Fans everywhere have decided that the beloved character might have been “straight washed”
BY GEORGIA SWEET, IMAGE BY THE WB
We all know the classic go-to comfort show Gilmore Girls. When new releases get a bit dry, we’ve all been known to pop on the iconic show. As the new year rolls around I can’t help but think of the next generation who are going to be lucky enough to watch it for the first time (unlike me who will be sitting in for my fifth binge-watch).
Following mother and daughter duo Lorelai and Rory, Gilmore Girls has entranced audiences since 2007 with its depiction of the cosy town of Stars Hollow. Starring the likes of Alexis Bledel and Melissa McCarthy, the show watches teenage Rory grow up, fall in love, and make some mistakes along the way.
As a long-time Gilmore Girls fan, when I found out about the fan-made theory #Gellmore I was instantly obsessed. The idea? That Paris Geller is actually in love with Rory Gilmore. The theory of course came about on Tumblr.
Gilmore Girls lacks any sort of queer storylines canonically, with there actually being no openly non-heteronormative characters. This can unfortunately be seen as a sign of the times, with many big series from this era not having many queer storylines, if any.
So the people of Tumblr decided to grace us with the idea of Paris being a repressed lesbian, who was essentially “straight-washed” in the show. And of course, extensive fanfiction has been written about it… so check that out if your heart so desires to.
Fans have pointed to moments where Paris looks longingly at Rory as proof that her character was in fact queer. Others claim that Paris’ frosty reception to Rory when she joins Chilton is actually her way of coping with these romantic feelings.
Progressively times have moved on and shows like Killing Eve, Orange Is The New Black, Sex Education and Heartstopper all have openly queer characters for us to obsess over without having to change the plot of the show.
While this kind of representation is amazing, I do find joy in the creativity that can be found in us looking into past shows and putting a little queer spin on characters that if the show was made now, would definitely be in the community.
I think situations like the #Gellmore theory show just how creative the community is, and that gaydar even goes off through the TV screen.
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