The Phenomenon that Is Gossip Girl

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The cultural phenomenon that is the television show Gossip Girl is centered around the extravagant lives of privileged Manhattanites, and how the cluster of main characters are constantly falling in and out of love. Viewers of the show can be found all across the globe; as of 2012, the show had been broadcast in 197 countries. The show was declared by New York Magazine the “Best Show Ever”. With the reviews in and the show declared a success, there is still one nagging question: why? Why is the show so popular and influential? The answer lies within the major plot themes. In watching every episode of the series, it becomes apparent that there are compelling themes carried throughout that the average viewer is drawn to. The characters in Gossip Girl live extravagant lives in a fictional version of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and viewers cannot help but envy them. Archetypal characters engaging in common sexual fantasies, frequent displays of no-strings-attached sexual encounters, and the tumultuous and passionate relationship of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf all entrance the viewers, creating for them a fabulous fantasy world in which they can live vicariously through the drama of others, thus finding escape from the normalcy of real life.
The five main characters of Gossip Girl each have distinct archetypes that make them relatable to their viewers on more personal levels; Chuck is a dark playboy who is wary of responsibility and commitment, Nate is a protective and easy-going jock, Dan is the sensitive and intellectual outsider, Serena is the blonde and bubbly free-spirit, and Blair is the driven and classic Queen Bee (Damme 88). Viewers of the show have shared with many interviewers that they often project themselves onto t...

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...to the emotional whirlwind of the relationship these two affluent Manhattanites share. They want to be a part of the world where a boy will fly all over Europe just to bring his girlfriend her favorite gifts when he tells her that he loves her for the first time; they want to wear haute couture and go to lavish parties with someone special; they want to be pursued by someone who could have any material possession they wanted, but it wouldn’t satisfy them like the love of their life would. Again, the fact that Chuck and Blair are fabulously wealthy makes their love story a bit more sparkly and unattainable, but it adds to the enchantment of it all. The writers of Gossip Girl created this romantic tale to make sparks fly, and those sparks have caused a wildfire among viewers who crave a love story as all-consuming and passionate as that of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf.

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