Two guys watching 'Gilmore Girls' teach us all how to watch TV without shame.
These men adore a TV show that basically screams "teenage girl in 2003." And we are all better for it.
Guilty-pleasure TV. You already know what it is. And you, yes you, probably watch some.
It's OK. Don't be afraid to admit it. You know those shows we don't tell other people that we actually really enjoy watching? Or when we do, we say it in that fake ironic way so they know we know how uncool it is, all the while screaming on the inside "OMG, I love that show in a completely unironic way."
My heart cannot lie.
What makes us feel guilty about guilty-pleasure TV?
Sure, sometimes it's because the show has come to symbolize all that is wrong with the world and we really don't want to be caught eating popcorn and getting emotionally invested in whether Kim K finds her earring, all while the very fabric of society rips into a million pieces.
Kim lost her earring and it was a very big deal. GIF from "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."
Oops. There I go being all judgy again.
But seriously, not all guilty-pleasure television is bad. If nothing else, it's clearly entertaining. And isn't that what entertainment is for? So what's the deal?
Well, let's just call a spade a spade:
People feel guilty about guilty-pleasure TV because of [insert dun dun duuuuuuun sound] stereotypes.
Stereotypes about the type of shows certain people are supposed to watch: "Only geeks/old people/silly teenagers/women watch that!" Or stereotypes about the types of shows certain groups of people are never supposed to watch: "Smart people/black people/socially aware people/guys don't watch that!" Even if no one ever says those words out loud, it's definitely implied. But go ahead, take a sec and say them out loud right now.
Seems silly, right?
Kevin Porter and Demi Adejuyigbe could not agree more.
These two guys love "Gilmore Girls."
Yes, "Gilmore Girls." The early 2000s love letter to white teenage girls and the moms who love them. A show about Lorelai Gilmore, the quick-witted, independent single mother who is the daughter of rich upper-crust parents, Rory, her wise-beyond-her-years, studious daughter who is also kind of her best friend, and their quirky little make-believe New England town. It's a show that launched a thousand (still thriving) chat rooms, fan fiction sites, quotes, catchphrases, and 10-year-long debates over which guy should have gotten the girl.
The amazing Rory and Lorelai looking oh so Gilmore Girl-ish. (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
There are a lot of "Gilmore Girls" fans out there. And rightfully so. The show was a critical fave for its sharp dialogue, progressive depiction of gender and family norms, and all around lovable (if prickly) characters.
But it's not a show that anyone would expect two men to fanboy out over. Simply put, it's always been considered kind of ... well ... a teenage girl thing. Until the "Gilmore Guys."
Kevin and Demi love the show so much that they created a podcast just to talk about it.
In this video, they explain how the podcast came to be and how amazing the response to it has been:
They are determined to forever kill the joke "A guy watches what??" There's no punchline or schtick here. Only love. And that experience has taught them so much — not just about "Gilmore Girls" (which they dutifully discuss, episode by episode) but about identity, gender norms, and, yes, stereotypes.
"We're just operating from our perspective as two heterosexual males. It can be an earnest and sincere examination or appreciation of this or that and we don't have to get locked into these ideas of like 'Well if it's got girls in the title, I'm out! No "Gossip Girl" for me, no "Golden Girls," no "New Girl."'"
Having an audience that's mostly women has also taught them a thing or two about feminism.
"When we say we're feminists, we very much acknowledge that we're learning feminists. I think having a listenership that's mostly female is very helpful in people going like, 'Oh, hey, you got this wrong' or 'Hey, it's pretty offensive when you say something like that' or 'Oh hey you should know this.' And we go, 'OK, that's very good to know. Thank you, thank you!'"
Not only have they upped their feminism game, but they've given countless hours of enjoyment to "Gilmore Girls" fans.
Their podcast is a great reminder that it's OK to like what you like, even if it's not what's expected of you.
In the process, you might even end up inspiring others and learning a thing or two that could make you a better human.
Lorelai and Rory totally get it. GIF via "Gilmore Girls."
So thank you, "Gilmore Girls," for giving us the "Gilmore Guys." You have inspired me to confess to the world that I, an adult black woman, also binge-watched "Gilmore Girls" this year. I did so after completing the full "Dawson's Creek" series and — this is a hard one to admit — re-watching the pre-divorce seasons of "Jon & Kate Plus 8." And I would do it all again.



A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 
Gif of baby being baptized
Woman gives toddler a bath Canva


An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.