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The Dangers of ‘Gossip Girl’

posted by nsymmonds | 10:30am Wednesday April 16, 2008

gossipgirlpicforIC.jpgIn just a few days the CW Network’s hottest show “Gossip Girl,” will be back on the air. All “Gossip Girl” fans and closet cases will be able to get their fill of Blair, Serena, Dan, Jenny, Chuck, and Nate—maybe I left some people out but these are the only ones that count. Secretly, I was kind of excited to have “Gossip Girl” back. The show fulfills my need for a guilty pleasure that doesn’t involve me committing any actual sins. But for the past two weeks, I have been assaulted with an advertising campaign for the show that has made me think twice about watching it.The campaign is based on the “sex sells” model. Sex in the back of taxicabs, sex in bars, sex in the middle of the floor of random places, sex in bed followed by post-coitus cuddling and chatting; all this sex on a show about a bunch of teenagers. Hot, steamy, teenage sex, without consequence is what the CW is pushing to get people’s eyes back on “Gossip Girl.” If that isn’t bad enough, each of these steamy commercials is followed by a chat-speak phrase. The commercials started out with “OMG, ” translated “Oh My God.” But the latest group of commercials takes it one step further with “OMFG,” I hope that I don’t have to tell you what the “F” stands for. Not only is that blasphemous but in the context of the commercial—which I have posted below—it makes the CW Network look like it’s in the business of peddling lascivious content involving minors. No, the actors aren’t minors but their characters are. One could make the case that there are adults who watch this show so the mature content doesn’t matter, but what of the amount of teen and ‘tweens that watch as well. What kind of message are we sending to them? Watching grown women have premarital sex a la “Sex and the City” is one thing–morally wrong to many of us–but at that age they are grown enough to make their own decisions and deal with the consequences. But teenagers having sex and treating it like a trip to the mall and never having an authority figure tell them about the seriousness of their actions is quite another. It’s a bad message to send to the impressionable teenagers that watch the show. We can’t be in denial any longer. Our children are sometimes deeply impacted by what they see on television, hear in music, and watch in the world around them. I can say this because I see teens every morning who have nothing but shows like “Gossip Girl” to watch, Snoop Dogg to listen to, Cosmopolitan to read, and parents who don’t have time to enforce the boundaries they’ve established. It’s a scary thing.Shouldn’t the CW take some responsibility and air a safe sex/abstinence campaign in the midst of airing a show that makes teenage sex look desirable—and without true consequence? Maybe I am just an old-fashioned girl, but I just don’t believe that the network—or the creators of the show—should be held blameless in helping a generation of kids to discover sex well before they know of it’s true consequences–and know what to do when those consequences arise. Won’t someone call them to task? See what all the hubbub is about below.

So where do we go from here?



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Comments read comments(6)
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Cranky

posted April 16, 2008 at 11:25 am


“So where do we go from here?”
–Go to the power off button on the remote and press it.
–Go to the vcr/dvr/tivo and “unprogram” the show so that it no longer takes up any space in your life.
–Go do something fulfilling in the time that had been taken up by watching the show. According to viewership figures, while you are watching “Gossip Girls” 40% of the US population is watching something else (a lot of which don’t have to be justified as a “guilty pleasure”) and almost 60% of us (170-180 million people) are not even watching television.



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T Dog

posted April 16, 2008 at 1:40 pm


“Gossip Girl” is CW’s hottest show? Have you really seen the ratings for this program? (They’re awful.) You must’ve consulted with Donald (“The Apprentice” is the number one show on TV!) Trump before coming to that conclusion.



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The Writer

posted April 16, 2008 at 1:47 pm


Ahh, but I meant “Hottest Show” in terms of the actually content, not in regards to ratings. There is no show hotter than that unless maybe you can’t “Sex and the City” in syndication…



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Rinatasoki

posted October 2, 2010 at 3:13 am


??? ?????? ? Soki.tv ? ??? ???????? ???? ????????. ?????? ??? ?????????? ???? ????? ??????? ???, ??? ?? ? ??? ?????????. ????? ?? ???(??? ???) ??????? ????? ???????-??? ????????, ??????? ??????? ???? ? ?????????? ? ???????? ??? ?????? ?? ????????????? ?????. ??? ??? 2 ???? ?? ????? ? ????????? ????-?? ? 2 ???? ??? ?????? ???? (!) ????????? ???? ??????? ???????. ????? ? ??? ????-?? ?????????. ? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ???-???? ???????, ??? ??? ? ?????????. ? ???????? ??????????????? ?????????? ?? ????? ??????? ? ????????? ? ??? ?? ?????? ?????????-??? ????? ??????????. ? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ????? (?????) ??? ????????? ? ????, ????? ?????. ??????? ??? ????? ????? (????, “???? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????, ??? ? ? ??? ?????????. ??, ??? ???? ??? ???????”, ??? ?? “??? ? ??? ??????, ????? ??? ????????”, ? ????? ? ? ????? “????????, ??? ??????!” ???: “?? ????? ??? ?????? ?????!” ? ?????? ?? ?????/? ??????/? ??????..
??? ??? ???????? ?????????? ????????-???????? ?????? (??? ???? ????? ???? ???????? ????????)! ?? ???????, ??? ???? ??????! ?? ??? ??? ??? ??????????-?? ???????? ?? ???????, ? ????, ???????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ????????? ?? ???, ??? ???????. ? ?? ????????????. ??????????? ?? ??????, ??? ????? ??????? ?? ???????? (????? ?????? ???????) ?? ???? ???? ???????, ?? ??? ????????? “? ???? ???? ? ????” ??? ???? ?????? ?????
? ????? ???? ????? ????? ? ? ????????? ???????? ?? ???? Rinata Pi7



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office 2007

posted November 17, 2010 at 1:18 am


Aw, this was a really quality post. In theory I’d like to write like this too – taking time and real effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and never seem to get something done.



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office 2010

posted November 17, 2010 at 3:52 am


This is my first time i visit here. I discovered so numerous interesting stuff in your weblog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all of the enjoyment here! maintain up the great work.



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