This week, I’ve begun rewatching "Glee" for the first time since I was 17-years-old. Now, we make fun of "Glee" because of Ryan Murphy’s dramatic directing and over-the-top script. We make fun of it and use iconic lines from the show in daily conversations. "Glee" really was so dramatic for a show about high schoolers. The show exercised every romantic pairing and every possible love triangle they could think of. However, their coming of age stories, the power of music, creativity and celebrating diversity proves that it is only now that I am able to look back and truly thank "Glee" for the amazing lessons that it has taught me.
"Glee" was influential to me when I was in high school. I can’t imagine being a high schooler and not having watched "Glee." It was a celebration for all, especially those who were outcasts. Those who liked show tunes a little bit “too much." It was also for the shy, lonely and minority kids who found community by sharing a passion with one another. I personally think that "Glee" should be a required show for all high schoolers to watch. I’m pretty sure that a 14-year-old kid now doesn’t even know the joy of the "Glee" era and how they are reaping the benefits from the post-"Glee" era.
Let me explain that thought. Before "Glee," it was probably even more difficult to be an LGBT kid because there hadn’t really been another mainstream television show that celebrated different identities in a high school setting the way "Glee" did. That's not to say that kids aren't bullied anymore, but this is just more alluding to the plentiful resources that have developed in the past decade than before "Glee" aired.
The importance of representation and normalization of those who are minorities is essential because the media is where we receive all of our mainstream perceptions of people. Of course, a lot of "Glee" is dramatic but that makes it even better. Drama television shows are always over the top and looking back on it, the normalization of different identities prove that to be important because of the mentality of equality for all.
"Glee" explored various numbers of coming of age stories that have become some of the best anecdotes for those who watched the show when its empire was prosperous. From dealing with loss, teen pregnancy, mental illness, internalized homophobia, working to achieve dreams, college applications and coming out, the show was able to portray the various stories that we have come to know in our own high school experiences.
Along with the universal high school caste system of jocks and cheerleaders owning the halls, "Glee" told it all. From universal to niche and personal topics, the stories, albeit told a bit ridiculously dramatic (and sometimes bad) at times, were still able to have us watching and root for our favorite underdogs.
"Glee" is one of the most important shows in the 21st century. I implore everyone to encourage younger people to watch the show. Personal issues are always stifled in younger kids because of the lack of mainstream normalization and representation. With a show that celebrates differences and acceptance, youths can feel more comfortable in their own skin and have a success story of their own to tell someday. I'm so glad I've begun watching it again as an adult because I remember what it's like to be a weird high school kid. Now, I understand how I accepted and embraced that part of me.
