Every girl over the age of eighteen seems to have an obsession with Gossip Girl, whether that be because we spent our tween/ teen years watching the popular CW show or caught up on the highly talked about TV/ book series via Netflix. Either way, there is a good portion of us that once…or still long to be Upper East Siders with trust funds and a large margin for error and drama.
Whether you have watched the series from the beginning and kept up with the endless amount of books that have been published with the same name or binge-watched on Netflix, there seems to be a pattern among young female fans…an obsession with Chuck Bass. More importantly an obsession with the relationship between Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf.
I have to admit that I, too, have been known to idolize and romanticize their relationship. Who wouldn't? They appear to have it all. The two of them share inside jokes, firsts, and intimate secrets. On top of being multimillionaires. Despite everything they have gone through they end up on top. Who wouldn't want that in a relationship?
Looking back on the series now, I also have to admit that their relationship is perfect for a drama aimed at teenagers. There are enough ups and downs for their relationship to remain interesting. The drama pulls viewers in, makes them invested in Chuck and Blair's relationship. It is good television.
As many others of my generation, I scroll through Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook every day. And every day I encounter the posts from my peers and other dedicated accounts that deem the relationship between Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf as "#goals". Girls want to hear the romantic things that Chuck sometimes mutters to Blair or the grand gestures he can offer her because his trust fund's size. Television romanticizes their relationship.
What about the times when they weren't so perfect?
I'm not talking about their rational, everyday fights. Did those even exist…?
When I say they weren't "perfect", I mean the manipulation, the fights, the outright meanness that was depicted several times throughout the series. Viewers watched the two of them sabotage each other more often than not.
Does Chuck selling Blair for his hotel ring a bell…?
We idolize their relationship because we focus on the good parts like the confessions of love and warm gestures, but we fail to realize that most of their screen time is spent plotting plans of revenge and manipulation.
Who would want Chuck and Blair to be their goals? Personally, I would not want someone who cares so little about me that they would sell me in exchange for a piece of property. I would never want to be the kind of person that accepted that type of behavior the way Blair did.
Yes, Chuck and Blair's relationship makes good TV, but a few kind words does not excuse bad behavior. We should not consider them…or any TV couple goals. It sets low expectations.
