by Kristen L.
In essence, Gossip Girl is a show about money, youth, and appearance, exploring the relationships between high school friends in the privileged Upper East Side of New York City. We are shown the manipulative character of Blair Waldorf, the beautiful queen bee in her Manhattan prep school struggling to keep up this title as she moves on to attend New York University. Then there is Serena van der Woodsen, Blair’s best friend, the “bad girl turned good”, who always seems to be caught up in a difficult situation. And there are the boys, Chuck Bass and Nate Archibald and Dan Humphrey who all play their role in the intense drama of this teenage show. As viewers watch the two and a bit seasons of Gossip Girl, they are uncontrollably drawn into it, for “on this glossy, glamour-soaked CW series, high school is better than Hollywood.”1
However, unlike many of the other popular teen shows today, many struggle to discern a clear moral message in the tightly packed drama of Gossip Girl. For instance, the Secret Life of the American Teenager undoubtedly is made to show the consequences of bad choices, and to teach adolescents to think wisely about important decisions like sex, and consequently many other shows have similar obvious morals. Yet, for many, the authors of Gossip Girl did not do as good of a job manifesting as clear-cut of a message. And, so, we ask ourselves, are there basic principles behind the glamour of Gossip Girl or not? And if so what is Gossip Girl attempting to portray to the youth of America? In my opinion, this question can be looked at from both sides.
Having watched this show since the first season, I would like to be able to say that I gained something from it, that I didn’t waste my time on an entirely trashy series; therefore, I think it is possible to say that there are a few lessons we can learn from Gossip Girl. For instance, though many see the negative side to the relationship between Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf—her losing her virginity to him while dating his best friend is obviously not a message we want adolescents to extract—this relationship, in fact, could end up being a positive role model for teenagers. For instance, throughout the first two seasons, Gossip Girl viewers see Chuck as a very sexual character; in fact, many define him as a “womanizer” through his countless escapades with different women, and lack of a sturdy relationship. However, Blair’s character has a great effect on Chuck’s, as his feelings for her are strong enough that he is willing to change himself. I think that the relationship that has consequently formed between the two presents a good message to adolescents, and additionally because of all the public pressure towards this relationship, this undoubtedly positive change in Chuck’s character proves his new identity to be a positive role model. In fact this is actually probably the only real relationship on the show, including that of parents, so hopefully it will last!
I think the other message that this series is able to clearly portray is that of female power. The leading roles in the show are that of two teenage girls, Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, both holding very significant, strong personalities. I think these strong personalities are something that society could see as a message towards viewers, as the mass majority of these are teenaged girls. Blair and Serena also are capable of holding these personalities throughout different relationships, and both do not define themselves by the men they are with. I think this sense of independence is something that girls should really look up to, to view these two as good role models. In addition, these two girls have become major fashion icons from the gorgeous designer outfits they are clothed in on the show. I believe Gossip Girl, overall, presents a major sense of female independence and dominance, and this should be a good message that is presented to the youth of America.
However, at the same time this “sense of independence” is taken just a little bit too far. Gossip Girl, at its core, is show about drugs, alcohol, teen sex, manipulation, betrayal, and drama. It is not rare to see an episode that contains all of the following: eating disorders, rape, suicide attempts, arrests, cheating, and backstabbing. Though these women are powerful characters they are also scheming, superficial, and self-centered—not a message we want teens to obtain. Though their fashion has become extremely iconic, it also sets out an extremely high standard for adolescents, and inspires materialism. Watching the show, however, I, personally, don’t feel like these images are put there for the purpose of affecting the viewers negatively. For me, Gossip Girl is an extreme version of the so-called “glamorous life” that everyone dreams of, but no one actually has. It is a way for the viewer to escape from their dull, normal life, and get a full-on dose of all the possible drama there is. Watching other people live it is not the same as wanting it for yourself. I have discovered that I am willing to admit that I really haven’t learned anything from Gossip Girl, yet I still find it extremely enjoyable to watch. Therefore, I would venture to say that in a culture that has become obsessed with the phenomena of youth, money and appearance, the show Gossip Girl is based purely on satisfying those addictions, and should not be watched and analyzed as moral guide, rather, merely as a form of entertainment and escape.
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/arts/television/18stan.html?_r=1
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/fashion/08gossip.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2
3. http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/46225/
4. http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2008/09/01/gossip_girl_returns_with_rich_wit/
5. [picture] http://blogs.glam.com/glamchic/files/2008/08/gossip-girl2.jpg
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ReplyDeleteAs a viewer of Gossip Girl, I was skeptical when I began to read this blog because I wanted to say that I have learned something from the show and all of those hours did not go wasted. After reading this, I can truly overcome that, and admit that I have learned nothing educational from that show. The only thing Gossip Girl really does is emphasize the "glamorous life" that everyone wants to have, like you said. I do believe that the character of Dan is worthy of describing in more detail because he is an anomaly along side the rest of the characters. I enjoyed reading about Gossip Girl!
ReplyDelete-Rachel Hartman
I agree with you completely. As I watch Gossip Girl with my mom, we tell each other how stupid this is and how we hate it. We do not really hate it, but the plot and actions of the characters disgusts me. Although Gossip Girl has no educational factor, it is addicting. Teenagers want to watch it because we can relate to how cruel high school can be. As I watch Gossip Girl I feel hatred and jealousy. I think Gossip Girl was a very good topic to blog because it really shows that it becomes an addiction whether we like it or not.
ReplyDeleteThe intoxicating pull of "trashy" television is explored in depth here, as you wade through the murky waters of meaning that emanate from the genre's most popular show. Your analysis is completely on point when you declare at the end of the post that Gossip Girl is a "form of entertainment and escape". There does not seem to be a clear moral message that comes from this show; the two examples that you provide work in the context of this analysis, but (as you note) can be interpreted in many different ways. Your most effective point here is the similarity between the world around us and the world inside the television box; the two really aren't that different, so why do watchers constantly use the fake version to "escape" from the real version?
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