Too old, too young

(From my Tumblr)

When "Sex and the City" was on TV, I was just young enough that I never completely related with what the characters were going through.

I enjoyed watching it and there were definitely moments that reminded me of situations in my own life, but the women always seemed a step ahead of me. They had established jobs while I was working as a news assistant. When they were all worried about weddings, I was most definitely not. And after Miranda had a baby, I completely lost my ability to relate to her.

Now the opposite is happening with, "Girls," HBO's new show about New York twentysomethings. I liked it, I laughed, but it certainly didn't change my life.

Today I spent many minutes reading hipster blogs that hated or loved this show, but either way, both sides felt very strongly about their argument.

I wasn't offended by the self-aware characters like a few people my age were. Some situations, like terrible indie boys and crazy friends, are things all girls can relate to at some point.

But I didn't feel like anyone on that show was speaking directly to me. I never had a trust fund or lived in New York or felt all aimless about life.

It's a weird situation to feel mild affection for something others are so passionate about. Like I'm left out of a movement, again.

So who were the TV girls that spoke to me? These are the first three that come to mind.*

1. Lindsay Weir of "Freaks and Geeks"

This show came out when I was already in my 20s, but there wasn't anyone like this on TV when I was in high school. (I had Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place.) Lindsay dealt with exactly the same things I did at her age, especially trying to navigate her place between her intellectual and freak friends. For me it was the arty kids and the glamorous surfer girls.

2. Angela Chase of "My So Called Life"

Because she dyed her hair the color I was never brave enough to try and fought with her mom like I did and because she just felt things, you know?

3. Denise Huxtable of "The Cosby Show"

She embodied what I wanted to be when I grew up: stylish and confident. Denise didn't exactly fit in with the rest of her family, but in a way that was more empowering than alienating.

(*I know this list is predictable, and I could have searched for totally obscure people to include, but that would have been a lie. Also, it goes without saying that Molly Ringwald is by far the number one influence on my teen years, but she wasn't on TV.)