Gossip Girl is a teen drama TV series based off of the book, Gossip Girl, written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Gossip Girl is six seasons long and full of the juiciest of drama. The background of the series is based off of Ziegesar’s own experience growing up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York. Gossip Girl is about the lives of high school seniors whose parents happen to be some of New York’s most glamorous residents. The shows two central characters are Serena and Blair, who are best friends.
They are both classified as rich and attractive, for example, Serena is very tall and slim with gorgeous blond hair that is to her waist, and Blair has think dark brown hair and is always dressed in the trendiest of clothes. This show exaggerates the luxurious life style lead by those is the elite upper class. It shows the different lives led by those in the Upper East Side compared to those who live in Brooklyn. Dan, another character in the series, is from the lower society in Manhattan but attends the same school as those in the Upper East Side.
Throughout the series he is treated very differently because of his financial status. This show is full of drama and inappropriate content. The TV series, Gossip Girl, should be avoided by young viewers because it includes numerous sexual scenes, its link to cyberbullying, its content of drugs and alcohol use, and its biased view of the upper class. Young children should avoid Gossip Girl is because of its sexual content. Vanessa Juarez, editor of Entertainment Weekly, states that “… Season 1 was so bad (by which we mean campy and naughty), it was good. ” Gossip Girl is known for its steamy, high school hook ups.
All throughout the series it contains sex scenes between young adolescence and adults. This goes to show its viewers, who are mainly high school students or younger, that having sex is a normal thing to do. It also is setting an example to girls that it is acceptable to sleep with numerous guys and that there is nothing to worry about. Never in the series does it talk about the different types of protection or potential diseases that are connected with sex. Throughout the series, couples break up and then have make up sex and this is showing girls examples of an unhappy relationship.
It also is showing girls that it is okay to be treated badly by guys. While the opposing side says, although there is sexual content, it can teach a girl how to defend herself and how emotional it can be. It can also be an example to young girls that the relationships on Gossip Girl are not what they want to strive for and it can teach them what a wrong relationship looks like. Parents can also learn from this show of the dangers their child might face and be better prepared for if it does happen. This series should not be viewed by young adults because of its inappropriate sex scenes and frequent hook ups.
Gossip Girl should only be viewed by a mature audience is because of the bullying involved in the show. The whole focus of Gossip Girl is to find out who is behind the secret online account called Gossip Girl and to catch up on the last drama in Manhattans upper society. Each episode is started off with a woman’s voice that says, “Gossip Girl here. Your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite. ” And at the end the show the same voice closes with, “XOXO gossip girl. ” Gossip Girl is an all knowing character that spills everyone’s secrets online and has control over their lives and uses them as her puppets.
Gossip girl is primarily based off of cyberbullying. Gossip Girl does not spare anyone’s feelings while posting and throughout the show ruins many friendships and relationships. It can lead to teens who are watching it post mean comments online because “Gossip Girl” does it or even start their own secret web page that does nothing but blast other people’s personal issues. The omniscient character Gossip Girl becomes the most popular person in high school, so that goes to show teenagers that being mean to others online can lead to more popularity and attention.
The good thing that Gossip Girl shows is how badly it can harm someone to post mean things thus discouraging children to do so. Many parents do not allow their children to associate with drugs and alcohol, therefore young adults should avoid watching Gossip Girl because of its implement of drugs and alcohol use. Gossip Girl shows its viewers that it is acceptable to do these things at a young age and that breaking the law is okay. Throughout Gossip Girl, many of the characters get addicted to drugs or alcohol at a very early age. Serena has to go to rehab because of addiction and almost died because of an overdose.
Chuck, who is Blair’s on and off boyfriend also gets addicted to drugs when his father dies and he too almost died because of an overdose. This is giving young adults the message that when a tragedy strikes, drugs and alcohol are the go to solution and they will fix the problem. This content is also inappropriate for teenagers because it is showing that those who are from a high money earning family that the rules and laws do not apply to them. These characters in gossip girl are seniors in high school and give bad examples as to what high school is really like.
In multiple episodes, Blair or Serena or Chuck are allowed to buy martinis at the bar, even if they are under the legal drinking age, because of their parents and families financial standings. Gossip Girl lacks to show the real dangers and the effects that drugs and alcohol have on the body and the brain. Gossip Girl should be viewed by only a mature audience is because of its stereotyping. Gossip Girl is set in the lives of the upper class of Manhattan and portrays them to look like evil monsters who are only out to benefit themselves. This implies that everyone from the upper class is full of lies and secrets and dirty drama.
It lacks to show that even families of the upper class can be civil and not all are back stabbers. The good thing about Gossip Girl being set in only the rich families is that it goes to show that even the rich have their problems just like the poor. It also goes on the show that money cannot buy happiness and that sometimes those with the most money seem to have some of the worst problems. Although Gossip Girl is a show based purely on gossip and lies, it still attracts millions of viewers, the majority being teenage girls. This show is setting bad examples for those teenagers and is misinforming them about the real problems of high school.
The characters throughout the series hold low self-values for themselves and lie and cheat to meet their needs. The other side to the critics explain that Gossip Girl does show teenagers, to an extent, the content they may be exposed to in high school. Although these critics may be right, Gossip Girl is a show that should be aimed toward a higher viewing age and is not intended for young adults. It is not intended for young adults because of its numerous sexual scenes, its link to cyberbullying, its content of drugs and alcohol use, and its biased view of the upper class.
