I have been watching way too much Gossip Girl. I never got into it when it first came out, so now I am subjected to watching it on netflix. Where there are no commercial breaks and no real life distractions. It’s terrible really. But with so much Upper East Side coming at me, its hard to not find subtle nuances that are the same as my West End slightly southern life. Then again, I am sure that’s one of the hundreds of reasons why the show was so successful; no matter where you live, every girl can relate to backstabbing bitches, cat fights, hormones, stupid, stupid boys and overbearing parents, even if we don’t get to handle it all with champagne.
Be that as it may, I can’t help but wondering. Am I a Serena or a Blair? It seems like a stupid thought, a remark only to be made to only the closest of girlfriends in confidence. Why would I want to compare myself to either of them? Well that is the simple part really. They are the queen bees. They are polished and sophisticated (mostly). They are beautiful. They are seemingly perfect. And the are two classic stereotypes of girl behavior. By that standard, I must be one of the two. Or, at the very least share a majority of qualities with one over the other. Let’s examine, shall we?
Blair Waldorf
The Queen that, was I still in high school, I would most certainly aspire to be. Killer outfits, perfect hair, perfect boyfriend(s), perfect grades, aspires to Yale, lives with her fashion mogul mother, has a maid she can count on (I mean Dorota is one of the most perfect party planners) and is all around perfect. Blair might be conniving, but only in the best way. She uses her manipulative powers for good more than she might realize, like saving that prestigious Yale alumni’s daughter from skeevy “Brooklyn men” and even though Nate was so not that into her anymore, she tried to help his financial situation even when it meant the untimely loss of her new relationship and future aspirations to become princess. She is poised, yet funny. Charming yet slightly disillusioned. Blair Waldorf is a character plot I would aspire to become.
Serena van der Woodsen
This Queen had it rough. Or so she thinks. She gets to party, look flawless, drink underage, make out with the hottest 5-10 boys at any party, VIP on VIP, an adorable little brother, and, honestly, not a care in the world. Yes, Serena went through some tough times, but she always came out on top. She’s quirky, everything you would think an Upper East Socialite wouldn’t be, and yet, there she is. There’s nothing to say about Serena except that she went through some tough shit and she’s still out on top without even trying. She’s not with the current fashions, she flies by her own rules and her own style.
So am I a free bird or a structured Queen?
If you asked me a year ago I probably would have sided with Blair Waldorf. Hell. I still want to be able to side with Blair Waldorf. She gets whatever she wants, but its not like it is just given to her, she works for it. Which of course only makes it, whether it be revenge or something more innocent, that much sweeter. Then, at the beginning of my freshman year, I probably would have said Serena Van Der Woodsen. I was attending a small school, which was not necessarily my dream school, partying, enjoying my life, doing whatever I want with my friends, and, without even trying I was on top. And yet, something changed between now and then. Was it me reverting back to my Blair Waldorf ways of working too hard only to fall in Serena’s shadow? Maybe. Was it realizing I had some tough shit to get over too? Perhaps. I think I was going back towards what I had been, without losing all of what I was becoming. I didn’t know it yet, but much like in Gossip Girl, the two separate Blair and Serena stereotypes I tried to keep apart, had to stay together.
Now I’m just now in Season Two, so nobody ruin it for me, but it seems as though Blair and Serena are at their best when they are together. And maybe, just maybe that will happen to me.
xoxo
An Angry Princess
(see what I did there)
Angry Princesses 