XOXO, 18 Years Later: Why Gossip Girl Still Defines Teen Drama

When I first watched Gossip Girl during lockdown, I thought I’d found the handbook to being a teenager: high heels in junior college, fashion at brunch, and dramatic betrayals before biology class. My actual reality? Dalgona coffees, dodgy Wi-Fi, and far too many family Zoom calls. But here’s the wild part — 18 years since its first episode, Gossip Girl still feels relevant. It didn’t just give us Miss Blair Waldorf's headbands or Serena Van Der Woodsen in floaty dresses that sensually ended right above her thighs. It foreshadowed the messy, performative culture we navigate today. Gossip blogs? Stan Twitter? Instagram tea pages? All just Gossip Girl 2.0.

The Original Internet Chaos Machine

Let’s be honest: no teen in 2025 would get their secrets exposed on a blog. But in 2007, when this showlaunched, the idea of an anonymous account ruining your life was radical. Today, it’s just a Tuesday on X. “Spotted” was basically subtweets before subtweets. Gossip Girl walked so DeuxMoi, Pop Base, and every shady finsta could run back then.

Every teen drama since has been about extremes — Euphoria’s glitter tears, Elite’s crime sprees — but the Upper East Side made its mark by glamorising chaos. Breakfasts looked like hotel buffets, teenagers wore Valentino to class, and Chuck Bass casually bought a hotel like I grab a Zara dress from the sale section. Ridiculous? Completely. But as a 15-year-old stuck inside, it was escapism at its finest.

The Archetypes That Never Died

GG has shaped the aesthetic of an entire generation, to be fair, generations. Waldorf's clean girl aesthetic — the bows, ballet flats, and headbands are everything we swear by at this point. Van der Woodsen is Peak "that girl" energy: effortlessly chaotic, pretty without trying, and lowkey the red flag you couldn’t quit. And just like back then, you might have a Chuck Bass in your life — someone you despise, or can't help but fall for (too obvious that I resonate with Blair?). Boys, of course, have picked up their hot-and-cold red flag energy from Nate Archibald. These archetypes are still alive in every friendship group, every drama series, every Pinterest board. This show didn’t just create characters — it created templates we’re still using.

Problematic, But Iconic

Rewatching it now at 20, I’m more aware of how messy it all was. The show romanticised toxic relationships, glossed over consent, and turned betrayal into a lifestyle. Gen Z wouldn’t let all of that slide today — Twitter threads would eat these characters alive. And yet, there’s something magnetic about it. The camp, the chaos, the unhinged plotting. We don’t just excuse it; we rewatch it because growing up is messy, dramatic, and a little bit toxic sometimes.

The reboot came and went, Instagram killed the blog, and "spotted" is now something you say about a cute dog. But the original remains untouchable because it understood what it meant to be a teenager: craving drama, obsessing over appearances, and secretly hoping someone’s watching your life like it’s a show.

So yes, it’s been 18 years. And yes, it’s still iconic. Because if Gossip Girl taught us anything, it’s that drama never dies — it just finds a new platform.

You know you love it.

XOXO.

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