Grey’s Anatomy: 5 Most Shameless Things Callie Ever Did (& 5 She Should Be Proud Of)

Callie Torres was a major character on the popular ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy for over a decade. She was introduced as a peripheral character but became a fan-favorite and was woven into the storyline on a permanent basis soon enough.

Callie was fun, exuberant, with the sort of energy that is infectious, and lived life on her own terms. However, despite being really good at heart, she wasn’t beyond doing a few shameless things.

10 Ashamed: Railroading George

Callie’s first appearance in the series was as a romantic interest for George O’Malley. The first thing the two did was getting married in Vegas. Unfortunately, George was too malleable and could be railroaded into doing something that he didn’t necessarily want to do.

And Callie did just that, unthinkingly, forcing him to marry instead of taking it slow. She even got him to agree to have a baby and stayed at an expensive hotel, without letting him have a say.

9 Proud: Her Journey Of Self-Discovery

Callie Torres’s journey of self-discovery, especially when it came to her sexuality, was inspiring. Initially, she was introduced as a straight character who fell in love with and married George O’Malley.

She then went on an arc of exploring her sexuality and eventually realized that she was comfortable with both men and women. However, perhaps she preferred women a tad more for she began a long-term relationship with peds surgeon Arizona Robbins, while at the same time having a baby with Mark Sloan. Complicated and full of drama though it was, her self-exploration was something Callie should be proud of.

8 Ashamed: Not Taking A Stand About Africa

Something Callie cannot be proud of though was her constant nagging and complaining after Arizona won a wonderful opportunity to go to Africa on a prestigious grant and help young kids who needed medical attention.

Now, Callie was justified in being worried about giving up her life and moving to another country for her girlfriend’s sake. But she could have had a proper conversation with Arizona about her feelings. Instead, she ended up having pent up feelings and kept on whining until the whole thing blew up in her face and Arizona abandoned her in the airport. Of course, Callie was devastated but somehow she seemed to have brought it on herself.

7 Proud: Fighting Her Parents Over Arizona

Callie fought her father Carlos to be with Arizona. A good Christian by faith, Carlos had gone to the extent of summoning a priest to pray with Callie after she had revealed to him that she was with a woman.

Callie stood up for her and Arizona against her father’s archaic beliefs. Even later, when her mother clearly disapproved of her marriage with Arizona and her little baby, Callie was upset but still didn’t give up on her relationship. At no point did she let society tie her down.

6 Ashamed: Letting Bailey Do The Lion’s Share

In season 4, Callie was made Chief Resident but she fell massively short of expectations, not being able to tackle her surgeries along with the extra duties expected of the Chief Resident.

At this time, Bailey took over from her and did most of the work that was ideally Callie’s responsibility. Surprisingly, Callie went away with the credit for some time until it became clear she wasn’t up for the position.

5 Proud: Becoming Self-made

Calliope Torres came from a wealthy family, something she told George during their brief marriage. Her father was an affluent man and Callie didn’t really need to work as far as finances were concerned.

However, she did work and became a successful surgeon. The fact that she didn’t rely solely on her father’s money and made her own way in the world was impressive and empowering in general.

4 Ashamed: Deciding To Take Sophia Away From Arizona

Callie’s decision to move to NY with Penny and her daughter Sophia was not her proudest moment. Callie might have given birth to Sophia but she was just as much Arizona’s daughter, for the latter had legally adopted her and loved her deeply.

When Callie sprung the news on Arizona that she was moving to NY with Penny and taking Sophia with her, she should have realized that Arizona would not give up her right to being a mother quite so easily. Callie’s impulsive decision caused her to lose custody of little Sophia in the end, something that could have been avoided.

3 Proud: Being Body Positive

One of the proudest and most empowering things about Callie was her positivity and confidence in her own beauty and body. She wasn’t a size zero but these so-called conventional definitions of beauty didn’t confine her.

One of Callie’s earliest scenes included her living in the hospital’s basement and dancing in her underwear. She repeated this once again after breaking up with Arizona when she felt free once more. Her approach to her body was inspiring and refreshing.

2 Ashamed: Letting The Lawyers Harass Arizona

Callie not only decided to take Sophia away from Arizona, but she also allowed her lawyers to harass Arizona shamelessly, simply to prove that the latter wasn’t suited to be a mother.

Callie’s advocate used Arizona’s success as a surgeon against her to show that she had neither the time nor the inclination to be a mother. The lawyer also brought up the fact that Arizona wasn’t related to Callie by blood. These were harsh things to say indeed, and not something one would expect from Callie Torres.

1 Proud: Surviving The Car Accident

Callie was in a major car accident in season 7. She was pregnant at the time and for a while, the doctors at Seattle Grace weren’t sure whether she or the baby would survive.

However, Callie survived the accident and her baby also made it through. She emerged stronger from the harrowing experience and that is definitely something to be proud of.

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