5 Reasons Why We Love to Hate Gossip Girl by Nadya Vlassoff
It was a book that sparked a phenomenon, that spawned a television hit for The CW, that created our favorite guilty pleasures. Just like its predecessors Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, and The O.C., Gossip Girl highlights the lives of rich, privileged teenagers played by adults and their parents who act like adolescents. As the future of teen oriented programming evolved, it was Josh Schwartz who developed both The O.C. and Gossip Girl.
The title says it all: Gossip Girl. People are obsessed about the lives of others, especially those of celebrities, knowing full well that our actions and thoughts have no bearing on their lives at all. In many ways, knowing the intimate details about the lives of others while seeing their problems prominently displayed before us is a form of escapism from our own lives. Television acts in similar fashion as the gossip tabloids. There are so many shows on television, so why Gossip Girl? Why are we entranced by the breakups and make-ups, the hook-ups and the broken dreams? Who knows for sure, but it could simply be the hottie factor?
A whole slew of beautiful characters that parade around in fresh-off-the-runway frocks who sip champagne from crystal are surrounded by the lies and secrets of those around them. Or it could be the allure of living vicariously through these fictional characters and their outrageous lives. Whatever the reason, here are our 5 top reasons of why we love to hate Gossip Girl:
1. Privilege, thy name is envy
Serena, Nate, Blair and Chuck. They are the children of New York City’s elite who attend the finest private school in the city. A weekend in the Hamptons is easily followed by breakfast in a five star hotel before being whisked to school in a private limousine. The lives of these high school students are far from average. Their world is ruled by appearance and based on the adage that it’s not who you are but what you are. Blair and Chuck refer to themselves as a Waldorf or a Bass. The name itself is priceless. This world is privy to a select few, so getting a taste of it fuels an addiction in the rest of us. And let’s be honest, if we had these privileges we wouldn’t be watching it on TV, we’d be living it in 3D with our Chloé bags, Karl Lagerfeld dresses, and Christian Louboutin boots.
2. Location, location, location
New York City, one of the most glamorous, diverse and dazzling metropolitan areas in the world. This glittering backdrop provides the perfect setting for the Upper East Side’s society parties and charity galas within Gossip Girl. It is a city that gives teens a wide variety of options to live in hotels without parental supervision with swanky penthouse apartments that overlook the Hudson River. In a city of 10 million people (2 million more than what we knew of The Naked City), the only people that matter are those who make it their business to be relevant. In the case of Gossip Girl, New York is the perfect location for controversy, scandal, and drama on a level many could only dream of or simply want to watch from afar, as if through the blinds of the adjacent condo (more an that below).
3. Mom, meet Dad
The central characters are all teens and they all deal with two kinds of drama - family and friends. Gossip Girl is based on dysfunction and there is no better place to start than at the root of it all: parents. It’s not a swipe at all parental units of the world but in shows like this, genetics are not the only things that relate children to their parents. Partner swapping is a finite skill that everyone in Gossip Girl has developed and the litany of sloppy seconds has gotten way out of hand. Affairs with older men, illicit relationships with old flames, and marriage-for-financial-gain are all just a day in the life for these parents. If Home is where the heart is, then prep the table for surgery because it is going to take more than a few vials of Valium to get these kids out of therapy.
4. Scandal? Just a day in the life
Seduction. Lies. Betrayal. The list could go on, but the most alluring thing about the guilty pleasure appeal of Gossip Girl is the drama that goes on behind those imported Brazilian cherry-wood doors. It’s a guessing game of who is sleeping with whom and whether or not it’s even legal. Gossip Girl touches upon a variety of spicy scandals that will shock most viewers but they keep us coming back for more. A teacher having an illicit relationship with a student, the love triangle between Nate, Vanessa and the now spurned little J, and the endless tug-of-war between Blair and Chuck now wrestles with our emotions on a weekly basis. With each episode of Gossip Girl, we hate a new character as we redeem another. But when the villain becomes the victim, we dare not tear our eyes away from the drama for fear of missing one second of lascivious behavior.
5. The ultimate peep show
In the end, much of our love to hate relationship with Gossip Girl comes down to reality. This lifestyle, while real for some, isn’t accessible to the average viewer, which creates an air of voyeurism as we peek in on the lives of the characters. We might know a Serena or Blair in our own lives and may have caught a glimpse of the life of luxury before the door of privilege was slammed in our faces. We crave the juicy details of Lilly and Rufus’ tumultuous relationship. We gleefully await the revenge of Blair on anyone who crosses her path. Too bad for her, the person who seems to do that the most is the same one who has mastered the game. Once we got past our initial curiosity with Gossip Girl, it was the glitz and the glamour that intrigued us. But it’s the drama and dysfunction that now has us addicted as we peek in on the ultimate peep show.
In a television world where perfectly coiffed characters are modeled after a perception of perfection, scratching the surface pf Gossip Girl easily divulges everyone’s secrets. It may be dirty laundry but at least it’s designer.
i am one of those girls that consider themselves to be gossip girl's number one fan. i think my favorite part to read of this whole thing was number four. because it's so true! i sit there, in front of my tv, ready to watch at 7:59 PM, popcorn in my hand. it's beyond addicting, and the chuck and blair tug-of-war is what is keeping me on my toes! i love them!
sapna
February 10, 2009 - 18:09
Subject: well put!!
You're article clearly summarizes what makes gossip girl so addicting.It is the life you dream of, but resent at the same time because it is not who you are. Even so, the scandals that emerge every monday have created GG to become my weekly ritual.
What's next Nadya? I am intrigued by your insight.Great article !!!
Elisasa
February 06, 2009 - 17:39
Subject: wow~~
very impressive...
i watched every season of Gossip girl^^, i like it coz that's the life i ever dreamed of, and the same time i hate it coz that's also what i dont have T,T...but after all it is not real,hoho!!
looking forward to your new articles, Nadya!!
It was a book that sparked a phenomenon, that spawned a television hit for The CW, that created our favorite guilty pleasures. Just like its predecessors Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, and The O.C., Gossip Girl highlights the lives of rich, privileged teenagers played by adults and their parents who act like adolescents. As the future of teen oriented programming evolved, it was Josh Schwartz who developed both The O.C. and Gossip Girl.
Serena, Nate, Blair and Chuck. They are the children of New York City’s elite who attend the finest private school in the city. A weekend in the Hamptons is easily followed by breakfast in a five star hotel before being whisked to school in a private limousine. The lives of these high school students are far from average. Their world is ruled by appearance and based on the adage that it’s not who you are but what you are. Blair and Chuck refer to themselves as a Waldorf or a Bass. The name itself is priceless. This world is privy to a select few, so getting a taste of it fuels an addiction in the rest of us. And let’s be honest, if we had these privileges we wouldn’t be watching it on TV, we’d be living it in 3D with our Chloé bags, Karl Lagerfeld dresses, and Christian Louboutin boots.
New York City, one of the most glamorous, diverse and dazzling metropolitan areas in the world. This glittering backdrop provides the perfect setting for the Upper East Side’s society parties and charity galas within Gossip Girl. It is a city that gives teens a wide variety of options to live in hotels without parental supervision with swanky penthouse apartments that overlook the Hudson River. In a city of 10 million people (2 million more than what we knew of The Naked City), the only people that matter are those who make it their business to be relevant. In the case of Gossip Girl, New York is the perfect location for controversy, scandal, and drama on a level many could only dream of or simply want to watch from afar, as if through the blinds of the adjacent condo (more an that below). 
The central characters are all teens and they all deal with two kinds of drama - family and friends. Gossip Girl is based on dysfunction and there is no better place to start than at the root of it all: parents. It’s not a swipe at all parental units of the world but in shows like this, genetics are not the only things that relate children to their parents. Partner swapping is a finite skill that everyone in Gossip Girl has developed and the litany of sloppy seconds has gotten way out of hand. Affairs with older men, illicit relationships with old flames, and marriage-for-financial-gain are all just a day in the life for these parents. If Home is where the heart is, then prep the table for surgery because it is going to take more than a few vials of Valium to get these kids out of therapy.
Seduction. Lies. Betrayal. The list could go on, but the most alluring thing about the guilty pleasure appeal of Gossip Girl is the drama that goes on behind those imported Brazilian cherry-wood doors. It’s a guessing game of who is sleeping with whom and whether or not it’s even legal. Gossip Girl touches upon a variety of spicy scandals that will shock most viewers but they keep us coming back for more. A teacher having an illicit relationship with a student, the love triangle between Nate, Vanessa and the now spurned little J, and the endless tug-of-war between Blair and Chuck now wrestles with our emotions on a weekly basis. With each episode of Gossip Girl, we hate a new character as we redeem another. But when the villain becomes the victim, we dare not tear our eyes away from the drama for fear of missing one second of lascivious behavior.
In the end, much of our love to hate relationship with Gossip Girl comes down to reality. This lifestyle, while real for some, isn’t accessible to the average viewer, which creates an air of voyeurism as we peek in on the lives of the characters. We might know a Serena or Blair in our own lives and may have caught a glimpse of the life of luxury before the door of privilege was slammed in our faces. We crave the juicy details of Lilly and Rufus’ tumultuous relationship. We gleefully await the revenge of Blair on anyone who crosses her path. Too bad for her, the person who seems to do that the most is the same one who has mastered the game. Once we got past our initial curiosity with Gossip Girl, it was the glitz and the glamour that intrigued us. But it’s the drama and dysfunction that now has us addicted as we peek in on the ultimate peep show.