I get kinda annoyed whenever fans of the show claim that Lorelai and Rory were written to be "special snowflakes" who are "not like the other girls." I saw a Youtube video a while back claiming that men fawned over them because they were "quirky."

But it's just too reductive in my opinion. Sometimes people tend to apply social media catchphrases to situations that don't exactly apply.

In some ways, it makes sense: Their terrible diets, for example, can be seen as trying to make them "different" than other women. I personally think it was a means of fantasy fulfillment for the show's female audience. Like, wouldn't it be nice to be able to eat a whole pizza in one sitting without a stomachache and acne afterwards? Wouldn't it be nice to drink coffee at 9 PM and still fall asleep? It would be for me!

There are other traits that people point to as NLOG-isms, like Rory not really fitting in at Stars Hollow High and Lorelai struggling to relate to the other PTA moms. That's just part of their (remarkably consistent) characterization: Rory is an introverted parentified golden child while Lorelai was a single teen mom in a school for the ultra-rich. The circumstances surrounding their lives and personalities make sense as to why they'd have trouble integrating into their environments.

But none of this is what makes them special. What makes them special is their character.

Now, I'm almost 30, and one thing I've learned as a fledgling adult is that a lot of people are either shitty and self-centered or don't give a fuck about the world around them at all. You can simply get away with a lot of bad behavior in everyday life so long as you don't commit a crime. Plus, if you don't have anyone around to check you, you can easily fall victim to becoming complacent, narcissistic, defeatist and apathetic.

The reason Lorelai and Rory are seen as special by everyone around them is that they genuinely give a fuck. They're always trying. Rory tries hard as hell at school and does her best to be a good person. I think people hate her so much after season 4 because she'd already established herself as someone with high moral standards. So, it's infinitely more disappointing when she breaks up a marriage or drops out of school than, say, Serena Van Der Woodsen, who'd done all that and then some. You just expect better from her because she always tried.

The same could be said about Lorelai. As someone who was raised by a single teen mom herself, I can attest that you've gotta be a superhero to make it work at all, let alone do so well that your kid makes it to Yale. I loved that Lorelai knew when to be a friend and when to be a mother. I loved that she commit 110% of herself to her daughter, her community and her career. Say what you will about her personality, but she's a remarkably and consistently selfless woman.

A person is made by their actions, not what they think or say that they are. Rory and Lorelai are special because they still try, despite their flaws, and they show that we can do the same thing!