Saying Goodbye to Liz Lemon, Banisher of Food-Shame

By Chrissy Wilmes Wed., May 23 2012 at 1:00 PM

Categories: Media

NBC announced last week that 30 Rock will in fact return for a seventh -- and final -- season.

The finale of a favorite show is always a tearful event, but 30 Rock has become much more than a 30-minute meta sitcom. Liz Lemon is herself a food institution, the likes of which didn't exist on television before Tina Fey came along and gave awkward, smart, food-loving women everywhere an icon. She not only made it OK to be completely un-cool and relatively un-sexy; she made an entire generation of women feel more comfortable in their relationships with food. Previously unspeakable moments of weakness involving fried breading and cheese have become self-abating comedy fodder instead of objects of shame.

So thank you, Liz Lemon. You taught all of America that while sometimes you find that magical pair of jeans that makes your Cheesy Blaster-plump ass look perfect, there will also be days of bikini bottoms as underwear, lettuce-in-the-hair, slanket fart imperfection. And that's not only acceptable, it's hilarious. You taught us to embrace our flaws and eat what we want -- just not enough to birth a meat cat.