6 Reasons Buffy the Vampire Slayer Was (and Still Is) the Best Show Ever

She was one of the first strong female leads who was also a teenager. She didn't need a guy to take care of her — she showed us girls that we were strong too. As young women dealing with teenage drama, we needed to see that empowerment in someone else. Plus, she set the precedent for series like Alias and Veronica Mars and made us ask, “Where’s the kickass female?” whenever we watched other shows and movies.

Thanks to the show, we learned how valuable friendships were in our teenage years. Buffy, Willow, and Xander were always there for each other and complemented one other. Willow gradually came into her own with the help of her friends and Buffy felt safe enough to share her secret with them.

Buffy accurately captured the teen experience without being condescending. Like us, the characters got embarrassed by their moms, experienced heartbreak, dealt with friendship drama, and felt like their worlds were ending. (Remember that time Willow had a meltdown when she couldn't find a certain shirt to wear to the hospital in "The Body" episode?). Sure, every episode had supernatural elements, but the fantastic storytelling kept it real and always revolved around the human experience.

Take Buffy . . . sure, she kicked ass but she was vulnerable and girlie at the same time, which was OK. Case in point: after Angel turned evil in the "Innocence" episode, Buffy showed her fierce side by trying to attack him in order to save Xander. Not too long after, though, she was sobbing at home after seeing Angel's ring on her finger and the cross that he had given her. She was complicated — in the best way possible.

"I'm cookie dough." — Buffy
"I’ve seen honest faces before. They’re usually attached to liars." — Willow
"Out.for.a.walk.bitch." — Spike
"I'm not exactly quaking in my stylish yet affordable boots." — Buffy
"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me." — Buffy

Shall we continue?

For many of us, Buffy changed how we looked at the world — it made us think about our purpose in life and how we were going to impact the world in a positive way, like she did. Her time on earth was important, and we realized that ours was too.