While charming small town Stars Hollow are also very close with one another.
Gilmore Girls has great lessons about raising a strong and independent child, and there are also some gems about being brave in the dating world. But the sweet and funny show also has some advice about how to maintain strong friendships over the years.
Friendship Shouldn't Be About Keeping Up Appearances
Emily Gilmore is incredibly rich and it's fair to say that money rules her whole world.
Hopefully Emily has some real, genuine friends, but it was hard to tell as she was often too concerned with keeping up fancy appearances. She was a member of the DAR and her interactions with other seemed to be based on gossip. Emily teaches fans of Gilmore Girls that friendship is about what's on the inside, not the lavish parties or big house that someone lives in. It's a lesson that Emily could learn herself, as she and Richard are often very competitive with the people in their lives.
True Friends Help Each Other Out
Before Luke and Lorelai started their romantic relationship, they were always helping each other out in both big and small ways.
Whether bringing ice to Rory's birthday bash or lending Lorelai his truck, Luke was a great pal to have around, as he was loyal and always there. Lorelai reciprocated by painting the diner and trying to give Luke advice about dating and dressing a little bit nicer (while she was not-so-secretly in love with him, of course). The people living in Stars Hollow were always lending each other a hand and it was so nice to see.
Embrace Each Other's Unique Quirks
Kirk was a minor character on Gilmore Girls who was definitely his own person. Whether making a strange yet artistic short film or talking about his night terrors, Kirk made an impression on anyone that he interacted with.
Lorelai might have been annoyed by Kirk, along with Luke and some other Stars Hollow dwellers, but ultimately, everyone respected that Kirk was different and unique. The town was kind to him and rooted for him when he started dating Lulu, as everyone wanted to see him succeed. Kirk teaches viewers a great lesson: friendship means embracing each other's quirks and not trying to change someone.
Make New Friends While Respecting Older Friendships
When Rory started attending Chilton, she wasn't planning on making any good friends. She was too focused on doing well in school and getting accepted to Harvard.
Rory ended up becoming friends with Paris, which was definitely a surprise, as Paris was envious of her from the moment she saw her and they had a lot of conflict. Even when getting to know Paris, Rory stayed friends with Lane, her pal since childhood. This is a great tip about friendship: it's great to make new social connections, but maintaining those older friendships is important, too. There is room for both types of friends.
Sometimes The Best Friends Can Hurt You By Accident
Sookie and Lorelai had a horrible fight when Lorelai was moping around and Sookie suggested that she get back out into the dating game. Lorelai said that Sookie wasn't a "relationship expert" which was really awful.
Fans of Gilmore Girls can take an important tip away from this scene: that even the best of friends will sometimes accidentally hurt each other. Lorelai wasn't trying to make her friend feel bad about her single status, but in the heat of the moment, she said the wrong thing. These characters are a perfect example of friends who sometimes argue but always apologize and tell each other how much the friendship means to them.
Be Careful When Going Into Business Together
It was exciting watching Lorelai and Sookie open the Dragonfly Inn. Inevitably, the two best friends had some harsh words for each other when they were in the process of making that dream come true.
While the friends worked it out and their inn was an awesome part of the community, they prove that going into business with a good pal can be a little tricky. Lorelai and Sookie would likely say that when mixing business with friendship, it's necessary to be careful. It's a good idea to have open communication about expectations from the very start. After all, Lorelai wanted Sookie as the inn's chef forever, but Sookie spent some time away in the revival.
Everyone Is Living Life At Their Own Pace
It wasn't easy for Rory to see her best friend getting married and having kids so young, but she loved Lane and wanted to be there for all of these big milestones.
Gilmore Girls has a crucial friendship tip about ing that everyone is going at their own pace. While some will get married right out of school or college, others will wait until later in life, and other friends won't want to tie the knot at all. As long as everyone is respectful and doesn't compare themselves, it should work out.
Sometimes Friendly Gossip Brings People Together
Babette and Miss Patty were close friends and they knew everything there was to know about Stars Hollow. If someone ordered a burger at Luke's, they knew about it, so needless to say, they got very involved when couples started dating or broke up.
These two characters are proof that while gossip can be negative, hurtful, and toxic, they didn't mean any harm. They talked about people in town in a friendly way and they just wanted to know what was going on. It brought them close together and made them feel close to the other townspeople, too.
Friends Shouldn't Take Each Other For Granted
The first season of Gilmore Girls was all about Rory and Dean's relationship, including their break-up.
When things were becoming serious with Dean, Rory bailed on Lane and didn't spend as much time with her anymore. She didn't mean to ignore her, but she was so excited about Dean and so busy with schoolwork that she forgot how to be a good friend. The two worked it out and agreed to see each other more often, but this was a good reminder that friends, even old ones who have been close for years, can't take each other for granted. If people don't put effort into the friendship, it's not going to automatically last.
Friends Can Disagree With Each Other's Behavior Or Choices
Paris and Rory have a tricky friendship and they're proof that just because people are friends doesn't mean that they agree with each other all the time.
When Paris got too obsessed with her power at the Yale Daily News, Rory wasn't pleased, and things got even more complicated when the staff threw Paris out and wanted Rory to take over. This is a good friendship tip from Gilmore Girls: Rory didn't always love Paris's behavior, and it's okay to think that a friend is behaving badly. Rory was always there for Paris and ready to talk to her when she was acting more rationally.