Those that really know me know that I love The Golden Girls. I love catching old reruns, some episodes I know two seconds into the opening scene. I even have a small collection of Golden Girl memorabilia. My house plants are named after the ladies. Don’t judge me!
In case you have been living on another planet and have no idea what the Golden Girls is, it is a sitcom that aired from 1985 to 1992. The premise is four women from different walks of life sharing a posh decorated home in Miami. The show had the best opening song EVER…not up for debate. This show pushed the envelope for its time period with risqué topics like interracial marriage, homosexuality, women’s rights, homelessness, and drug abuse to name a few. This show is the blueprint for some of our most loved sitcoms and chick flicks.
Like any show, everyone has a favorite character. But when it comes to my GGs, I can’t choose a favorite. In my opinion, they are all pretty phenomenal women, that we can learn from.
Dorothy Zbornak
Dorothy was a divorced substitute teacher from New York. A tall, statuesque woman with a salt and pepper coif. She was a smart woman with a sharp tongue. She could eloquently read any and everyone for filth. She had a knack for one-liners and priceless facial expressions. She never backed down from a confrontation and was fiercely protective of her friends and family.
Blanche Devereaux
Before there was Sex and the City and Samantha Jones there was Blanche Devereaux. Blanche was a widowed Southern Belle from Georgia that worked at an art museum. A spicy redhead with a zeal for life. She was extremely confident and unapologetic about her sex appeal. She never apologized for her many many suitors. While she was extremely confident in herself, she had her vulnerable moments. But it did not take Blanche long to dust herself off, adjust her crown and strut her stuff.
Rose Nylund
The naïve, widow turned social worker from St. Olaf, Minnesota. Rose was never at a loss for an odd story or anecdote from her hometown. Rose was the ultimate optimist. She saw the world through child-like eyes and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. On the flip side, Rose was fiercely competitive and went to great lengths to win.
Sophia Petrillo
Picture it…a tiny little white-haired Sicilian woman with a tongue as sharp as a knife. Sophia was Dorothy’s mom who came to live with the ladies after her senior citizens’ home burned down. Sophia was a spunky old lady that was quick-witted and took pride in her verbal jabs. I guess that’s where Dorothy got it from. Like Rose, she always had a story to help the ladies solve their problems. She was also a mother figure to Rose and Blanche. Sophia too had a vigorous love life, at one point she even got remarried, but that was short-lived. Fun fact: even though she was the oldest character on the show, in real life she was the youngest of the four ladies.
While the ladies were vastly different, they had several commonalities that balanced this fierce girl tribe. They were wives, mothers, they shared issues with their jobs, children, and men. Lots of issues with men! These problems were usually solved around the kitchen table and included lots of food and cheesecake.
When I think of these women, I realize that we should all strive to have a little of each Golden Girl in us. May we be smart, quick witted and fiercely protective of our loved ones like Dorothy Zbornak. We should have the confidence of Blanche Devereaux, be unapologetic about our sex appeal, and quick to dust ourselves off and adjust our crowns. We should all try to see the world through child-like eyes and be as optimistic and positive as possible like Rose Nylund. We can all use a dose of Rose’s competetive spirit as well. May we all have the spunk of Sophia Petrillo, help our loved ones solve their issues, and mother figures to all in need. But most importantly we should all be so blessed and thankful to have a loving and supportive group of friends like these ladies. And perhaps even more importantly may we all have cheesecake!
Thank you for being a friend…..
