Top 10 Times Gossip Girl Tackled Serious Issues
#10: Social Sabotage “New Haven Can Wait” & “All About My Brother”
The “Gossip Girl” characters were big fans of scheming. But more often than not, their meddling had devastating consequences. For instance, Blair took things too far when she forced Serena to tell the Yale Dean about Pete Fairman. Any avid viewer knows what a sore subject that is. Considering the way he passed, and how difficult a time it was for Serena, it was rather uncalled for. Another notable example involved the one and only Georgina, who was known for her saboteur ways. She took things way too far while messing with Serena by outing Eric, which obviously had huge consequences. Needless to say, there are some lines that should simply never be crossed.
#9: Toxic Relationships “Dr Estrangeloved”& “Inglourious Bassterds”
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Many consider Blair and Chuck to be relationship goals. But we have to address just how toxic their love truly was. We know it’s a dramatized television series, but they definitely didn’t model a healthy partnership for fans. More often than not, the duo wasted their time playing games and hurting each other instead of just being honest. For one thing, she spent way too much time trying to make him jealous. And we’d be remiss not to mention the time he traded her to his uncle Jack in exchange for a hotel. There’s no universe in which that’s acceptable! It’s been argued that by glamorizing what Chuck and Blair had, the show normalized and promoted toxic and potentially dangerous relationships.
#8: Eating Disorders "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!"
Towards the start of the series, we learned that Blair’s character struggled with bulimia. It added a deeper layer to the seemingly perfect character, and showed us the toll her family dynamic had on her. Serena was there for her when she relapsed in the first season, but her eating disorder wasn’t brought up much after that. It remains unclear why the show dropped such an important subject. Many fans agree that it would’ve been an excellent opportunity to further comment on the issue, and help those who are facing a similar battle.
#7: Emancipation “There Might be Blood” & “The Magnificent Archibalds”
Jenny Humphrey went through a lot, and much of it damaged her relationship with her dad. Notably, she felt that Rufus treated her like a child because he thought she was too young to start her own fashion business. Instead of taking “no” for an answer, she moved out and started looking into emancipation. In other words, she wanted a court to grant her total independence from her parents, making her an adult in the eyes of the law. Most of the time, emancipation is reserved from kids who are mistreated at home. In other words, it’s an extremely serious matter. Of course, the situation completely broke Rufus’ heart. Thankfully, Jenny ultimately didn’t go through with it.
#6: Revenge Tapes “The Return of the Ring”
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Season 5 was a rollercoaster, but one of the most questionable things that came out of it was that video. Serena proved how vengeful she could be when she tricked Dan into thinking Blair had chosen Chuck over him. This did end up happening, but she had no clue it would. What’s worse, she taped her and Dan hooking up. It was a complete violation, and he was rightfully outraged when he found out. Did we mention this all went down in the same spot where she slept with Nate while he was dating Blair? The act was reprehensible, and fans agree that it negated all of Serena’s character development. It goes without saying, but this was a stellar lesson in what not to do!
#5: Teen Pregnancy “A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate”
With characters as active as these, the show was bound to explore this topic sooner or later. Gossip Girl posted a picture of Serena looking at pregnancy tests, not knowing that Blair was the one who thought she might be pregnant. But Dan - and everyone else - took the blast at face value. Not only did this storyline tackle the subject of teen pregnancy, it also addressed what it’s like when such rumors start to spread and get blown out of proportion. Needless to say, everyone was put in an uncomfortable position. While Blair wasn’t pregnant in the end, there’s no doubt that this was one of the show’s more serious storylines.
#4: Parents Who Don't Parent Various
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Most of the time, the parents on “Gossip Girl” were too busy with their own drama to pay attention to their kids. Although Rufus started out as a pretty good TV dad, even he ended up getting caught in more than a few messes. Though they often acted like adults, it’s important to remember that the teens on this show were just that. They often drank and used illicit substances, but were seldom disciplined. Of course, there was also Lily and Rufus’ long lost son, who was forgotten about almost as soon as he was found! Granted, there were some sweet moments. But as a whole, the parent-child relationship on this show left a lot to be desired!
#3: Trying to Fit In Various
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This was a big theme in the series, as both Jenny and Dan were desperate to fit in with Manhattan’s elite. The former was especially set on becoming one of the popular girls in school, and often gave in to peer pressure. She even stole a dress to get on Blair’s good side! However, this is a serious issue that affects most high schoolers as they try to find themselves. Often, they’ll endure mistreatment at the hands of the “cool kids” in order to be accepted. After all, Dan was essentially a nobody until he started dating Serena. At the end of the day, the Humphreys just wanted to feel like they belonged, which is something most of us can relate to.
#2: Toxic Friendships Various
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Though they all claimed to be best friends, these characters were no saints. They constantly fought, schemed, and tore each other down. Serena and Blair were arguably the biggest culprits, but they certainly weren’t the only ones. Chuck and Nate had their fair share of petty fights and drama too. And we all know that things went south between Jenny and Agnes. There’s also Georgina, whose arrival in town usually spelled trouble. Friends shouldn’t sabotage friends, but the “Gossip Girl” teens seemingly never got that memo. All in all, the show had so many toxic pairings that we can barely think of one that was healthy. You know what they say: with friends like these, who needs enemies?
#1: Stalking People “New York, I Love You XOXO”
Many people were incredibly disappointed when Dan was revealed as Gossip Girl. But whether you loved or hated the twist, we can all agree that it painted him in an extremely creepy light. Looking back, he essentially used the blog to write himself into the world of the Upper East Side. In order to do so, he stalked the people he dated and wanted to be friends with. While other characters got involved with the site later on, it was his responsibility. And he took things way too far, sharing personal secrets and destroying peoples’ lives in the process. He was inexplicably rewarded with a happy ending. But his actions were undoubtedly dangerous and unforgivable. Nobody should ever try them at home.
