I think that there is a lack of intersectional feminism in Gilmore Girls. Yes, the two main characters are women. Yes, the show was written and directed by a woman. But, there is not enough of LGBTQ+ or women of color depicted in the show. Throughout the show, Lorelai and Rory sometimes make homophobic jokes, and body shame other women. During the original run of the show, Rory commented on ballerina body types at Yale and Lorelai made fun of the size of underwear. Not only are these jokes insensitive, it doesn’t help that the cast and plot doesn’t represent any of the people they are using for a bad joke. There is only one plus sized character regularly featured on the show, Sookie St James. She is also the chef, and throughout the show it is emphasized that she is obsessed with food. The two main characters of color are Lane and Michel. But again, these are only supporting characters, and are not given developing plots. I love this show, it's like a comforting warm blanket, but I can’t talk about how much I love it without recognizing a huge problem it has. It’s disappointing that there isn’t more representation, and frustrating that the only girl power depicted in the show is from two white, straight, cisgendered women.
Comments