"Gossip Girl" was one of those "hidden gems" TV shows that I always scrolled over in Netflix. At some point in my college, binge-watching, Netflix days, though, a friend convinced me to give it a try. A week, six seasons, and 121 episodes later, I had finished what is still one of my top five TV shows to this day. If you've ever watched the show, I'm sure you understand my obsession, and if you haven't, well, you should.
I'm not sure if people watch the show because they're obsessed with the lifestyle of these intertwined New Yorkers or if it's because in some ways, we can relate to the struggles and successes of their lives.
1. Best friends are important.
Serena and Blair were infamous for their constant up and down friendship. I mean, really. The show starts out with us finding out Serena hooked up with Blair's boyfriend. Then comes the parade of jealous fights, angry arguments, unnecessary schemes, hurt, and betrayals. But they always find a way back to each other. If one of them is struggling, the other one always swoops in, saves the day, apologizes. the right things are said, and the dynamic duo are back in action by the next episode. They remind us each and every time how important it is to have your best friend. They're your best friend for a reason. They're you're best friend because they understand you like nobody else can.
2. It's perfectly OK to ask for help.
It is. Truly. And this becomes clear all throughout the six seasons of "Gossip Girl." It seems no matter what character you put together, they've helped one another. Lily asks Rufus for help and vice versa. Serena asks Vanessa. Nate asks Chuck. Jenny asks Serena. And so forth. We were all there (with our hearts on our sleeve and tissues in hand) when Blair had her multiple breakdowns, and Serena came to the rescue. We were there when Dan found out about Nate's living situation and opened his home, family, and holiday to him. And we were there for, perhaps my favorite show of support, when Serena had a meltdown over the real reason she fled town. It was a powerful moment and a huge mess of tears when the whole gang showed up at Blair's apartment to help. It's always a dramatic, yet fulfilling moment to see friends put aside their differences to come together. It's these moments that prove just how OK it is to ask for help. You really do have a support system, even if it doesn't seem like it at times.
3. And it gets better.
It does. Look at Blair. She was royalty at her school that turned into actual royalty when she married a prince. Who's to say that can't happen to you? Granted, the marriage didn't end well, or really even start well, but of course, we were all fans of her next marriage, right? I'm pretty sure we all cheered for Chuck and Blair at some point in their long and complicated relationship. If she can have as many meltdowns and mishaps as she did and make it to where she did, I promise you can too. It gets better.
4. Growing up is hard (but you can do it).
Poor Jenny. Really. Sure, we all saw Dan, Serena, Nate, Chuck, and Blair grow up. The person we seemed to watch grow up the most, though, was little Jenny Humphrey. We watched her sweet, innocent demeanor turn into someone unrecognizable, only to be brought back to earth by Serena's little brother, Eric, and then get lost again. How many times did Jenny get lost before she finally just left all together? We were all happy each time Jenny did come back to earth and realize all she had done. We didn't realize we'd gotten swept away with her until all of a sudden, we look back and go, "Whoa, Jenny, what happened?" But she did eventually realize how much her bad decisions were impacting her life, and we were all proud when she followed her fashion dreams and became a confident adult. In all honesty, I think we all wanted to be Jenny a little. She taught us that growing up is hard, but no matter what size mistake, you can always come back from it and be successful and happy.
5. Being yourself is the best thing you can be.
This one is tricky. "Gossip Girl" is filled with people pretending to be people they're not. Jenny definitely got lost trying to be Serena and Blair, basically. It most certainly became increasingly difficult to see when Georgina was being her actual self. Although, it was fun watching her and Serena pretend to have accents and made up life stories when they went out. And let's not forget about the biggest, most important double persona: Dan. Did any of us see that coming? I'm sure some of you did. Congratulations to you, really. I was completely blindsided. But when it came down to it, watching these characters be their true, raw selves when they weren't putting on a show for others, was amazing. That's where they really captured our hearts, when we got to see the real them and hear what went on in their heads and see their true emotions. That's the same in real life. The real you is so much more connectable and wonderful than whoever you pretend to be.
6. Love is out there.
In the beginning, we all rooted for Serena and Dan. Our hearts broke when theirs did. We were angry when their parents got back together. No matter what the odds were, we were on their side. So when did Chuck and Blair sneak into the picture? And how did they turn out to be the real love story all along? All I know is they became the new "it" couple to believe in against all odds. And we weren't wrong to do so. Even when Chuck moved to a whole different country and became a new man in every way possible, Blair found him. In fact, any time either of them got lost, they found each other. They were and are an epic love story. They remind us that no matter how tough a relationship gets or how high the mountain, if it's love and if both sides give a little, it can be conquered. It can be beautiful.
7. It's important to know when enough is enough.
We were all proud of the individual characters who decided when enough was enough. We stood by Chuck when he stood up to his father. Heck, we stood by all of them as they stood up to their parents. We stood by Jenny and Eric when they stood up for themselves against bullies. We stood by all of them when they stood up for themselves against the guy or girls breaking their hearts (and when they let them back in). OK, we may have stood by them a little too much, but what is important is that they taught us it is OK to stand up for ourselves. And it's important to know when enough is enough from anyone.
8. Never give up.
Jenny didn't give up on her dreams of fashion. She even risked the wrath of Rufus when she dropped out of school to work in fashion all day. Blair didn't give up on her dreams of a perfect life. I'm not sure she was expecting Chuck to play such a major role in her happiness, but he did, and she was happy as ever. In fact, speaking of which, none of them gave up when it came to finding love. Vanessa fought for Dan, Lily for Rufus, Bart for Lily, Chuck for Blair. No one ever seemed to give up, and they only got stronger when people tried to tell them to give up. And if they did think about giving up, they had a wonderful support system to swoop in and keep them strong. They definitely taught us that if something is really worth it, you don't give up.
9. Really, the world needs "Gossip Girl."
When it really came down to it, Georgina occasionally had some truth leave her manipulative lips. The world does need "Gossip Girl." Maybe not Dan Humphrey or the occasional hacker to disturb lives, but the television series was certainly filled with tears, laughter, and lessons. So thank you, "Gossip Girl."
