Many of us wonder why we perceive the world in certain ways. We tend to think it can be because of our peer or parental influences, but it may be from characters we have met on television. We watch these shows for the simple ease of leisure and passivity or education, but maybe we don’t acknowledge the effects and impacts the characters’ have on us. We observe their socioeconomic standings, their appearances, and the way they interact with others. During the times we watch, we compare their ‘lives’ to our own. Do we think these television shows set insurmountable real life expectations for the viewers? It seems to be true that some shows highlight the best moments of their lives and continue to show that the complex, intricate situations can …show more content…
The show Gossip Girl has managed to maintain one of the highest viewing ratings since it first aired in 2007 (Marsi, 2007). It encompasses values and concepts that address the elites of the upper class that attributes influence to the cultural norm that exists within our current real society. Teenage girls and young women watch this show comparing their lives to those of Serena, Blair, Jenny, Vanessa, Ivy, Lily, and Eleanor leading them to feel inferior and compelled to lead complementary lives. The relationships and situations these characters faced with each other throughout the six seasons of the show might have effects on viewers’ perceptions of what it really takes to be successful and have an acceptable social group. Because of the success of these types of shows, media puts much more practice on portraying these types of relationships and situations. A recent study by the Girl Scouts Research Institution found that 78% of regular (TV) viewers agreed that “gossiping is a normal part of a relationship between girls,” compared with 54% of non-viewers (Melnick,