During our first watch of ‘Gilmore Girls’, of course, we were immediately in love with Rory Gilmore. She was the sweet, pretty, bookish main character we all wanted to be. On the other hand, there was Paris Geller: far too mean and awkward.
But rewatching the series today reveals just how brilliantly the tables have turned. Paris was the It Girl all along. The show spent too much of its time positioning her as the difficult foil to Rory. But today, all the qualities we once disliked about her are exactly what have helped her stand the test of time.
Paris Geller Knew What She Wanted And Was Never Afraid To Go After It
‘Gilmore Girls’ established Paris from the start as the opposite of Rory. She was intense where Rory was charming, brutally honest where Rory was polite, and she never stopped trying where Rory seemed to be effortlessly perfect. Yet, the very qualities the show used to make Paris seem ridiculous are exactly what make her a feminist icon today.
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She is unapologetically herself. The series frames her as difficult to deal with, sometimes even as a punchline. But now we get to understand that she was simply a young woman who knew what she wanted and refused to make herself small and demure while pursuing it.
And perhaps, one of her most admirable qualities is that she actually tries to work on herself. Sure, she spent most of her school years as a nervous wreck, but Paris never lost sight of her goals.
On top of it all, she actually goes to therapy and acknowledges her toxic traits. She uses healthy coping mechanisms to manage her high anxiety and tries to become a better version of herself. And if having a kick-ass personality was not enough, she even learns how to actually do so by taking martial arts classes.
Paris Was Far More Relatable Than Rory In ‘Gilmore Girls’
Paris was sharp and witty, but she also never shied away from being vulnerable. This makes her far more human than all the other characters in the show. Underneath all that intensity is a young woman constantly trying to figure herself out while carrying huge expectations on her shoulders.
Today, the thing we mostly relate with Paris is “perfectionism”. But looking back, Paris was never pretending to be perfect. She fails, panics, overreacts and makes mistakes in full view of everyone.
Her breakdown after getting rejected by Harvard is often put against her. But can we really blame her? Paris was a teenage girl who had spent her entire life working to get into the Ivy League school, while carrying the weight of her family’s expectations. Of course, being rejected was going to devastate her.
The important thing is what happened next: she pulled herself together once again. Paris went on to graduate from Yale and later Harvard, proving that one rejection is never going to define anyone’s entire life.
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Paris Had All The Admirable Qualities That Rory Lacked
Paris was clearly designed as a contrast to Rory. Where Rory was the naturally lovable and seemingly perfect girl, Paris was messy and all over the place. Pitting these two women against each other constantly is in itself a very problematic trope in ‘Gilmore Girls’. But at the same time, the older we get, the more this contrast works against Rory and in favor of Paris.
Being messy is not embarrasing. Going after what you want is not overbearing. Striving to become a better person, failing and getting back up every time is not a flaw.
Paris also constantly pushed Rory to be better. She challenges her academically, as a journalist, and even as a person. But more importantly, beneath all the arguing and competition, Paris actually knew how to be a good friend. She was there for Rory when others were not.
It is so frustrating every time the show treated her ambitious and strong personality as ruthless, pushy and abrasive. She is the main character of her own life, and she keeps pushing through everything to reach where she envisions herself.
Paris Was Always Ahead Of Her Time
Paris was calling out pretentious, performative men and their casual sexism way before it became the standard for It Girls. In one of her most memorable moments, she calls out Jess and reminds him that his literary taste is not nearly as supreme as he thinks it is: “Typical guy response. Worship Kerouac and Bukowski. God forbid you pick up anything by Jane Austen.”
Preach, Paris. Call them out.
She is fierce, intelligent, messy, ambitious, vulnerable, funny and completely unwilling to make herself smaller for anyone else’s comfort. That might have been a comic relief plot point for the show, and it might make her difficult in the eyes of society, but she doesn’t care.
She knows she is not the popular girl, and she never changes herself to fit the standards. Paris does not pretend, perform or take BS from anyone. And that is exactly the reason why Paris Geller remains the actual It Girl and a true inspiration from ‘Gilmore Girls’ even today.
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