100 Kick-Ass Female Characters: #53
53. Paris Geller, as seen on Gilmore Girls, portrayed by Liza Weil
Gilmore Girls is one of my all-time, favorite shows. I don't even mind Season 7 (which is pretty much universally reviled.) I love Stars Hollow, all the Gilmores, I will forever weep Jess Mariano is not a real person, my best friend and I made Huntzbergered a word (Huntzbergered: v. to make a character do something wildly out of character which makes absolutely no sense in order to move the plot forward at the expense of the character. Ex: Did you see what Robb did in the season 2 finale? He got totally Huntzbergered.) But the character who took the most time for me to truly embrace is also the character that, after many rewatchings, is the character I love the most.
We are first introduced to Paris in the pilot. She is the best student at Chilton and does not like competition. Actively working to sabotage Rory at every turn, we also get glimpses of the Paris she keeps hidden: the girl who was essentially raised by her Brazilian nanny, the girl whose rich parents ignore her and air their divorce in the press, the girl who doesn't have a lot of friends and has no idea how to talk to boys. As the series progressed, especially during the Chilton years, Paris and Rory's relationship was equal parts competition, hatred, and genuine friendship, but one thing could never be debated: Paris is smart, driven, and highly ambitious.
By the time they become roommates at Yale, Paris has softened in some ways (no longer actively trying to destroy Rory at every turn) and hardened in others (poor Jamie never saw it coming.) But Paris is still the Paris who refuses to settle for anything less than best. She's the editor of the Yale Daily News (you know, until the coup), she's both pre-law and pre-med, and she literally gets accepted to every grad school she applies to, both for law and medicine. Four years after being rejected from Harvard, Paris is accepted into medical school there, and, even when she tries to break up with Doyle to make sure he does not factor into her decision making process, Doyle still goes with her because he loves her so much.
What makes Paris such a great character (and, I'd venture, an even better character than Rory) is Paris never allows herself to be distracted from what she wants and what she hopes to become. She may have a crush on a boy (Tristan), be dating one (Professor Flemming, Jamie), or even a long-term relationship with one (Doyle), but her chosen path never wavers. Paris is one of the most driven, ambitious adolescent girls ever shown on television, and, rather than making her a cookie-cutter villain, we see that Paris is actually very insecure and deeply human. Even when she wants something "girlier," she is not willing to have it at the expense of her dreams, her ambitions, and all she has worked for in her life. When she has to make her choice in grad schools, she actually tries to end her romantic relationship because Paris does not want her feelings for Doyle to in any way cloud her judgment; that is how dedicated Paris is to putting herself and her aspirations first, which, quite frankly, is something that rarely exists in media aimed at teenage girls. In Paris's world, her goals and ambitions are more important than any boyfriend.
And that is a type of kick-ass more girls need to embrace.
Gilmore Girls is one of my all-time, favorite shows. I don't even mind Season 7 (which is pretty much universally reviled.) I love Stars Hollow, all the Gilmores, I will forever weep Jess Mariano is not a real person, my best friend and I made Huntzbergered a word (Huntzbergered: v. to make a character do something wildly out of character which makes absolutely no sense in order to move the plot forward at the expense of the character. Ex: Did you see what Robb did in the season 2 finale? He got totally Huntzbergered.) But the character who took the most time for me to truly embrace is also the character that, after many rewatchings, is the character I love the most.
We are first introduced to Paris in the pilot. She is the best student at Chilton and does not like competition. Actively working to sabotage Rory at every turn, we also get glimpses of the Paris she keeps hidden: the girl who was essentially raised by her Brazilian nanny, the girl whose rich parents ignore her and air their divorce in the press, the girl who doesn't have a lot of friends and has no idea how to talk to boys. As the series progressed, especially during the Chilton years, Paris and Rory's relationship was equal parts competition, hatred, and genuine friendship, but one thing could never be debated: Paris is smart, driven, and highly ambitious.
By the time they become roommates at Yale, Paris has softened in some ways (no longer actively trying to destroy Rory at every turn) and hardened in others (poor Jamie never saw it coming.) But Paris is still the Paris who refuses to settle for anything less than best. She's the editor of the Yale Daily News (you know, until the coup), she's both pre-law and pre-med, and she literally gets accepted to every grad school she applies to, both for law and medicine. Four years after being rejected from Harvard, Paris is accepted into medical school there, and, even when she tries to break up with Doyle to make sure he does not factor into her decision making process, Doyle still goes with her because he loves her so much.
What makes Paris such a great character (and, I'd venture, an even better character than Rory) is Paris never allows herself to be distracted from what she wants and what she hopes to become. She may have a crush on a boy (Tristan), be dating one (Professor Flemming, Jamie), or even a long-term relationship with one (Doyle), but her chosen path never wavers. Paris is one of the most driven, ambitious adolescent girls ever shown on television, and, rather than making her a cookie-cutter villain, we see that Paris is actually very insecure and deeply human. Even when she wants something "girlier," she is not willing to have it at the expense of her dreams, her ambitions, and all she has worked for in her life. When she has to make her choice in grad schools, she actually tries to end her romantic relationship because Paris does not want her feelings for Doyle to in any way cloud her judgment; that is how dedicated Paris is to putting herself and her aspirations first, which, quite frankly, is something that rarely exists in media aimed at teenage girls. In Paris's world, her goals and ambitions are more important than any boyfriend.
And that is a type of kick-ass more girls need to embrace.