Oh, Gossip Girl. It was one of the most iconic, dramatic, ridiculously amazing shows of our generation. GG basically characterized my middle/high school years, and I consider myself an expert on the show’s six seasons. One of my favorite part of GG (besides the outfits!) was the characters and their relationships with each other. Blair, Chuck, Serena, Nate, and Dan were all highly entertaining in their own way, and I loved trying to keep up with their relationship dynamics. So what can be learned from the show? I argue that there is a wealth of dating advice hidden underneath all of the other stuff, and have outlined below what I think are the best dating lessons to be learned from Gossip Girl.
1. Differences can make relationships stronger.
When we first met Dan and Serena, they were as seemingly different as any two people can be. Serena was the beautiful, unattainable “It Girl” returned to the coveted Upper East Side, and Dan was a misunderstood, unknown “Lonely Boy” stuck in Brooklyn. However, the two were able to find common ground in who they genuinely were as people, and all of the shallow things – like social status, money, and family origins – didn’t matter. Instead, their differences made their relationship stronger and allowed each of them to gain new perspectives on what life was like in a world outside their own.
2. Forgiveness is everything.
There will be arguments and bad days in relationships, it’s inevitable. However, when you are with the right person, you will learn to forgive and work at moving past mistakes. Although Chuck and Blair went through an insane amount of struggles, they were able to overcome them because they loved each other and truly wanted to be together.
3. Don’t ever be afraid to care about someone.
When it comes to dating, being guarded and closely protecting your heart will never allow you to find what you are truly looking for. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and be brave by feeling things. Like Blair telling Chuck she loved him first, you should never be afraid to care about someone or to take a risk in love.
4. Your friends will make a breakup bearable.
Breakups can be hard. When your relationship ends, there is nothing more therapeutic than being with your friends, crying, and talking it through. They will also hopefully be able to rebuild your confidence and get you back out into the dating world to find someone even better!
5. Sometimes things just don’t work out.
A hard lesson to learn, sometimes in life things just aren’t supposed to happen. Lily and Rufus’s journey was a hard one to watch. Although the two genuinely loved each other, their feelings just weren’t enough in the end to overcome everything in life that had gotten in the way. In season one, Blair and Nate were childhood sweethearts who seemingly had it all worked out. However, they, too, realized that although they will always love each other, their relationship wasn’t healthy or right for either of them. Both of these couples prove that when it comes to relationships, if things are just too hard or if everything is falling apart, sometimes the best thing to do is to move on.
6. If two people are meant to be together, they will be together eventually.
That said, if two people are destined to be together, they will end up together. Cue sobbing over Chair (Chuck+Blair) and Derena (Dan+Serena), the ultimate power couples of the show. Poor Nate.
xoxo, Gossip Girl
