I loved the show Gilmore Girls, so much that I seriously considered moving to Stars Hollow after college. A small town full of characters and not completely destroyed by America's love of the Big Box Store...sigh. While Amy Sherman-Paladino made being a former teen mother with a genius daughter seem like one great adventure after another, one loophole was too deep for my sense of reality. Both Lorelai and Rory ate about 4000 calories a day, all while looking like they topped out at 1800 and spent quality time in Pilates. A lot of dialogue focused on their extreme consumption of junk food, and I wonder if it was a way to make them seem "real". As if healthy eating makes a character crazy and uptight. But, hey, maybe the Gilmore girls were lucky, their witty banter burned off all of those breakfasts at Luke's Diner.
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| And their skin & hair was always so radiant! |
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photo: http://www.theawl.com/2013/03/a-fans-notes-on-gilmore-girls
Why is it so terrible for a character to care about their health and appearance? After all, it is mandatory for people in the entertainment industry. Is it worse to think of a young, 99 pound starlet casually eating cheeseburgers than it is seeing that same starlet airbrushed on the cover of a magazine? Why can't the young starlet admit to eating mostly salads, and that carrots and celery aren't so bad? Can't an actor be a vegan without being a vegan activist who feeds their babies regurgitated carrots and peas? (Ahem, Alicia Silverstone!) And, who can stop their eyes from rolling when someone admits to avoiding carbs?
Why does every magazine article featuring a young actress include the food on her plate? Why do we, meaning I, a Gossip Magazine Headline Reader, care so much about the digestive systems of the stars?* I'm not sure, but if biting into a Carl's, Jr. hamburger will turn me into Heidi Klum, I may have to reconsider my vegetarian lifestyle. Or perhaps the magic of Stars Hollow was not only the small town vibe, but that the water was full of nutrients to compensate for an ill-balanced diet!
Perhaps the real problem is my love of television, and that I often mistake it for reality. But if this misconception keeps me thinking that someday I can move to Stars Hollow, I don't want to be right!
*Digestive Systems of the Stars is my new reality show pitch, coming soon to the WE network!
