“Good morning FHC students. A certain someone was tucked away last weekend rewatching every single episode of Gossip Girl; good thing she had nothing better to do on a Friday night, or she would have had to cancel all her plans.”

Although it may be both depressing and embarrassing to admit this as a 17 year old girl, Gossip Girl has completely consumed my life. I couldn’t help but feel as if I was privileged to be given an exclusive glimpse into the lives of society’s elite, lives involving Prada, Gucci, and Chanel.

The show itself is one that revolves around four filthy rich characters and the various “tragedies” they encounter. These tragedies may range anywhere from Blair suffering a nervous breakdown because she wasn’t invited to an exclusive party or Serena hysterically crying after sleeping with her best friend’s boyfriend. All these problems may seem irrelevant and trivial in the grand scheme of things; there are real problems- bigger ones- that we as normal people encounter on a daily basis. However, sometimes it is quite refreshing to laugh at the tiny tribulations they endure and the fact that every single character on Gossip Girl has the uncanny ability to create a mountain out of a molehill.  Sometimes the show provides me with a much needed escape from the harsh actualities of life. Everything about the show is glamorous- from the people to the parties to the valet parking- and because of this, I spend a large majority of my time curled up on the couch, remote in hand, living vicariously through them.

There were a couple episodes, however, that made me want to throw my television out of the window. Gossip Girl can seem both predictable and cliché at times; you can’t help but roll your eyes at the corny, poorly executed scenes- the ones where Dan realizes he is falling in love with Serena or where Blair and Chuck refuse to admit that they are in love with each other. Speaking of Serena, I did not like her character. At all. Serena reminds me of that one girl I turn the corner to avoid in the hallways; drama seems to follow her around like it’s her favorite scent of perfume. The director could have done so much more with her as opposed to turning her into some flouncy blonde who is unaware of how to survive without a boyfriend. Dan Humphrey, lonely boy, only hinders her growth by constantly offering a shoulder to cry instead of telling her to suck it up and be a big girl.

Can we take a moment of silence to appreciate Chair? Blair and Chuck were the “it” couple of the century; they found themselves constantly being pulled together by fate, despite the circumstances, simply because they were literally made for one another. The whole “we shouldn’t be together” storyline was overplayed and made an appearance every season; it seemed as though every time they became a couple, something came up that forced them to break up once more.

Besides the romance, lust, and flirtation, Gossip Girl  has so much more to offer. One of my friends once murmured, “the show is simply a substitute for a Teen Vogue magazine. People just watch it to find out which designers are in and what particular fashion statements are trending.” That isn’t entirely true. Believe it or not, valuable life lessons are actually hidden within it, although they might be buried somewhere under all the Burberry and Ralph Lauren. The show encompasses what a majority of us high school students endure on a daily basis: cliques. One step into any regular high school cafeteria and you’re immediately greeted with tables full of girls, gossiping and giggling, their chairs pushed in and their hands cupped around their mouths. The show offers this aspect (through Nate, Blair, Serena, and Chuck) while simultaneously capturing the essence of two kids who just don’t fit in through Dan and Jenny, two outsiders looking in who desperately yearn to be a part of the elite popular group. You watch their rise and their fall; you learn, with time, that money can’t buy happiness and, most of time, the popular group really isn’t that well-liked.

The most important golden nugget of wisdom that Gossip Girl provided me with, however, was one involving friendship. Despite the fact that the characters aren’t always singing kumbaya with one another, they continuously manage to find a way back to each other like magnets. Gossip Girl has taught me loyalty , empathy, and kindness. It also has taught me how to dress.

“You’ve probably been wondering what a certain someone has been up to. I’ll give you a little update. She has just finished the last episode and is now rocking back and forth in fetal position, wondering what she’s going to do with her life now that she’s finished the show. I know what I’m going to be doing. A little retail therapy at the mall. You know you love me. Xoxo , Gossip girl.”