The (Not So) Subtle Racism of The Gilmore Girls
Ok, don’t freak out. I like the Gilmore Girls as much as the next 30-something White woman. Promise. I like Lorelai and Rory and life in Stars Hollow. I kinda want to live there myself. I’d eat at Luke’s diner and attend the loveably wacky town meetings; gossip about the will-they/won’t-they of Luke and Lorelai, shop at Doose’s, maybe even have Paris yell at me.
I started watching the show a couple months ago and I queue it whenever I’m at the Y (you know, ’cause I work out now). I had never seen the show so when the entire series was released on Netflix, I thought it would make the perfect companion for me and the rowing machine. And I fell hard for those Gilmore Girls right from the start. Small town life, quirky characters, romance, innocence and entirely surmountable conflict. It practically made me wish I had gotten knocked up at 16 if it meant I’d have the life and verbal skills of Lorelai Gilmore.
Admittedly I’m only 2 seasons deep at this point but the portrayals of people of color on the show, scanty though they may be, are getting harder and harder for me to overlook as I get swept away in the small town politics and social life of Stars Hollow. I wouldn’t have noticed it 15 years ago and I’m guessing a lot of you are scratching your heads and racking your brains, trying to remember if there was some sort of lynching or cross-burning on the WB that you missed.
But that’s not what racism looks like these days. Well, not often, anyway. Racism nowadays is different. In some ways I think it might be even more insidious now than it was 60 years ago because it’s gone even further underground. It’s practically invisible to the dominant culture, enabling us to sit back with our excellent healthcare, our smart kids, and countless other benefits of Whiteness, all the while patting ourselves on the back for allowing a Black man into the oval office.
I think most of us mean well. I really do. But if you don’t see racism in our country today it’s because you aren’t paying attention. Circling back to the Gilmore Girls, I’d like to gently point out some of the things that I find problematic with the show’s cast of characters as I’m guessing that they, too, might be invisible to the casual White observer.
A quick review of the characters in question…
Michel
This is the show’s only Black character, as of Season 2. He is the concierge at the Inn where Lorelei works and his character is an uptight, high maintenance, rude, feminine but hetero, irritable snob. He speaks with an exaggerated French accent and his short scenes presumably provide a comic counterpoint to the other characters’ main plot lines.
Mrs. Kim & Lane
Korean-American mother and daughter. Lane, 16, is best friend to Rory Gilmore. She is the stereotypical 2nd generation kid who just wants to “be normal,” like Rory. Her mother, Mrs. Kim, is an uber conservative Christian (Adventist?) who forbids Lane to listen to music, talk to boys, or eat anything but her hyper-healthy offerings. She is insanely strict. She speaks with a heavy accent and comes across as harsh and clueless at the same time.
And…
Oh wait, that’s it. There aren’t any others. Well, there was the mechanic who checked out the car Dean built for Rory. She was what you might call racially ambiguous (Latina, maybe?) but she, too, spoke with a heavy accent. Her english made her sound dumb although she was obviously intelligent enough to be the one checking out a car built from scratch. But that was a 60-second scene, tops, so we’ll keep our focus on Michel and Mrs. Kim/Lane.
They aren’t characters
The problem with those characters is that they aren’t characters. They’re caricatures.
A caricature is “an imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.”
Mrs. Kim is so over-the-top, so insane, so intense. Her character is indeed a grotesque exaggeration of a stereotypical Asian immigrant parent. Michel, while not what one would call “stereotypical Black” is likewise entirely outlandish. He is so petty, so snobbish, so rude. Both characters are at once unbelievable and entirely one-dimensional.
There are, of course, other characters on the show that are largely one-dimensional as well. Ms. Patty, the flamboyant dance teacher, for example. Or Babette the cat lady who lives in that weird house with her strange husband. But see, the difference is that those characters are portrayed as charming. A little out there, maybe, but overall lovable and endearing. Not so with Michel and Mrs. Kim. They aren’t remotely like-able, either one. But we aren’t meant to like them. We’re meant to loathe them. They are portrayed as less real and therefore less relatable. Less human.
Lane is like-able but only because she wants to be like Rory and any other “normal American teenager.” We root for her and pray she can pull a fast one on her mom because she wants to be like us! She wants to ditch the Korean doctor set ups and listen to rock & roll and kiss boys. Her Korean-ness isn’t to be celebrated or even explored. It’s to be escaped.
The Repetition Principle
In the case of the Gilmore Girls it could be argued that this was all mere coincidence. And that may well be. But the reason it’s problematic is because it’s something that has been repeated regularly on TV and in the movies for decades. Screenwriters and marketers are our modern day story-tellers and the story of Michel & Mrs. Kim is one that is repeated again and again and again.
Repetition Principle tells us that if something happens often enough, we will eventually be persuaded. If we are shown a particular depiction of something often enough, we will eventually be persuaded to believe what we see. No one is immune to this. So if we allow these grotesque exaggerations to go unchecked, if we continue to puff up these portrayals of characters we love to hate, if we continue to tell these un-true stories about certain people, we will eventually be persuaded to believe them — when maybe all we really wanted was something entertaining to distract us on the treadmill.
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UPDATE – May 11, 2015
I have now finished all 7 seasons (TeamLukeFTW), at the behest of several blog readers. I didn’t detest Michel quite as much by the end of the series but otherwise my thoughts still stand.
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Other posts on Race
Can I Get An Amen… from the Awkward White Lady?
Misplaced Imagining
Feeling Your Skin
Fury in Ferguson
I see your point, I truly do. There are certainly not enough characters of color on the show. And the depth of Michel’s character is about the same as Miss Patty or Taylor. And that’s the beauty of the townspeople: to make us laugh and be quirky. Not necessarily to take a center stage. But I do love that Gypsy, a woman of likely Latina descent, is a mechanic. This is not a career often chosen for a Latina woman on TV.
However, I disagree with your assertion that Lane and Mrs. Kim are caricatures. That might be because you’ve only watched the first two seasons. Throughout the series, they have a complex and beautiful relationship, with many twists and turns. We learn that Mrs. Kim has done her own bit of hiding from her family, too. Lane returns to her Korean and religious roots when faced with big decisions like love and family. I hope you do watch the rest of the series so you can see the many facets of these characters. Enjoy!
I thought the most racist person on the show was Lane’s mom who seems obsessed with the idea that her daughter must marry another Korean and hates any other man of any other race who might date her daughter. Could you imagine if Lane’s mom was white and had such strong feelings about her daughter needing to marry another white person? That would never fly.
I recently started rewatching Gilmore Girls and I couldn’t agree more! Lorelai and Rory should be the poster children of white privilege. It’s ironic that, whether or not Rory deserves it, her grandfather gets her a meeting with the dean and ultimately into Yale yet her abilities never once get questioned. I’m pretty sure she never once gets told that she’s taking the spot of a kid who deserved to get in on merit. I like the show but it’s pretty obvious that it was written from a non-exposed, non-inclusive, white American background. @disqus_ltF88JoBkF:disqus the point isn’t that certain characters in the show are racist it’s that the show in itself is. The generalizations and “otherification” of pretty much every character that doesn’t fit into the white suburban box is pretty problematic.
You mentioned that nowadays, racism is more subtle. I don’t think that’s the case. Although we certainly don’t have (much of) the blatant outrageous racism like in the 1960s, I actually think that we’re too busy looking for racism where it isn’t there, as a response in the other extreme. I’m not saying any form of racism is acceptable, but actively trying to find racism in everything isn’t very healthy, either.
As for the lack of racial diversity, it would be a problem with a show like Friends, but in the small-town everyone-knows-everyone Stars Hollow in Connecticut, a predominantly white population seems plausible.
And for Lane and Mrs. Kim, it may be that you just have not big enough a sample size. Not to give away too much, but as the show progresses, you learn a lot more about Mrs. Kim, and that she has done quite a bit of hiding of her own from her own parents. Also, Gilmore Girls is the first show I’ve seen where, instead of reciting kinda-“Asian”-sounding gibberish off the script, all the Korean characters actually speak PERFECT Korean! (Well, except for Lane, but that’s understandable)
I’d recommend you to keep watching it. It’s a really good show nonetheless.
Not to give too much away, but she actually eases up and really changes as a person as the show goes on. Easily one of my favorite characters by the end of the show.
Don’t confuse smart kids with well educated kids.
bingo! I’m Indian and the racism in the show is pretty appalling, not to mention the relationship b/w mother-daughter is that of a narcissist and her accomplice. i love the show but sometimes it’s hard to believe how exclusively for-white (folks) it is. doesn’t really cater to an outside audience except as a tutorial in narcissism.
I completely agree. I am also a big fan of the show and it only struck me halfway through the 5th or 6th season, when there suddenly appears a black car repairer (for about 30 seconds). “Wait a minute! Why is this the first normal African American (I don’t count Michel as normal) on the show?” Then I recalled that the whole idea of the show was to portray an ideal small town community and I felt bad for not having noted it earlier. Our racist subconscious has played a dirty trick on us.
I was looking for something to stream while I’m cooking in the kitchen and finally decided to see what this show was all about. I truly had no idea other than that it’s a much loved show whose reunion series is in the works. I can see myself buying into the fantasy of the quaint New England town with its festively decorated Main Street where folks go to shop for office supplies and groceries at small independently owned stores. But some of the characters in the show just irk me: The artistocratic grandparents, Lane, Lane’s mom (what type of Asian accent is that?), the mean girl Paris, the arrogant Frenchman Michel (really??). I don’t know if I can keep watching this without feeling annoyed.
Keen observation and extremely well written.
I cannot relate to the show or understand its immense popularity. I grew up with middle class/upper middle class people and they are wonderful, giving, and unselfish people whom are friends with all kind of people of varying races and religions.
This irritating show makes it seem that middle class/upper middle class people are privileged, narcissistic and selfish which is untrue for the most part.
Also in the community service there were 3 black people. More than the rest of the entire show!
Stars Hollow is the perfect neighborhood because there is no black people except for the dude who works in the hotel. I wish my neighborhood was like this fictitious town.
I agree with you! Fine if Stars Hollow is a primarily white town but even at Yale, Rory didn’t really befriend minorities and hardly any were in scenes or in the most minute roles. There was one episode where Paris/Rory are looking for boy advice and talk to Janet/black friend but you could tell Paris/Rory thought very little of them overall. And then the way the Gilmores (particularly Emily) treated Richard’s black home nurse after his heart attack was really terrible. I hope the revival does a better job with this aspect.
Jerk. Stay away from any town I’m in. Would never want a neighbor or someone in the community that thinks like you
I forgot to name Logan’s British partner in his business. Very minor character but of course they tanked their company and millions together..
I’ve seen every episode multiple times through the years and still regularly watch reruns so notice a lot more than the first time I saw the series many years ago. Some major things that bother me are how privileged and spoiled Rory behaves. I’m sure others have noticed since rewatching the series. I also think Lorelai was often very unreasonable with her parents. Regardless I will be watching the revival and am excited to see where the story goes.
And why is that Miss. April??? You name me one town that minorities have moved into and haven’t destroyed. Move out of your fairly decent community into trash and than talk your shit. Live in a town in which you have to worry about your wife and child’s safety everytime he wants to ride his bike. Star’s Hollow is perfect
So do you think all criminals are minorities? Guess again! There are so many white criminals and they can be found in EVERY SINGLE TOWN. Find yourself a safer place to live but don’t blame minorities and realize how many white people are also criminals.
Okay this is a super late comment, but I just can’t help myself. I am currently in the midst of procrastinating my project on racial prejudice in politics, and I came across this article in a mindless google search for inspiration.
I apologise, but I completely (or partly) disagree with you. I have seen the show (red. Gilmore Girls) numerous of times. I am a hardcore fan and personally love every single character on the show; even Mrs Kim, Gypsy (the mechanic) and especially Michel. Michel has almost become my inner voice telling me that Ennui is a perfectly acceptable reason for dismaying all responsibilities. But Stars Hollow neither attempts to portray the ‘perfect’ small town (on the contrary; it tries to portray what is wrong with a homogenous and enclosed small town, controlled by a neat-freak (caucasian, might I add)), nor single out the few POC living there as distasteful, anti-american misanthropes. Michel, portrayed by Yanic Truesdale, who is in fact Canadian, and therefore most likely has an original french accent (What do I know, I am not even American myself), is coincidentally black, but over the series develops as a kind-hearted metrosexual with a stoic appearance. Even Mrs Kim shows her true colours of being a caring and worrying mother, who also hides her seventh-day adventist religion a secret from her own buddhist mother (talk about a mother-complex!).
I can’t argue with the fact that Rory doesn’t befriend that many POC at neither Chilton or Yale. I suppose there is some psychological or freudian term for people who have lived their entire childhood in a small homogeneously caucasian town will be drawn to other just-as-white people, I don’t know.
But rest assured, Gilmore Girls originally took place in pre-modern-feminism, where racial diversity on television was not a serious issue that producers (some at least) try hard to deliver.
So! My point in that long rant is; relax! almost all two-dimensional characters will eventually become three-dimensional (or is it one to two?), so just sit back and enjoy the crazy Gilmore ride!
You sound like you’re one rant away from shooting up a school, or any public place full of innocent people. chill out.
I just wanted to say that Ms. Patty is not white.
And I’m confused as to how you missed that since you seem rather authoritative.
Also. Michel is in no way loathesome. And we are in no way meant to loathe him. He is hilarious. And lovable because of it. And spends a lot of time calling a bunch of privileged white people on their bullshit. And he is not at all feminine from the viewpoint of the French (and I live in France, so I know what I’m talking about). And he calls Lorelei on her self- absorbed bullshit. And:
Lorelei is not actually a very sympathetic character…and not really a great mother…on purpose…which is really brave and complex, actually. For example, letting Rory sleep through her test because she didn’t actually wake her up and get her to bed like any semi-good mother would…or, dating her teacher when she clearly said she wouldn’t if there was even a little weirdness–these are Not mistakes on the parts of the writers. It takes a long time to hash out a script. They know what they are doing when those eff-ups happen on L’s part.
I am currently up past my bedtime…but I just had to say this. Perhaps I will write later. Perhaps not. Either way, I’m pretty sure your hackles will rise up and you will strike back. (But really, I can’t believe you didn’t realize that Miss Patty is not white….)
super late comment. Just wanted to say that I agree with you that Gilmore Girls is a completely white-washed show. However, I disagree with some of your other assessments. Firstly, Mrs. Kim and Michele, as others have noted, are in no way loathesome. Miss Patty is Hispanic, which you obviously missed (and, I would add, portrayed as promiscuous and hypersexual). And indeed, Jess “The Bad Boy” Mariano is certainly a caricature of an Italian American from New York City. But the thing is, they’re all caricatures. Emily and Richard are WASPS. Paris is an overprivileged latchkey kid. Babette is a crazy small tow cat lady. The only blatantly ethnic character is named “Gypsy.” Lorelei and Rory are completely flawed characters as well. Yes, the show is definitely racist in its exploitation of cultural stereotypes and lack of minority characters. But they’re ALL cultural stereotypes. The show is certainly charming, but it’s not exactly deep.
Just my two cents– I think race is problematic in this show (which is one of my favorite), because of its conspicuous absence of diversity of personality. Not because of the few depictions of that it has. I don’t see particularly anything wrong with Michel or Ms. Kim– they are as exaggerated as all the other townies. Also Emily Kuroda (Ms. Kim) claims that she wasn’t doing an exaggerated Asian accent, she was doing (per instructions) an exaggerated drill instructor voice.
the first person of color we see is a faceless black bellhop taking orders from a barking white woman.
i just started watching tonight, and now i remember why i never started watching – it’s BLINDINGLY white
The gay jokes are pretty bad, too. However… I don’t hate Michel or Mrs. Kim, I love them to pieces. Mrs. Kim does have dimension, she has little scenes with her daughter that show other sides to her personality. I worked with a Michel, myself, and as acerbic as he was, he also was there as a shoulder to cry on, and, like Michel, liked to go for coffee and shoot the shit. It is a VERY white show, to be sure, but it’s tough for people of colour to stake out a claim in a white town. I live in one such town, myself. We had ten Asian people living here before the latest development. Now, of course, the diversity has boomed and the whitest of the white are hiding, while the rest of us enjoy the Tali buffet. I actually think that BLONDES were portrayed as the worst of the worst on that show. Controlling or vapid or just plain stupid. Paris… but we love her too.
I am Hispanic and I did notice the show is mostly white but didn’t care and liked the storyline despite the lack of diversity. Mr. Patty is Latina and surprised the article over looked it.
You can move to the mid west, im sure you can find something there.
Thank you! I never watched any episode of the older seasons because I found them so boring, but now that Netflix brought it back I thought I would give it a shot. I’m not even done with the first episode and I can’t believe the level of racism already, (specially the scenes with the old lady’s housekeeper— I mean, it’s 2016????). So, I think I’m done watching this ridiculous show.
They also make a lot of racist jokes. For example, there’s an episode where Lorelei and Rory go to the house of a Harvard Alum and Lorelei keeps making fun of a painter with a middle Eastern name. Or how when the town changes street names they talk about a Native street name that clearly sounds made up and has no actual Native roots as one of the show’s jokes. Then Lorelei says the suggestion to name that street a Native name is not a real suggestion because the name is “impossible to pronounce”.
Plus, the show is so classist! People with working class jobs are treated as not good enough. And even though Luke, Lorelei, Sooki and Kirk all have very low paying jobs, they have the means to buy houses and inns. Because that the world we live in, where someone like Kirk who works odd working class jobs can realistically save 250k. Come on now.
I also got to say, Paris’s character is the stereotype of the neurotic unstable bossy Jewish girl as well.
All the characters were basically one-dimensional and TV tropes. I don’t think Lane, Kim and Michel were exceptions. Lorelai’s mother and father were stereotypical uptight wasps, Paris was a type A over-achiever, Dean was the good-guy, Jess was the bad boy, Luke was a lovable grinch.
The racial problem with Gilmore Girls is NOT the stereotypes applied to the minorities. Its the fact that its basically a White Fantasy land where minorities don’t really belong. Its racist because when white people think of their ideal fantasies that is exactly what they are thinking of…a world which is mostly white.
I actually don’t think its that hard for white people to expand their imaginations to imagine a fantasy world inhabited by minorities. Bill Cosby did it. You can still have your white picket fences, neatly manicured lawns etc. Middle class lives. And problems with the candy shop. Trust me.
The funny thing about all these white liberals complaining about racism is that they have mostly white friends, white lovers and live in a white world. White liberals are the whitest white people. And the minorities who end up liberal are mostly that way because they are in love with whiteness.
It’s small town Connecticut. If anything, racial diversity is overstated on the show compared to real life small town Connecticut.
The Rory character graduated valedictorian at her prestigious private school. She was accepted into Harvard and Princeton as well as Yale. I assume her dad had nothing to do with that.
She comes from small town Connecticut. Probably a fairly white environment. Not everything has to balanced with three blacks, an attractive lesbian couple a fabulous homosexual and handicapped Latino.
You people…..smh.
How many white people are there in tv shows in India? How many Indians live in rural Connecticut?
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