15 Times Rory Gilmore Was An Entitled Brat
All Gilmore Girls fans remember the first time that Rory Gilmore seriously irritated them. Was it when she dragged Dean along by his heartstrings while exploring her new romance with Jess? Or when she refused to listen to Lorelai's sound motherly advice and break off her affair with Dean, instead deciding to jet off to Europe in a tantrum? Or was it when she started acting like a privileged trust-fund kid playing around with Logan and his friends and ignoring sweet, patient college friend Marty? Maybe you didn't notice any of this and thought Rory was the bee's knees. Maybe she inspired you to work harder in school, read more obscure literature and pursue your dream of going to college.
Maybe it wasn't until the recent Gilmore Girls revival that you first noticed Rory Gilmore's seriously unattractive character traits. The revival received mixed reviews for bad writing and story lines, but we all still loved it. Yet while we laughed and cried, we couldn't help noticing that Rory's reappearance as an unemployed Yale graduate with a chip on her shoulder was none too surprising. Why? The clues were there all along. Rory was always a little uppity and definitely a product of entitled whiney-white-girl syndrome. Ten years after she finished college, Rory's reappearance magnified all her sulky, self-focused and selfish character traits tenfold, leaving her less likable than ever.
Here's 15 times Rory Gilmore proved exactly why you shouldn't model your life on Rory Gilmore because deep down, she was an entitled brat.
15 When She got a D in school
While Rory Gilmore is one of the TV characters that helped make geek girl cool, she's also got a case of serious perfectionism. Rory left Stars Hollow High to go to snooty private school Chilton and pursue her dream of getting into an Ivy League College. Rory was prepared to work hard which is a great quality, but one of the icky things about Rory was her inability to accept not being the best all the time. Used to being a straight-A student, we got a peek into Rory's annoying side when she lost her cool over getting a D on a paper. While Rory accepted Dean getting B's and C's, she set a higher standard for herself, a serious sign of elitism. While working hard in school is great, getting a big-head isn't. When you think you're too smart for improvement, you're in serious trouble. Rory Gilmore's approach to academic success definitely isn't one to model in the long-term.
14 When She met Jess and treated Dean like dirt
Popular consensus says Dean was boring and Jess was the hot bad boy. And while the case can be made that Rory and Jess were far better suited than Rory and Dean, we can all agree that Rory's behavior in the Dean-Rory-Jess debacle was far from exemplary. Instead of being honest with herself that she was attracted to Jess and things with Dean just weren't on fire the way they should be, Rory put Dean off, accused him of being jealous and paranoid, and pushed the buck until Dean was forced to break things off himself. Instead of understanding that her bf probably wasn't happy about her going on a picnic date with an obnoxious guy who was intent to get her, Rory refused to see Dean's point of view. Whether you're a Dean lover or hater, Rory was an uber-crap girlfriend when it came to dealing with her first love crisis. She let things get out of control and walked away from the drama she created.
13 When she was too busy to be Stars Hollow's Ice Cream Queen
We get it -- getting into an Ivy League school is a big deal, but when Rory arrives home from her summer trip backpacking around Europe in season 4, she's all too ready to up and leave Stars Hollow without a backward glance. Not having time to be Stars Hollow's Ice Cream Queen when you've got a week to get ready for college is understandable, but Rory's sulky little performance in this episode was pretty entitled. Taylor Dose, definitely the town's most irritating resident, guilt-tripped Rory for refusing to take part in the carnival. While Taylor is plain annoying, Rory's sense of entitlement grated on us when she told the town to back off because she had to get ready for Yale. Rory was always Stars Hollow's darling -- she was loved and adored by all and sundry and took it totally for granted because she had loftier ambitions than the small town had to offer. I mean, we've all been there, right? But a little grace is also a good thing.
12 When She cheated with Dean after he was married
Rory's love affair with Dean after he married Lindsay reeked of a sense of ownership over her ex and a case of bad, bad feminism. Rory didn't like the fact that Dean wasn't going to college and instead worked construction jobs to support his wife, so she decided that was reason enough and that Lindsay deserved to be betrayed. While Rory decided that she was going to lose her virginity to Dean, the timing suited Rory and nobody else involved. Knowing Dean would always have a thing for her, Rory could have broken up a marriage, started a relationship and ended it when she got bored. Rory and Dean's round two served Rory's purposes but definitely made all of us a little less into Rory and her antics. If she'd been genuinely in love with Dean, it might have been different, but it was pretty clear that wasn't the case, and she didn't care about the affect her actions had on Lindsay. Lesson we learned? Don't sleep with your ex-boyfriend for fun.
11 When she ran off to Europe with her Grandmother
Lorelai Gilmore is the most understanding and down-to-earth mom you could want. So when Lorelai busted Rory on her's and Dean's affair and tried to talk some sense into her daughter, we would have thought Rory would listen. Instead, typical Rory cracked the sulks and took her grandmother up on an offer to travel Europe for the summer. Knowing that this would kill her mom, who'd feel awful that Emily Gilmore was showboating Rory all summer and she was left out, Rory left and didn't speak to her mom to punish her. Worse, Rory acted like it was Lorelei who was in the wrong, instead of acknowledging her own bad behavior. One thing's for sure -- Rory Gilmore doesn't like to be wrong, and never admits that she is, and that is an unattractive personality trait. Taking a free ticket to Europe also smacked of total entitlement, as through all of us can just run away from our problems at the drop of a hat! Ew.
10 When she was told to drop a college class
This one echoes #1. Anyone who's gone to college knows that it can be overwhelming at the start. Most people would be grateful to come across an understanding professor who, instead of failing you, kindly suggests you take a break. Not Rory Gilmore. When Rory gets busted doubling up her papers, her professor tells her she's overloaded herself and to drop a class. Naturally, because Rory can never have a moment of weakness or be second-best, she indignantly states that her grandfather took a full course load and so will she, gets uppity and marches out. Setting such high expectations for yourself has gotta suck. In addition to being way too proud, Rory expects so much from herself that she can never take a break. Let's not forget that Rory's ego meant the whole thing came as a total shock. She was walks in to the professors office thinking he's about to congratulate her and give her another "A." Ouch.
9 When she asked a guy out and got rejected
If you watched Rory Gilmore get wooed by boy after boy during her high school years and this sadly didn't mirror your own life, you're not alone. Rory is an enviable and unusual combination -- a geek who's got boys after her everywhere she goes. While Dean accosted her on the bus after dreamily watching her from afar and Jess pursued her in his aggressive bad-boy style, Rory never had to actually do any work when it came to dating. In season 4, it becomes apparent that Rory is not used to rejection when she asks a college boy out at the laundromat. Having a casual chat with a member of the opposite sex that isn't into her like that clearly never occurred to Rory either. When mystery boy politely turns her down, Rory takes it personally. Since it's all about her, Rory also assumes that some gossip she overhears is in reference to her and laundry-boy and loses her cool, again. Unable to deal with anybody just not wanting to date her, Rory has to have the last word.
8 When she stole a yacht and had to do community service
If we're going to talk about entitlement we can't forget the time that Rory decided to go for a joy ride on a yacht and didn't wanna do the time. As if being rejected by Logan Huntzberer's rich family wasn't enough (“But I'm a Gilmore!”) Rory expects that being pretty and demure in court is going to get her off charges of theft. Batting her baby-blues and wearing pig-tails doesn't work and Rory is brought down to size by a judge who refuses to let rich kids get away with “treating the world as their personal playground.” Totally mortified, Rory has to face the fact that she might actually be a spoiled rich kid. This introspection doesn't last long, however, because Rory prefers living the high life with Logan and her grandparents than keeping it real. Going to community service is a sharp shock for sheltered Rory when she realizes she's actually got it pretty good.
7 When she dropped out of college
The gradual downfall of Rory in season 5 and 6 happened when, of course, someone told Rory that she wasn't the best. When Mitchum Huntzberger, Logan's newspaper mogul dad gives Rory an internship at his firm, Rory expects success to follow. When she's told at the end that Mitchum just doesn't think she has what it takes to be a journalist, Rory totally packs up. Used to being praised and adored by everyone everywhere she goes, Rory throws the ultimate pity-party by deciding to drop out of college. Yes, that's right. Have you ever had one person put you down and decided to throw in the towel? If so, you've been taking lessons from the ultimate bratty pants -- Rory Gilmore. If she can't pass with flying colors, she'd rather fail. Rory decided if things didn't come easy, she'd quit her whole future to become a house-frau and live in her grandparents' pool room. Absolutely no staying power.
6 When she hung out with the Life & Death Brigade
A small-town girl from kooky Stars Hollow, Rory was brought up well by her down-to-earth mom, but the influence of the country club set was never far away with her grandparents' world looming nearby. Getting into Yale introduced Rory to a whole new bunch of people, including eccentric roommates and her sweet friend Marty. But Rory's sense of elitism started to make itself known when she decided to hang out with smooth and suave Logan and his punter sidekicks in the Life & Death Brigade. Following frat-house tradition, the kids in the secret club ran amok and set up extravagant pranks with their parents' money. Rory's looks and intelligence drew the attention of Logan, but keeping up with the Jones's certainly had a price tag. Not only did her old friends barely recognize her, Rory put a distance between her and Lorelai, who knew this world meant trouble from experience.
5 When she tells Christopher to stay away from Lorelei
It wouldn't always have been easy being the kid of Christopher and Lorelai, and there were moments throughout the Gilmore Girls saga when we wanted to strangle the both of them. But after Rory moved out of home and went to college, Christopher reconnects with Lorelei while she's dating Luke. Struggling as a single dad with two-year-old Gigi, Christopher asks Lorelai for advice and yep, she's too happy to give it. Lorelai doesn't have a great track record when it comes to Christopher, so it makes sense that Rory wouldn't be thrilled. But point-blank telling her dad over lunch to stay away from her mom and cracking it when he won't is a tad over the top. Rory punishes her dad for being in contact with her mom by refusing to see him for a period of time because apparently, the worst way to punish someone is not to grace them with her presence for a while until they see the error of their ways.
4 When things don't fall into her lap
Over the seven seasons of Gilmore Girls we've all watched again and again, we know that Rory's a pretty exceptional girl -- smart, pretty and charming -- and things usually go her way. An ugly side of having everything going for you is acting like an entitled child when something doesn't go in your favor. When Rory isn't given high grades, when she doesn't get the boy she wants, when she's not told she's the best at absolutely everything, she crumbles into a little heap. None of this is more apparent than in the revival when she waxes lyrical about how lost she is because she hasn't made it as a journalist at The New Yorker or The Washington Post. Too good to work for a millennial media start-up, Rory's ego has always meant she wants only the best and isn't willing to settle for a “good-enough” option. As a result, she ends up moving home at thirty-two and running her local paper for free. Ouch.
3 When she becomes Logan's mistress
Lorelai Gilmore worked hard to start her own business and tried to raise her daughter to be self-sufficient and independent. But in 2016, Rory prefers moaning about how life didn't go her way, refusing jobs that are beneath her and flying to London on Logan's money. Instead of marrying Logan back when he proposed, flash forward ten years and Rory is once again cheating with her ex (a different ex this time). Seeming to have no compass (moral or actual), she gets grumpy when Logan's fiancee moves in with him -- as though she still expects to be the number one woman in his life. In a brief scene when Jess reappears, she tells him she has absolutely no idea what she's doing -- and we can see what she means. Rory is the product of emotional indulgence. While she didn't grow up rich, being doted on and being able to coast through life because you're smart and pretty can set you up for strife when you're older and have to actually fend for yourself.
2 When she demands to publish Lorelai's life story
Yep -- that moment at the cemetery in the revival series where we wanted to punch Rory Gilmore. One of the better ideas for Rory to start an actual career was Jess's suggestion that she write her's and her mom's story, which becomes Gilmore Girls. While all's well that ends well, Rory's approach to getting her mom's permission is selfish and demanding. Instead of asking for her mom's consent to write on the sensitive subject matter of her own life and pregnancy, Rory demands Lorelai let her do it, no questions asked. Standing at Richard's grave, Rory insists on getting her way (“I need this!”), while Lorelai has to justify why she understandably doesn't want her private story published. And when Rory gets told no? She just does it anyway. Rory goes ahead and pens a chunk of the book, telling her mom later she'll only publish it if Lorelei doesn't mind. It's a cute textbook ending, but really?
1 When she has to take responsibility for her own bad life choices
A telltale sign of a grown-up child is being clueless about the fairly obvious mistakes. Rory Gilmore is a "class A" example of a whiny girl who's had everything handed to her and can't see what she did wrong when things don't work out. Rory was always the apple of everybody's eye and, unfortunately, facing the adult product of an over-indulged childhood is tres' unpleasant. The early-warning signs began when Rory hurt Dean (the first time around) and nearly broke up a marriage (the second time round), leaving someone else to deal with the consequences (Lorelai). But if that didn't convince us, the revival made darn sure we saw the ten-year result of this indulgent behavior. Miserable because she's dating some guy she couldn't care less about while sleeping with Logan, Rory has the audacity to hit both exes Jess and Dean up for sympathy about her life in separate scenes. The moral of the story? Sort yourself out now so you don't end up like Rory Gilmore.