Balir Waldorph's Gossip Girl

The main focus for a teenager in high school is to fit in. Statistics have shown that 75 percent of teenagers in America currently are enrolled in social media. With social media comes the constant comparison to other people. In today’s society, many teenage girls are also negatively influenced by magazines and television that provide a false outlook on what life’s about: money. One of these television shows to blame is “Gossip Girl”. The television show “Gossip Girl” is about a group of Upper East Side residents who attend a high end preparatory school in Manhattan. The show displays what is it like to be of many riches as well as the contrary. In order to make business off of the show, the creators kept the audience on edge with many scandals

For example, social class takes a toll on the characters. Balir Waldorph, a featured high end teenager, is characterized as being “queen bee” of Manhattan's social scene. Waldorph would begin each day with a cup of frozen yogurt on the MET steps and end it with a manicure in bed. One can say that this would be considered a “perfect” lifestyle, however, it is truly unrealistic. Blair does not live the life that most teenagers do, which is why “Gossip Girl” is not a teaching device. The television show allows teens to believe that money is the most important things in life rather than making true friends, and getting good grades. Although Waldorph does have a best friend, Serena van der Woodsen, she is constantly caught up with jealousy against her. For example, in the television show, Balir is persistantly seen comparing her brunette self to her best friend’s lucious golden blonde hair. Teenagers who watched the show are constantly filled with bad information about how to treat a friend, and how jelousy can affect a

The producers on the show added tension by including many interactions with illegal substances such as drugs and underage drinking. The teenage characters were constantly filmed binge drinking after a breakup, or rebelling through drugs such as cocaine. This is highly innapropriate behavior for teenagers to experience as such a young age. Viewers of “Gossip Girl” are taught that they way to get through tough times in life is to drink mimosas or even smoke marajuana. Also, in one of the episodes, Serena van der Woodsen was drugged by someone who disliked her, and brought into a hotel room alone for days until found. This is a scary thought to provoke into a teenagers mind as a way of overcoming issues with another peer. Overall, the show did not provide the audience with lessons on how to deal with the lows in life in a positive and healthy