An Analysis on Gossip Girl

An Analysis on Gossip Girl

and its Relation to Beauty Culture

        The television show Gossip Girl is originally based off of a book series written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series focuses on a group of "teenagers" and their dramatic experiences throughout their young-adulthood in the Upper-East Side of New York City. In this show, it is hit home that you are only as good as you look physically. The main two characters of the show are Blair Waldorf (brunette, bottom left) and Serena Van der Woodsen (to the right of Blair). Throughout the entire series, these two young women are constantly striving to be the female icon of Manhattan. Both of them are portrayed as rich, beautiful, sexually appealing, and successful. It is portrayed in the show that to "achieve the specified look, a particular feminine praxis was required- straitlacing, minimal eating, reduced mobility- rendering the female body unfit to perform activities outside its designated sphere. This, in Foucauldian terms, would be the "useful body" corresponding to the aesthetic norm," (Gilbert 754). The show has a clear behavioral gender division of males and females. The characters even mention that they are able to do whatever they wish, as long as they continue to look good (physically and by reputation) while doing so. This type of behavior sends a negative message to young girls, advertising that as long as she is beautiful, a girl is able to get whatever she wants in life. That's at least how Serena is portrayed in the series; the beautiful blonde that every man swoons for and never has to actually work for anything in order to succeed. The type of upbringing that these two girls have also demands for them to act as though they are of more importance than anyone else (especially other females) who do not meet their same standards. 

             The three characters at the top of the picture from right to left are named Vanessa, Daniel, and Jinny. They do not live in the Upper-East Side however, they are from Brooklyn, which is apparently frowned upon by any of the socialites like Serena and Blair. Daniel and Jinny are siblings (Daniel being older) and have been friends with Vanessa throughout basically their entire lives. All of the main characters attend a private school together which is located in Manhattan, and this is how they all have met. Whenever Jinny or Vanessa were seen by Blair however, they were always mocked for how they looked since they did not meet the beauty standards (or wealth standards) that Blair and Serena held. Blair and Serena make it seem as though all of their qualities of beauty and lifestyle are easily attainable and also make it seem as though that is how a woman should portray herself in order to attract a man (since they both, but Serena in particular, are constantly being fought over by different male characters in the show. The cruelness of the catty females in the show demonstrates that "harmful female stereotypes are given a girl power-savvy spin... The media's reception of the subject raises some disturbing questions about girls, power, and society; and the assumptions inherent in mean-girls rhetoric could leave a powerful and troubling mark on teen culture," (Jervis 44). Gossip Girl demonstrates to young girls that it is appropriate for them to demean other girls if they do not meet a sort of societal standard. This can be extremely detrimental to our youth if taken seriously, if they begin to consider themselves to be better than anyone else due to the fact of their physical appearance or economic status. 

   

Blair Waldorf & Serena Van der Woodsen

        Serena Van der Woodsen is portrayed to be the stereotypical blonde beauty that can be considered to be the original "American Beauty." She fits all of the qualities with having a tall, slim figure, long legs, glowing skin, a toned body (although she is rarely seen exercising), and a large chest. She is also seen as the stereotypical blonde female who does not perform well in school and is regularly engaging in sexual activities with various different men. Both Serena and Blair are always portrayed as being the ideal image of society's beauty expectations. Naomi Wolf comments in her book, The Beauty Myth that "It is not that women's identities are naturally weak. But "ideal" imagery has become obsessively important to women because it was meant to become so. Women are mere "beauties" in men's culture so that culture can be kept male," (Wolf 59). In addition to that, the male characters never have trouble coercing a female to sleep with them. One character, for example, named Chuck Bass, is portrayed as a complete womanizer who has various girls trafficking in and out of his bedroom and apartment suite in each episode. The makers of this television series are completely feeding into the idea that "culture stereotypes women to fit the myth by flattening the feminine into beauty-without-intelligence or intelligence-without-beauty; women are allowed a mind or a body but not both," (Wolf 59). Additionally to that, the television show portrays the girls to act as though they are unable to continue out their daily lives without a male's presence. 

       No matter what occurs in each dramatic episode, the male characters are always shown taking care of the female characters and fixing any situations in which they may have stirred up. Susan Bordo gives an informative background on this type of subliminal messaging by stating, "A dominant visual theme in teenage magazines (in this case television shows) involves women hiding in the shadows of men, seeking solace in their arms, willingly contracting the space they occupy," (Gilbert 746). This, alone, is teaching young girls that they need a male by their side in order to feel safe, capable, and confident within themselves. It is portraying the idea that women are incapable of leading their own independent lives. Along with this, in the beginning of the series, Blair had been dating Nate Archibald and found out that Serena had lost her virginity to him while Blair was with him. Blair, always feeling as though she is trapped in Serena's "beauty" shadow, only became upset with Serena for engaging in the act and did not show nearly as much animosity towards Nate. She continued her relationship with Nate, while obsessing over how she looked physically and was basically going insane trying to compete with Serena's beauty and to win back Nate's affection after Serena had returned to Manhattan from boarding school. This also shows an extremely negative message to young female viewers by showing that Blair is willing to change herself in order to please a man who had already been dishonest with her. 

        Overall, Gossip Girl may have once been a guilty pleasure of mine, however, after analyzing the contents compared to the feminist theory of beauty culture, I have come to realize that everything about it and everything it portrays is completely negative towards young females. Another type of "female identity" to be analyzed are the Playboy Bunnies and how Hugh Hefner goes about "choosing" them (this disgusts me), but more on that to come with the next post!

Sincerely,

Samantha