During the 80’s, a plethora of viewers tuned in to watch Emmy worthy performances, and spend time visiting four kooky and occasionally facetious ladies, in the hit series "The Golden Girls." The show allows audience members to grab a slice of cheesecake and hear the lives and stories of four diverse women: Rose, Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia. Despite being lighthearted and humorous, the show tackles many issues such as artificial insemination, gay marriage, dementia, and homelessness. Yet more than this, in each episode there is a lesson or message that audiences can take away and apply in their lives. Here are just a few lessons we can learn from them:
1.Friends are the family you choose.
Often seen as polar opposites, these women utilize their adversities, to help highlight their tight bond, and work through various problems and situations. Although they are from different backgrounds, these women demonstrate the importance of friendship.They work with each other no matter what problem is at hand and show that friends are really the family you choose.
2. The importance of conversation.
Through out the series, cheesecake becomes the emblem of conversation. Many episodes feature the women chatting away over a slice, whilst working through problems. The show mirrors the reality with the tendency to say and act based on impulse and emotion alone. As the women work out their problems, it helps focus upon their friendship, but also on the benefit of discussing their issues to find a solution.
3. Be yourself and own it.
Each of the characters can be seen for their simplistic characterization, for example, Rose can be seen simply as naive and simple-minded, and Blanche can be perceived purely for her taste in men. The show, however, does not hinder in these factors, because the women accept who they are and continue being themselves.
4. The older the wiser.
As Rose said, "my mother always used to say: 'the older you get, the better you get. Unless you're a banana.” In the show, the women are approaching their golden years. The show provides the platform that you do not need to be young to be vivacious, sexy, and ambitious. The women utilize their wisdom along with some guidance to push the envelope and utilize humor as a catalyst to embrace their later chapter in life.In the process, they prove that growing older doesn't have to be a daunting feat.
