Gilmore Girls: 10 Things That Scream The Early 2000s | ScreenRant
Gilmore Girls released in 2000, which was an incredible time in fashion, pop culture, and technology. Matching tracksuits and bucket hats were in style, portable CD players were carried around by students at bus stops, and renting a movie on a Friday night was all the rage. It was a special period of time where cell phones were becoming popular but weren't glued to peoples' hands yet.
With Gilmore Girls ending its original series in 2007, a lot has changed since then, which was shown in the reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Newer fans who didn't grow up in the early 2000s may be confused by the show's references but it's easy to point out what screams "aughts" and what doesn't.
10 Pagers
Before people had cell phones, they had pagers. Pagers were portable devices that fit perfectly in someone's pocket where a person could send a quick, shorthand message. When the receiver got a page, they could borrow someone's landline or a payphone and call back the person who sent the page. Or the page could just be a time for a person to come home or a reminder. Regardless of the reason, there were a bunch of characters in Gilmore Girls who had pagers.
9 Flip Phones
Before everyone had iPhones and Androids with touch screens, flip phones were the best of the best. Seeing Lorelai, Rory, and even Luke pull out their flip phones to see who was calling them before flipping it open to answer brings back a lot of memories.
It was a time when a person could only make and receive calls. There were no apps or emailing — cellphones were for calls and that's it.
8 Their Music References
Music was a huge part of the Gilmore ladies' lives, as was the case for Lane Kim. They loved different genres of music and were incredibly picky when it came to bands they found cool enough to listen to.
Adorably, Lane hid CDs in her floorboard, and Rory was seen with a portable CD player on numerous occasions. In one scene, she popped a CD in to listen to while at lunch. These days, people can just listen to music on their phones but that wasn't a thing yet in the 2000s. Artists like Macy Gray, Dido, and Avril Lavigne were all mentioned in the show, along with many others.
7 Juicy Tracksuits & Bucket Hats
Juicy Couture and velour tracksuits were the athleisure staple of the early 2000s. In one memorable scene, Lorelai was wearing a pair of Juicy track pants and her mother was mortified that she had the word "Juicy" on her backside.
But it wasn't just tracksuits that were in style; different kinds of hats were also found on Gilmore Girls. Bucket hats, in particular, were very popular at the time. Lorelai was seen wearing a few different styles of hats but bucket hats scream the 2000s.
6 MacBook Laptops Look Different Today
One of Apple's most popular laptops was in the early 2000s. Known as the Clamshell iBook, it came in a variety of fun colors, had a handle on the backside (to carry like a briefcase), and made technology fun. Seeing Rory type away on her now decades-old laptop in high school and college is a great reminder of how far technology has come.
5 Movie References
It wasn't just music that Lorelai, Rory, and Lane were obsessed with, it was movies too. Lorelai and Rory in particular watched movies from every decade but it was their references to 2000s movies that made teens who grew up in that era smile. Blue Crush (2002), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) were just a few titles referenced in the series.
4 The Pop-Out TVs For Movie Nights
These days, flat-screen TVs can be found in most people's homes. The cords are hidden, the screens are massive, and the picture is clear as day. But in the 2000s, TVs were smaller and boxier (not to mention heavier). They had a larger body in the back, which helped it stand on its own, and they weren't as sleek as the TVs today. Seeing the TV in Lorelai's living room and Rory's bedroom was a sweet reminder of how far TVs have come.
3 One Word: Bandanas
Bandanas were another accessory that both men and women wore in the 2000s. Butterfly clips and fun headbands may have been popular in the '90s but by the time the 2000s rolled around, bandanas took their place. Sookie was a fan of bandanas while cooking, which made sense because it kept her hair out of her face. And Lorelai wore bandanas around the house — especially when sewing, cleaning, or studying.
2 The Task Of Renting Movies
Before streaming services became the norm, going to a local movie store or Blockbuster to rent a movie was what everyone did on a Friday night. It was an easy outing to make the start of the weekend special. Lorelai and Rory would go to Stars Hollow Video and browse the shelves before settling on a movie, grabbing snacks from Doose's, and going home to watch it in peace. There was something thrilling about looking at all of the movie options, grabbing one or two, and having a few days to watch it before taking it back. Ah, good times.
1 Coach Clutches
Before Rory was gifted a Birkin bag from Logan, she and her mom (along with every other woman in the 2000s) carried small purses that fit perfectly under their arms. Large straps with holes in them (so that a person could adjust the length of their bag) were incredibly popular. Clutches by Coach were also sought-after and seen on the Gilmore women.