives to stop "wasting money" on makeup, hair coloring and even haircuts ... like,STOP. Their masculine hobbies and values got a pass but strictly feminine interests were seen as worthless. To each HER own but my own tipping point was hearing the woman from The Frugalwoods, who only spent a few years in the traditional work force, give advice to two guys on a FIRE podcast about how to get their partners to be more like her and to stop wearing makeup and spending money on salon kind of stuff. I felt sick to my stomach.

10:47 I could’ve sworn it’s lorelai that says she had the whole plan to get up early and collect the dry cleaning etc??

I started watching GG for the first time recently as an adult and I’m glad I did bc I KNOW if I had watched this show in high school or Heaven forbid middle school, I would’ve resented myself bc I ate less than Rory and Lorelei and was so much bigger. I wouldnt have been able to stand how they drink black coffee (Rory doing it at 14) and eat takeout or burgers every day and look the way they do. Emily was right when she said that the Friday night dinner was the only healthy meal she got

I watched Gilmore Girls as a teenager and enjoyed it. I watched some of it recently as a mom in my 30s and I was a bit horrified. I shouldn't be my son's best friend, he has a best friend who's his own age. I need to be his mom.

Im old and I was watching GG when it was first aired and I think you missed that yes - Rory and Lorelei are imperfect but it was kind of the point. For example Dean and this dinner Rory made him - it was shown that it was not good to change for a men. The same some Lorelei things you are talking about - she is usually confronted with that her flaws and behaviors. Its not that they are showed "look how cool they are". So your perspective that it is portrayed like it is no problem I find quite problematic. It is life drama - so the main conflict is their behaviours. They even have a big fight about Rory sleeping with Dean. And also - some of Lorelei stuff are not "cool girl" things but "being oppose of high class" and "being working girl" things.

Wow, I really appreciate your observations on the use of “pick me”. Love your stuff. Though as others have said, the example where Lorelai tries to decline the meeting of the headmaster, it’s Lorelai who actually had the plan to pick up the dry-cleaning etc. Mind you, a recurring theme later on is how many clothing items they have, so it doesn’t make any sense anyway, so it’s very deliberate from the writers.

I remember few moments from middle school in the early 2000s but I can remember this one almost verbatim. I was maybe 14 and I would get a shiny forehead for like 3 days before my period and eventually, I started using a bit of powder for that on those days. Other than that, I didn't use makeup much at that time, because I was inept (still cannot apply eye shadow to save my life) except for some mascara and it was neither here nor there in terms of wanting others to be aware of the fact that I am wearing it. But on one of those days when I had my little compact, I somehow mentioned it to my best guy friend and a girl from our class came up to me right after and literally said: "oh my god, why the heck would you ever do that?! guys are not supposed to know you wear stuff like that! No wonder you guys aren't dating!" I thought it was a joke at first because she said it so seriously but I couldn't match it up with any sort of societal rule I had learned at that time. He and I were one of those friend "couples" where everyone thought it surely must be more but it never was but even if we *had* been more, what would me showing him a compact have changed about our feelings for each other?! I think at that point I had internalized the "do not ever show you female hygiene products to any male or face unfathomable shame" rule but not showing a compact was new. That was the first time I got the "you have to wear makeup that looks natural so that guys think that's how you look naturally" speech from anyone. My mom was a child of the 70s and had wild eye shadow throughout the 80s and 90s. So having to "hide" that you're wearing makeup would not have occurred to me given what colorful displays I had witnessed in the 90s. It seemed wild and thankfully all my male friends seem to be pretty bewildered by that as well. It sucks that a 14 year old girl would even think that in the first place.

I think it was brave and open-minded of Rory to dress up as Donna Reed, who would represent something very alien to Rory. It's an experiment and understood as such, but she allows herself to explore it, despite Lorelai's ridicule

I feel that this video sometimes confuses the analysis of characterbehaviour with the analysis of screenplay - and directing choises that create a trope. Rory often acts bad, makes bad choices (because she's growing up, isn't perfect) But a lot of the times the show is not portraying this as cool girl behaviour. Like the Dean-Linddey debacle. Lorelei is very clear to Rory how bad she fucked up in a sensible way. For me is this an exemple that goes exactly against the cool girl trope. Because I think everybody who watches the show knows what Rory is doing wasn't cool (exept maybe teenagers who are in exact the same situation). And that's not a coincidence, the show was made to makes us think that and feel that way. Rory frames in making Lindsy the vilain, not the show. The show depictes a character who fucks up and doesn't have the self-insight to see she made a mistake. So I dont think this example fits the critique. On the other hand, the girls being almost perfect, but seemingly effortless and their eating like guys in a frathouse thing, the fatshaming of other women etc, thàt is an example of the trope and are a consequence of choices the makers made to 'deceive' us by wanting us to give that image. This is something we maybe did'nt notice years ago but now we do. That this "image" is sexist and potentioally harmful. But I believe a lot of "fuck-up's" of Rory are also depicted as such.

If you ever get the itch to do another Gilmore review video, your thoughts on the classism in the show and how it divides or mirrors the relationships of the characters would be awesome to hear about

it does seem like an endless cycle that we will never escape - it’s funny how the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic is a thing now that caters to the no makeup look which men have spent years saying they prefer but they don’t understand that this aesthetic uses a lot of products and costs so much money just like a regular face of makeup would??

When I was about 12, I tried to become partly "cool" by learning to play shooter video games (there was even a particular boy I was trying to win over with that). Luckily, I quickly realized that, first, I didn't like those video games and, secondly, no boy was worth so much effort.

It's also important to remember the obvious sexism, like for example; the fact that Richard only validated Rory when she wanted to be a journalist, but when she becomes a part of the DAR and followd in Emilys footsteps, he felt like it wasn't good enough. Of course the DAR wasn't suited for Rory, but he still thought that being a "traditional wife" like Emily was worthless in camparison to what he did ("the man's job")

Love your videos but I disagree with a few points in this one! (I’m rewatching Gilmore Girls for like 3rd or 4th time right now, first watch when I was a preteen/early teen.) First point, I think Lorelei is an extremely functional and successful adult, but she reverts when she has to be involved with her parents’ world (ex. Chilton and Friday night dinners) because that’s where her trauma started and she’s never properly fit in. Second, from my perspective, the show makes it pretty clear that Rory and Dean’s affair isn’t good for either of them. Dean was in love with Rory when he married Linsey (bad), and Dean is always Rory’s backup because she consciously or subconsciously knows that he isn’t over her throughout the show. But Linsey is portrayed as sweet and loving, and I think it’s just a shitty situation of Dean marrying someone he shouldn’t have. Lorelei knows the affair is awful, and though she loves Rory, it’s clear that she’s disappointed in her. I also strongly disagree that Dean choosing Rory was an example of a guy picking the cool girl over the “every girl.” I think the characters are developed and nuanced enough for all sides to be seen without being able to generalize it. Watching the show this time around, I have so much sympathy for Linsey. That’s all for now, I definitely agree that both of them are textbook cool girls (but especially Lorelei).

Yes girl we are here! ❤ I'm living for the GG content 😂❤ So glad you keep pointing out to their eating habits.. it bothers me so much and it got brushed off so easily when the show came out.

I found your account this week and I just finished the Gilmore Girls playlist right when this video came out. Thank you for making such interesting and well researched content!

They address the fact that Donna Reed was representing women who HAD TO do that and then later in the episode Rory shared that she’d researched Donna Reed and found out she produced her own show or something. I think you need a rewatch.

This video 🤌🏼 loving the honestly and how you make amazing points on how there were not so great moments but still like Gilmore as a whole

OMG I'm literally watching Rory Gilmore: The Price of Perfection!!!! I went to see if you had anyother videos and boom uploaded less than an hour ago

I'm the exact same age as Rory and had many similarities to her. It's taken me a very long time to realize how toxic the dominant culture of the cool girl was and how much it affected me at the time

Maybe I‘m wrong but this Video seems really disrespectful like shaming lorelai for having trouble managing her job and her daughter as a very young single mom is very disrespectful. That chilton episode just shows that it’s okay to not have it all together sometimes as a single mom and that you don’t always have to look perfect or appropriate in a humerous way. I also like that the main characters like Rory, Lorelai and Luke don’t care about gender specific things and what other people think. And why do you assume that sooki and Lane are no potential threat? Why would you even assume that women who are friends always have that kind of competition ? The Gilmore girls just do the things they like without caring about the gender rolls like that dancing competition and then this whole running a business thing and wanting to achieve something which was/is hard as a woman (like a career in journalism) because of the prejudices of society. This isn’t about wanting to be different than stereotypes of women but to show that there are no gender specific goals and to show that women are individuals with different dreams and not just the stereotypical one. I don’t like shaming stay at home moms like Emily and I don’t like it when it’s done in the show but attacking someone because they don’t want that stereotypical life as a woman and being resentful towards this is no better in my opinion.

Wow. I remember the days where being girly was uncool. I thought that being boyish, as a girl, was a form of feminism. Yes, and no. The freedom to be boyish, if you wanted, was good. Degrading those who weren’t, was bad. It was so common to laugh at girly behavior. It was the cool tomboys, Paris Hilton esc girly girls who seemed shallow, & men were left alone.

I think the sexism in OTH had a lot to do with the creepy creator of the show. Have you listened to the podcast, “Drama Queens” with Sophia Bush, Hillarie Burton Morgan, and Bethany Joy Lenz? The podcast gives a lot of context to the things that were easily looked over in the early 2000s when the show aired.

it's an interesting take that their refusal to eat healthy is because they're "not like other girls" when the only characters who have expressed concern about their eating habits are men. Think Michel's dieting, Luke's repeated criticism of their habits, the whole thing with Richard and his insistence that Lorelai eat grapefruit and with criticizing them ordering a lot of Chinese food, Dean buying a salad, Max feeling disbelief at their eating ice cream, etc etc. I feel like it is the men who guilt trip them about their eating with health in mind - when Emily does it, it's more because of the "low-class" angle than the poor nutrition. Could this not be viewed as more of a "my body, my choice" theme than a "not like other girls" theme?

The Gilmore girls don't like women, only in S07 do we see either of them interacting with more than one woman at a time in a wholly positive manner (but let's be real, those girls at Yale barely count as characters), every other time there is a clear tension or judgment. At Chilton, at work, at Yale, it doesn't matter - the girls are unable to hang out with multiple women in a positive context (even worse if they are, like you said, beautiful, smart, or, gasp, quirky!). Hell, Rory absolutely hates Logan's S07 colleague Bobbie, who is a Cool Girl, beautiful, intelligent, interesting, just a chill person; she's not a potential friend, she's a threat for existing near Logan. Hell, it's not just Lorelai and Rory who are Cool Girls, Paris and Lane also are, and they share the hatred for women. Side note, looking at the show and the revival, Rory is a baffling character as a whole - it's almost like a slowburn character assassination except I think she's just proof of a creator who doesn't realize her character is an asshole. The way Rory regressed over the course of all the episodes is really sad, and it's never addressed (because the show is not interested in examining anything deeply, it is often too shallow for it), so it just kind of exists - she's an unkind, selfish, entitled person who ends her storyline by becoming a mother, and like Lorelai before her, in her flaws, she will parentify her child because she's also ill-equipped to be a parent (and an adult). As for a topic you might consider talking about, if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, how about how the show handles sexuality (yikes) and parenthood, and how it's shoved down every character's throat? By the end, there is barely anyone who's childless or single (I think Jess is the sole exception, but that's because he couldn't possibly be happy in a relationship or have a child, it would ruin him for Rory - narratively speaking; even Emily sort of maybe has a pseudo-boyfriend). While this may be just how most shows are, in some instances it's unnecessary - why the hell does Paris have multiple kids?? Why did Liz have a kid? Why have a storyline where Jackson refused to get a vasectomy and never told his wife thus leading to her becoming pregnant AGAIN? Hell, why did they saddle Lane with twins?? And most if not all of these kids… we barely see, so WHY.

I love addressing this so much! I think it’s necessary if you want to understand and appreciate the girls character arcs. Ironically GG’s cool girl vibes were different from the typical overly sexualized bombshell connotations cool girls came with. Yes they were attractive but they were classy about it. At the time nobody would put Megan Fox in the same trope as Rory. It was a night and day comparison at face value. I think that was Amy’s way of being brilliant. She said this is what sells and yes my girls are the girls everyone wants, and the main characters in all stories but not only are they not like other girls, they are so cool that they are not even like other cool girls. She created a meta cool girl form in them and I think it was rooted in that being their quirky role they played in stars hollow. All the townies have one and at the heart of it the girls are townies. It’s also their defense mechanism that makes them shine and special in the small pond of their town but immature and naive in the reality of the real world. Eventually even the cool girl mask gets old and the lack of accountability it fostered catches up with them. But I do think it was something the girls had to be. Like an alter ego or secret club they once needed to pull strength from. Cool girls stop being cool girls when they no longer care about being anything but themselves. You have to hate the mask you wear before you take it off. And usually that same mask was previously empowering and comforting. We just didn’t get the next chapter when they fully shed that part of them. I bet it’s there though, you know in the world where Rory is a mom she is healthy and organic all the way with that kid!

Always happy when you upload 😍

So many great points. You have much knowledge. I am filled with thoughts. But FIRST I must re-watch cause this was background while working and I’m pretty sure I missed details on the points I want to comment on.

Great video. I interpreted the Donna Reid episode as the two women pointing out how unfair the expectation of the happy animated perfect housewife is. And that they thought surely no woman actually enjoys this role to the extent that Donna Reid did. I remember growing up around that time and my mom told me that when I get a husband, he has to do equal share of the housework. I was shocked. No one had actually said to me “housework is a woman’s role”, but it was just what I picked up from the culture. At that time, feminism was still in its 3rd wave, and women were were still tackling things that seem very obvious to us today. It was still laying the groundwork back then and as a result didn’t have the luxury of exploring nuance in the way we can do now. Now, a lot of us have the understanding that if a woman wants to, of course she should be able to be a housewife. However because back then it was kind of a given that she was (even in the 2000s, just ask my mom) I think the refusal of the notion had to be more obvious.

Great analysis and kudos in particular for calling out Rory's horrible 'fat thighs' comment. Funny how she was so quick to judge a fellow student on something so superficial, yet didn't see a problem with the 60-something professor dating her barely legal friend....

Thank you for touching on how the term "pick me" has become overused and can often be used misogynistically itself now it is also something I had noticed but felt alone in that observation.

Really well put together video and all your insights are mind blowing! You’re able to articulate these things so well

Yaaasssss would love a part 2! Because it’s been a loooong time but I remember it getting SO unhinged. My teenage brain thought the books were better until I’m reminded by videos like these the tv show actually did a lot better (besides playing Bonnie so dirty UGH)

I will always remember one scene in which Rory picked up an Elvis Costello record and very indifferently talked about it, her aim probably being to appear cool which I thought was extremely ridiculous because usually when your'e into something you show it and get emotional about it. However, that wouldn't have fit the kind of character the show wanted to portray. Sometimes the coolness really was over the top although overall I enjoyed watching the Gilmore Girls because it was so different from any other show I had seen before.

The WB got the Bangles to perform for the GG show in 2001 after the group had gotten back together in 1999. Was a great episode.

Oh you are right on time! Its a hard week, so the video is a huge help💙

The idea that Lorelei has to speak to the principal on Rory’s first day at Chilton seems kinda American to me. She already signed the documents, Rory is a student. Idk maybe that’s also a private school thing but I never experienced this when I was a pupil. And I changed schools a lot. My first school day was my first school day. I knew where to go and was shown to my class later on. I would be surprised too if I was Lorelei.

I’m a bit late to this but about the first day at chilton, I think Lorelai’s clothes are really a comment about class: she desperately wants to be (and be seen as) apart from the “old money” type, and though it’s not actually the case (she still makes sure that Rory attends to this school) she wants to keep this facade, that she’s different from all that her parents represent..

how would lorelai know that she's supposed to go in and meet the principal? that's not a normal school thing. she didn't seem to know. did no one tell her? charleston and emily are to blame for coercing lorelai into removing her coat. but she also could have just sat down without taking off her coat and without saying anything about it. she also could have worn slightly dirty clothes rather than wear tiny shorts and cowboy boots (???). but we're just supposed to accept the tv logic that she had no other clothes available. missing her alarm (or it not working or whatever) is just bad luck that could happen to anyone. it doesn't make lorelai irresponsible.

girl why did i read this as 'autism rewatch' and was like finally a video for me

This was so great. I've been waiting for this exact topic for quite a while, I can't believe this is the first Cool Girl-GG deep dive! Extremely well-researched and thoughtful. I agree with like 95% of everything said. A couple alternate opinions - I think the Donna Reed episode was great character development for Rory because of the conversation between her and Dean where he was being a misogynistic dick and she said something like - it's not about wanting to take care of her family, it's about being expected to have the 7-course meal ready every night when he comes home, and looking perfect while cooking and cleaning. And then when she does the date evening for him and excitedly tells him about all she learned about Donna Reed. I think she DID enjoy doing that, and that she learned and grew in the process. The other tiny thing I wanted to say is regarding the first day at Chilton episode. It's actually Lorelai who rants about having had the whole morning planned, getting coffee and going to the drycleaners. It's a tiny thing and I'm not trying to be hypercritical - the reason I'm pointing it out is because, rather than demonstrating Rory's parentification (which you absolutely demonstrated through lots of other examples), it actually was a super relatable moment for Lorelai. One of the most relatable moments in the first several eps, i would say. Who among us HASN'T made a very reasonable plan and had the universe shit all over it, only to make us look like a big joke? 😂

Ok, I love that the editor admits to not knowing what “no makeup” actually means.😂

The way people treated them even with their diet is also wayyyyy different from how someone who doesn’t present as “effortlessly feminine” would be treated. If they were bigger bodied, the “awe” would be more realistically judgement and criticism.

It's sad that women get put into a category so often, even by other women. When I had tiktok I saw a lot of videos about it as well. Most of the videos I saw where actually made by women and made fun of women who simply wear makeup, don't wear makeup, who like pumpkin spice lattes and Taylor Swift or who are 'emo' / alt. Labelling real women as 'manic pixie dream girls' or 'pick me girls' does nothing more than make women who have similar preferences or traits to those assosiated with these labels self conscious, and perpetuate the idea that no woman is ever nuanced or complicated. I'm only a teenager, but I've been made to feel insecure by these trends before, even though they are often framed as progressive. From what I've seen, it's very rare to see men being mocked in the same way, sure we have 'nice guys' but many of the traits assosiated with that label are negative, and men are hardly ever judged so harshly just because they happen to have one thing in common with these tropes. You can see that in the time Gilmore Girls was made, being a 'cool girl' was seen as feminist. But nowadays, it's almost as if the opposite is true. If you dislike feminine or unpopular things, you're labelled as a mysogynistic 'pick me girl.' I am aware that many of these negative tropes are assosiated with putting other women down, and that's why it's so normalised- it's okay to make fun of something sexist. But by assigning preferences or attributes to these tropes, we are doing nothing more than putting other women down under the guise of feminism. Sorry if this was kind of ranty, I'm not very good at structuring my thoughts lol. I loved this video, you had some great thoughts on the show that I hadn't considered before!

This video came at the perfect time, i just started my annual rewatch last week ! 😅

Yes perfect u posted just in time I just woke up from my nap cleaning and doing laundry while listening to you, looking gorgeous as usual serena

Lorelai wears very visible makeup often for no special occasion. Lipstick and rouge are some of her staples.

The things you said about the cool girl trope in general seem to be almost exactly the same stuff that was said in the video about the cool girl trope by The Take. But the things you said about the GG was interesting and well done, thanks.

I really do enjoy your deep dives (they are very eye opening), please could you do a deep dive on one tree hill if you can. Keep up the interesting videos, thanks.

Rory changes herself a little every person she dated. Dean got her away from her best friend focused on him, she also became a little more obsessive over a boy automatically considering she tried to quit Chilton before starting it all for him. Jess got her to be more boy crazy almost to the point she was thinking about sex with him before he tried to force himself on her only to run off leaving her thinking she did something wrong. She also chose to cheat on Dean with him compromising her values even more. Logan, well then there is Logan. She drops out of college based on his father’s words, ready to give up for a while and party because Logan and the boys mention about the months they took off to party and she took it as a challenge to party longer. Yes, non of the situation are the boys faults but you can not say Rory is not more of a pick-me girl when she is willing to change herself a little more with each and every boy she dates. There are definitely more “pick-me” moments in the show over Lorelai’s attempt at fishing for whatshisface (the coffee shop owner she met.) I’m sorry if this at all came off as rude, never know on the internet when people read everything between the lines even if it is not there lol. I’ve probably watched Gilmore Girls six times over, the only show I’ve watched more is The 100 😅

my one complaint per se is everyone is so demanding of Dean. So many Vlogs of GG expect him to have these mature progressive thoughts like he is a 30-something.. he's a high school kid. He's not going to be that aware or deep. Teens have an instant gratification mindset. Everything is in the prism of themselves first. I wish the fandom would be more understanding of him.

I hated Lorelei because of how childish she was and I only began to tolerate her in s6, Rory I semi liked in s1 but she and I were enemies the rest of the time. Paris, Lane, Sookie, and later seasons of ms. Kim were my favorites and Kirk and Michel

Btw, great video and also you have a really good fall outfit, Serena! And you look very cute in it, hon! The pattern, too, is nice! Love the design! Looks really gorgeous! I love it! And what a really amazing way to swing into fall as well! By watching the OG coffee/latte drinking-to show, Gilmore Girls, the show that also started the "cool girl" trend in entertainment media that we see today and also popularized it! And love your red hair, too! You're very cute here in this video, babe! Also, you're a cool girl yourself, too, you know! Especially after covering this topic, you'll be even cooler than you already were, Serena!

great video! Where did you see Portman? The Opera? it seems to me that Gilmore Girls problems around female representation stem directly from the concept and the title of the show: trying to navigate between the teen drama (Rory's storyline) and the romantic sitcom (Lorelai's storyline); your comparison with Mean Girls is extremely interesting because, unlike Tina Fey who stuck to focusing on the female students, ASP seems to be prone to drifting from a subgenre to another : it's telling that this dichotome is most visible in the later seasons when Rory and Lorelai's arcs litterally split up. I'm still unable to decide if Rory's negative arc was planned ahead or if it happened because of the teen drama / coming of age dynamic - and Lorelai's arc suffers the most because the focus has become Rory, not the mother-daughter relationship. To be fair, making a show about a mother-daughter relationship is quite the challenge, considering that at the time the show aired - and even still today - it's still not a proper subgenre on its own, so it's relevant that they felt they had to pick from other subgenres tropes. Overall, I think that the main screenwriting takeaway from the show is that it's extremely difficult for a female screenwriter to escape the male gaze and the man-pleasing cool girl fantasy when writing female protagonists - a major issue to be found in fanfiction for example. It would be really interesting to try to sort which elements in the GG cool girl trope are actually female gazed fantasies - did we really need to have the boyfriends' admiration to their eating habits? How refreshing it would have been not to have them in the scenes!

3 minutes in and I’m like men are exhausting 😂 I feel like so many times we forget how many female characters were written by men, through a males perspective. It’s so common we forget!

You’re doing one tree hill???? I asked for this so long ago! I’m so happy ❤❤❤

Your excitement talking about autumn in Paris 🥰

Im not sure if Charmed is up your alley, but since its October can you do a video about charmed? I rarely see anyone my age talk about it. + October is the 25th year anniversary month. + its about witches which is perfect for Halloween

I can see how the trope comes up in Black Swan, but ballet, is tremendously difficult and is supposed to look effortless on stage. The director cast Nina for being more technically excellent, but his notes/comparison to Lily would’ve made Nina a better dancer had she had the mental capacity (stunted by her narcissistic mother) to believe in herself and her capabilities and revel in that. That’s where the lightness comes in, confident.

I've wondered if there are women like me who have some sort of trauma around conventional femininity like me. My mother forced make up and sexualized outfits on me at a too young age and would tell me men are checking me out and such at 11 or 12 years old. I don't know how I would have developed otherwise but I feel panicked and anxious when I try to wear makeup to the point that I have to go to a public bathroom and take it off because I start to be so uncomfortable I might cry it off anyway, I don't perceive myself as looking better with it either. Even as a child I felt naked and vulnerable having to wear dresses, which my mother also forced onto me, and I don't like dressing that way as an adult. I don't regret being the way I am and I wouldn't want to date a man who could only notice me in a skimpy dress but on the other hand I sometimes wish I'd be able to relate to other women's love of these things better.

I love your bangs! 😍😍😍

Need the one tree hill video soooon😭❤️

This video is making me realize that i'm probably perceived like a cool girl. Im a bit more masculine, genuinely dont care about makeup or fashion, and i am unfortunately somewhat conventionally attractive. But here's what really drives it home: i do come off as very aloof and unattached. Now, while that might make guys perceive me as cooler and more attractive, the funny thing is im GENUINELY 100% uninterested in them, and actually have a strange relationship to womanhood because i'm a lesbian and probably nonbinary lol. i seriously dont want these guys to fall all over me, I literally just want to be their friends and be perceievd as a totally platonic mate. but it has been a constant in my life that they do want some kind of relationship with me. whereas other far more beautiful, kinder and INTERESTED women do not get the attention i get. I guess men might perceive the fact that i dont care as like "wow its so cool how she's not needy or clingy or high strung", but the truth is i really, genuinely 100% dont care. And once you reject their advances, the fallout is so bad, you wind up losing another friend. :( OR once they get a girlfriend, they never treat me with the same interest or engagement in my friedship because that never was their end goal with me. The way society perceives those of us that are, or are perceived as, women is realy harmful. Girls: do whatever you want. Men will project their fantasies on us anyway. Be yourselves, dress however you want, take pride in your interests and caring is a strength not a weakness 💖

The show is not being mysoginistic, the characters have internalised mysoginy whitch is totally realistic for the time. And yes, Lorelie is deeply flawded, rory too, this is good character writting, thank god they have flaws. Characters having flaws does not meen the show agrees with them.

Hey; great video. I would love to see a video about how feminism manifests in the show/the positive ways womanhood is portrayed in GG:) Have a nice day

The cool girl trope is hilarious because when guys find out the woman they want actually has standards and he actually doesn’t meet them himself, all hell breaks loose.

Definitely some issues with the show. But I still love it and re-watch it every fall lol

I’ve never watched Gilmore Girls, but I have watched all of Serena’s GG videos 100000x over.

funnily enough i think neither lorelai nor rory are cool. lorelai is considered a cool mom, i’ll give her that. but she’s constantly under pressure and rory is very anxious, i’d consider both the opposite of cool.

I totally agree with that. Really good analysis. Thanks! Its shocking to review movies and series from when we grew up- even all those movies from the 90's when I was a child. The sexism there wow... and also the homophobia/ anti-queerness. As you said Gilmore Girls is still a softer case for the sexism- gosh there are so many movies and series from back then and even today which are just insane. As a child i didnt notice it- which shows how internalized I had had that. Terrible. (Regarding the homophobia comments in Gilmore girls I noticed: The term "gay" always used in a negative way by the heterosexual men.Really upset me to hear that.) Back to the sexism: Moreover, it is internalized sexism- that girls/ women were taught/internalized that doing supposedly "male" stuff (as u say everything male scented) makes them "cool". That being "female" would be "uncool". Its still like that in society unfortunately. (I want to stress that what is female and male is a societal concept of course). The whole: women must be like this and men like that- is unfair to both:"women are weak", "men are not allowed to cry". (though no doubt !!!while men also suffer from patriarchy, women have it the hardest !!!in patriarchy). Anyways really like your analysis- we can all learn from that and work on our internalized "isms". Last thing, I found something from the actor who plays Luke; the role Luke was actually also sexualized by the women in the city, incl Sookie and Lorelai; especially his "butt"; i noticed that while watching the show and also felt that this is not right; on the show one can see how "Luke" didnt like that he was being objectified and the women just ignored that and giggled. Disturbing really. I wouldnt call it sexism because its not the case that the women viewed him/ men as inferior because he was a man (versus whats happening on systemic level towards women, that there is sexism towards women- they were/ are seen as inferior) but it is definitely objectifying/ sexualizing him- and not taking him serious- and thats not okay. And then I found an article that the actor of Luke in fact really found it uncomfortable and disturbing, that this happened within "the roles" but also off set. "It was all about the butt, the butt, the butt, the butt," he continued. "When we weren't filming, we were sitting down - people were still talking about the butt, the butt, the butt. It was the most disturbing time I have ever spent on that set, and I couldn't wait for that day to be over." The actor said also said he was frustrated at himself for not speaking up back then but said that he didn't want to "make waves" with his colleagues on the series, which was brought back in 2016 for a revival miniseries with Netflix." ""It's as disgusting for women to objectify men as it is for men to objectify women, and it's as harmful," he said. "Just because it was 2003 doesn't mean it was OK. It's never OK, and I didn't feel comfortable doing it, and it [expletive] me off. And I never said anything, so I was angry at myself for never saying anything. But I had this job, and I didn't want to make waves and all that." www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220913150964/gilmore-girls-scene-scott-patterson-found-disturbing/?viewas=amp I want to emphasize: I dont (!!!) want to compare this with the systemic societal sexism towards women from back then/ today. I dont want to compare this with the horrible experiences that women had to endure in the film industry especially throughout history and even still today- where objectifying/ sexualizing women on the show/within the roles and off-set comments were "standard";and sexist behaviour was "standard"; it didnt even stop at "comments" there as we know- so so many known and unknown cases of actual sexual abuse etc at the set/ behind the scenes/ by regisseurs or co- actors ; it is horrible what was done to actresses "back in the days" and probably still can happen today. But even though I dont want to compare it- I just wanted to state the thing with the Luke actor Scott Pattersson- because thats also not okay that he was treated that way. And he was scared to say something- because he thought he wouldnt have been taken seriously or so.

I watched first five full episodes but couldnt handle it anymore. Love the setting of the show, its beautiful and the small town is something a lot of people idolize now