As fall ends and winter approaches, teenage girls’ obsession with Rory Gilmore grows exponentially. Students at Bonita Vista High (BVH) idolize the fictional character Rory Gilmore from the television show Gilmore Girls—a comedy drama centering around the relationship between a single mother and her teen daughter. A lot of this obsession revolves around romanticizing school, including through ways that do not have a lot to do with grades themselves, such as wearing cute outfits and drinking Starbucks just like Rory Gilmore would.
“Rory Gilmore is a hard working student that goes to a private school that works in the school’s newspaper and becomes the vice president of Chilton. She’s a very hardworking girl with a single mom,” freshman Elizabeth Hoffman said.
Students like Hoffman mention they try to fit the description as Rory Gilmore. They start to change their appearance and personality to be like hers. Numerous teen girls are inspired to resemble Rory Gilmore, since they see her as a passionate, independent and academic woman.
“[Rory Gilmore’s] style such as sweaters, jeans and other clothing [is] casual but at the same time cute and [presents her] as hardworking. She [also] cares a lot about her family and others,” freshmen Viviana Blanco said.
In the show Gilmore Girls, Rory Gilmore is depicted as an introvert and a socially awkward person at times, who struggles with the challenge of being a teenage girl in Stars Hollow—her hometown. As a young woman who is driven by ideals and values, Rory Gilmore decides to attend Yale to become a journalist. Many admire her close bond with her mother, Lorelai Gilmore. As a single mother, she tries her best to lead Rory Gilmore to have every opportunity that she was not able to have.
“I think the relationship between Rory Gilmore and her mom is something that I cherish. It’s something that I take a lot of interest in because [Rory Gilmore and Lorelai Gilmore] have a sharp wit, and humor is something I wish I could have,” sophomore Aurdey Oani said.
Moreover, Rory Gilmore is portrayed as a girl facing the struggles that teenagers experience in the real world. For example, applying to college, choosing the right career and understanding how her life might pan out. Oani explains how Rory Gilmore inspires her to do better in school.
“I definitely admire her passion and her strive to be really academic. Watching that show makes me motivated to do better in school because we see her experience doing things that us teenagers do. Such as seeing her stay up really late to do homework, struggling over college applications or about grades in general,” Oani said. “That’s relatable to a lot of people. When we see in the end she gets accepted into Yale, we can see how that’s paid off. That’s really inspiring, because it shows that hard work does pay off.”
As students are influenced by the character, they start to pick up similar characteristics from her, such as reading more books or studying a lot. Students like Oani may view Rory Gilmore as an influencer who encourages people to stay motivated to work harder and achieve their dreams.
“I think I’m similar in the fact that I’ve always known that I wanted to do well in school. I’ve always known that I wanted to pursue a vigorous higher education. I’m similar to her in the sense that she’s experiencing a bunch of these identity crises, especially when she’s older too,” Oani said.
Rory Gilmore has always put her grades before behaving petty or attempting to be prettier compared to other girls in television shows. Although there were boys that came and went in her life, she believed that it still matters on the inside, not outside. She keeps her eye on the prize and doesn’t quit her dream even when she has an identity crisis. Hoffman strives to be academic like the female character.
“She’s a lot more driven than most and does a lot more extracurriculars, which I think is realistic for someone who’s about to go to Yale,” Hoffman said.
While many look up to Rory Gilmore, their admiration for her is also intertwined with criticism. For example, Hoffman finds some of the character’s actions in the later seasons of the show to be especially distasteful. A specific aspect Hoffman is revolted by is Rory Gilmore’s history of participating in infidelity both in the television series Gilmore Girls and the 2016 reboot Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Although these are situations that are unrelated to the school and educational aspects of the series, it plays a part in how individuals view the female character.
“There are definitely things I don’t like about [Rory Gilmore] in the later seasons [of the show]. She kind of becomes not the best role model for young women. She ended up sleeping with a married man. And she also does cheat on her boyfriend in [Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life],” Hoffman said.
Despite the controversial choices Rory Gilmore makes throughout the show, students like Blanco still derive inspiration from her character. She explains that Rory Gilmore is often able to redeem herself after questionable decisions she makes. She believes it allows the audience to understand that mistakes can occur, and when they do, there are ways to resolve or approach them.
“Everyone makes mistakes and I feel like she has a really good time owning up to those mistakes,” Blanco said.
Since many students around the world and at BVH idolize Rory Gilmore for who she is and how smart she is, many students try to be just like her and strive to do better in school and go to a college so they can feel challenged. Some students like Oani seek guidance from Rory Gilmore when they feel overwhelmed or stressed.
“I definitely want to gain more motivation. Because a lot of the time, especially when it comes to stressful weeks, like finals week or the end of semesters, everything’s really hard. I really admire Rory’s motivation and perseverance through that. I really want to implement that more and more [into my own life],” Oani said.
