Background
“Gilmore Girls”—accredited for its wittiness, relatability, and high-speed entertainment—always seems to be a topic of discussion when fall comes around the corner. Based around a tight-knit mother-daughter duo, the show features the two navigating the hardships of life in their cozy small town. As the show progresses, viewers grow up with Rory, the daughter, getting to see her highs and lows of high school and college. At the same time, her mother, Lorelai, pursues business endeavors, relationships, and overall navigates adulthood as a single mother.
Rory’s Story
On the surface, “Gilmore Girls” is an incredibly lighthearted show. With that being said, the show touches on some deeper topics, including academic burnout. Her whole childhood, Rory was told by her entire town, her friends, and her family that she was a genius and would be incredibly successful in life. Rory was inarguably smart; she finished as valedictorian in her prestigious private high school and studied journalism at Yale. No level of smartness, however, can combat the amount of pressure she faced. She carried the burden of impressing those close to her for her entire childhood and early adulthood until she inevitably cracked and took a break from Yale. I can’t complain much, though, since her fateful decision got us one of the most iconic scenes in the series.
Rory Gilmore did return to Yale after her mini-crisis, but the effects of the pressure on her to be a perfect little girl weighed her down for her entire life. Rory never became rich nor famous. In the spinoff series “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” viewers are shown how she failed to make any big breakthrough in the world of journalism. Many fans were disappointed by this portrayal of her; she was supposed to live out her dreams of being a globally renowned newspaper writer, but instead, she ended up living back at her mom’s house and writing for her town paper. In this analysis, we explore a different side to the story: maybe Rory’s outcome was disappointing, but given her childhood, it was overwhelmingly realistic.
Analysis
How can we explain how Rory Gilmore went from being the perfect child to completely spiraling? The term for her situation is coined by fans as “Rory Gilmore Syndrome.” Once she got to college and experienced the unfortunate scenario of a mentor figure not perceiving her as perfect, going as far as to put her down, she completely lost it, dropping out of school and making some poor decisions afterward (which Jess had no shame in calling her out on). Rory had never before faced criticism of that level; it was simply not something she was familiar with, all because of the way she was raised. Nobody told her she needed to be smart and constantly study; it was simply the way she was. It became an expectation that Rory Gilmore was the pride and joy of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, and would impress them all because of her unique drive. For that reason, the shift from high school to college was detrimental. Her habits did not change, but her environment did, and suddenly all the years of her work caught up to her. “Rory Gilmore Syndrome” describes a person who holds themselves to too high of a standard, risking burnout if they are not forgiving of their mistakes.
Takeaways
So, what should we take away from Rory’s story? First of all, she was not a complete failure; she got a college degree from an Ivy League school and pursued her dream career, even though she did not make her big break. Many would benefit from learning from her mistakes and being easier on themselves when the pressure of school feels overwhelming. When the commitments start piling up, make sure to step back, unwind, and fuel yourself with some healthy motivation. If you have not watched “Gilmore Girls” yet, I highly recommend you do so and reward yourself with high-quality entertainment. You won’t regret it!
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