“Gilmore Girls” has become a comfort show for many teenagers across the United States — including me — because of its slow-burn plot and simple characters. Though the show has usually served as a way for me to relax, I was startled to realize some of the recurring themes that appeared as the plot developed. While the show is full of heartwarming themes, it suffers from a lack of diversity and a skewed understanding of other cultures bordering on racism, which informs the way we turn to the show for “comfort.” Race is not at the forefront of the show, and the resulting lack of attention given to problematic instances surrounding race perpetuates the lack of diverse and worldly perspectives not only to newer generations rediscovering the show but also within the ideal, picturesque American culture “Gilmore Girls” portrays, painting ignorance as normal.
In the last season, for example, after a bad breakup, Lorelai decides to throw Rory an “Asian Night” party for her trip to Asia. Though the sentiment was in the right place, I found myself deeply disturbed by the event Lorelai puts together, essentially by mushing together every single Asian country. What surprised me most was the lack of understanding of the vast cultural differences between all of these countries in the continent — “Well, actually, believe it or not, but this is an exact replica of Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Korea, and any other Asian countries that might have slipped my mind,” Lorelai says. “This is exactly what you would see in the other Asia.”
Though the party was meant to be an endearing gift to her upset daughter, the lack of perspective in this joke is only emblematic of and perpetuates the outdated sentiments that willfully ignorant Americans harbor. By including these small-minded jokes and plots in popular shows — and 2000s nostalgia — we are only reinstating these problematic norms and uneducated stereotypes in a new generation. Further, it should not be a challenge for creators and writers to leave this part out of the script, especially when the characters are supposed to be representative of average middle-class Americans. But their choice to leave this joke in — nevertheless, for a protagonist — points to the use of racist sentiments as a positive character-building tool and solidifies ignorance as somehow cute and, therefore, desirable.
Another sore spot in this show is the lack of POC characters. Throughout the whole series, the only regular characters of color are Michel, a concierge, and Lane, Rory’s best friend. Even though they are recurring characters, their stories were never fully developed. Michel was the only darker-skinned character, but his only defining trait became his “Frenchness” and attitude. His race never being mentioned isn’t inherently problematic, but the lack of other POC characters in the show makes his recurrence notable and suggests the show’s “colorblind” stance.
This “colorblind” stance clearly did not apply to Lane, the only prominent Asian character whose ethnicity was constantly written into the script. While Lane and her mother are both played by Japanese American actresses, Lane starts and ends in a highly stereotypical “Korean” or, broadly, “Asian,” manner on the show. It becomes a running joke throughout the show that Mrs. Kim is always setting her daughter up on dates with future Korean doctors — “I have to have a pre-hayride cup of tea with a future doctor. How do I look? Korean?” The show’s dependence on having their perception of the Kims’ culture be the butt of a joke only serves to reinforce the close-minded behavior in American culture.
The most disturbing part of Lane’s stereotypical character is how her goal in adolescence was centered around breaking away from her stereotypically strict Asian mother, having a “normal” or, in other words, the idealized white American life and becoming more like Rory. Lorelai is a laidback mother who lets Rory stay up, have boyfriends and go anywhere she wants — an American dream. Meanwhile, Lane is always having to try and fit into the norm, wearing secret outfits and creating schemes to hide her alternative-culture obsessions, or parts of herself, from her mother.
When talking about a boy she’s seeing, she debates her own relationship to her written identity: “Okay, the bottom line is that he wants me to call him back. But if I do that then he’s probably gonna ask me out on a date. And if we go out on a date then it could lead to another date, and then I’ll have to introduce him to my parents. And once I do that, they’re gonna like him. Because he’s Korean and he’s gonna be a doctor. And then once that happens, that’s it. It’ll be over. He’ll be hideous to me. Now I’m a Lou Reed gloomy.” The show writes her to be jealous of Rory and her circumstances, which in turn subtly perpetuates a lack of desirability for Lane’s situation and perceived culture.
While frustration, especially regarding parental relationships, is an understandable feeling for a teenager, having Lane, the only representative of Asian culture in the show, always complain about her “different” life is disheartening. Racial and cultural differences can be a topic discussed in the show, but it should not be painted as “abnormal.” Likewise, having Lorelai, the funny young mother, be so oblivious to any other culture except her own only serves to further the show’s ignorance as a lighthearted trope to passively consume. What are young non-white girls watching the show supposed to feel when they see Rory and Lane’s very different relationships with their mothers? Lane and her mom are both representations of an extremely cliche and outdated stereotype that does not serve any other purpose than glamorizing certain cultures while putting others down. Lorelai is especially a representation of normalizing ignorance and getting into a couple of jokes at the expense of other people. When we are watching, we do not always pick up on these details, but when we take a step back and watch critically, these problematic themes come to light.
I am not preaching hate onto this show, but it is time to acknowledge what ideals the show is really promoting. “Gilmore Girls” is a highlight of our American culture — it shows a perfect example of a mother-daughter relationship, but in the background looms many hidden messages that may be imitated in life. The popularity of this show, now on various streaming services, means that whatever we see in it becomes internalized as comforting, and for our younger generations, it is even more dangerous. If we keep watching the same horrible themes over and over again passively, we are only indoctrinating a new generation into the themes we are trying to escape. So, the next time you are watching any show, it would be wise to sit back and observe what is really being said under all the costumes and props.
Derin Aksoy is a freshman majoring in English and is a Pipe Dream Arts & Culture intern.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.