It's been 20 years since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired on television with Welcome to the Hellmouth. I was 11 when it came out and I watched it live for the first 6 seasons with my family. It means a lot to me and helped shaped me as a person. Buffy, Anya, Cordelia, Willow, Tara, and so many other female characters showed me that there were so many different ways to be strong, capable, and human. Even though the first season is now a little hard to watch, it's instrumental to forming the solid relationships moving forward in the series. All the bad acting and bad effects can't hide the solid origins of the show.
Season 6 in particular has changed for me as I got older. When I was a kid, it seemed too depressing, too messy, and too different especially compared to the rest of the series. I related more to the earlier seasons when the themes in high school and early college were more topic for me. Now, season 6 is so raw and realistic. It didn't really have a Big Bad until the very end. Life and reality were the true villains of that season. Characters dealt with toxic relationships, attempted rape, depression, becoming a parent, dealing with debt, dropping out of college, losing loved ones, and above all feeling hopeless. It acknowledged all of these feelings instead of stamping them down.
This show is so many things to so many people because it's still very relevant today. Anyone who has felt like an outsider can relate to the Scooby Gang. Awesome articles have been coming out for the anniversary including the AV Club's interview series, The Atlantic's praise of The Body, and io9's 20 Things We Still Love about Buffy 20 Years Later. Google anywhere and you will find the love of Buffy, especially from the stars of the show like Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz, and Clare Kramer. Go forth and celebrate Buffy!
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