Monday, November 2, 2009
Thinking about Identity while watching Gossip Girl
Last night, I had some time to kick back and relax after an eventful Halloween weekend. I started catching up on some episodes of Gossip Girl, which is a show I have strangely become quite addicted to. And of course, five minutes into the show, I started thinking about how the characters and plot in that episode were relevant to the theories of identity I have learned about in English 225. I guess English class finds a way to creep up into me even when I am taking a break! There is a character on the show who is an actress, yet she disguises her name and enrolls in NYU because she wants the experience of a “normal” college student, without constantly being followed by paparazzi. While attending NYU, she meets a student who does not recognize her as a celebrity, and enters into a relationship with him because he saw her beneath all the glitz and glam and liked her for her personality. However, later in the episode, the actress’s cover is blown, and she attends a red carpet premiere in which is she is told to tell the press that she is dating a fellow actor, instead of an ordinary college student. The entertainment industry only cares about what will attract the most viewers. Therefore, there will be more hype about an upcoming movie if a celebrity puts on a false identity and pretends to date her co-star. I could relate this to Riesman’s false self, in which a person puts on an appearance that is not representative of his own identity for the sake of a particular audience. This got me thinking about how many celebrity relationships that we read about in magazines and tabloids, or see on TV, everyday, are actually substantial and real. I am no expert on celebrity gossip, nor do I even follow it except for the occasional glance at a magazine in the grocery store or headlines on the internet. However, I wonder what would happen if a celebrity did indeed decide to date someone who was not in the entertainment industry. This certainly would be frowned upon by the media because of the difference in social status. Ideally, the rich and beautiful should be dating others who are rich and beautiful, and this would attract more viewers. But I think by contriving some celebrity relationships, the entertainment industry takes away the opportunity for some celebrities to be happy. What if a celebrity wanted to be in a relationship with someone who didn’t share the same lifestyle as him? That celebrity shouldn’t be forced to abandon that thought because the media wouldn’t approve. The fact that celebrity couples are always breaking up, getting divorced after a month of marriage, and somehow end up dating co-stars of recent movies makes me question if these relationships are ones that came to develop of their own accord, or if they were forced by the media for publicity. I guess for a celebrity, there is a lot of pressure on how the audience views him or her. Therefore, sometimes appearance and portrayal of the false self, rather than the real self, is more important for their careers. After all, some celebrities act for a living, and therefore must put forth these skills in real life, acting as if they are happy. This relates to Goffman’s theory of identity which states that we are all actors on a stage, portraying various roles for particular audiences. Whoever thought that a simple episode of Gossip Girl could spark so much thought into the identities of celebrities in relationships?
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Payel,
ReplyDeleteI think it's very interesting that you have been evaluating Gossip Girl through the lens of identity formation and regulation because just today in my developmental psychology discussion we analyzed the same sitcom through the lens of media influence on the sexuality of teenagers. Overall, I think it is amazing how we come to understand what is normal or expected of us by the shows that we watch.
On another note, I would like to note that when you mentioned Riesman, you used the term "false self." Although Riesman's theory of identity in which people become outer-directed could definitely be seen as being fake or false, but it is actually Hochschild who used the term "false self." I think this brings up the point that both of these theories work together, and perhaps are not that separate after all. Perhaps Riesman's outer-directed self is not singular, but instead is plural and therefore is the "false" self that Hochschild describes. At the same time, then you must question whether that false identity is who the person truly is. If it is, then Riesman's your guy. If you think that the person has a true self and are just putting on an appearance because that is what is demanded of the situation, then Hochschild's theory is more adequate.
The way the media chooses to present celebrities is always skewed, and I think it is great that you found an instance of this in a show that you enjoy. Fun blog :D
James
Payel,
ReplyDeleteI am addicted to Gossip Girl as well! I find it interesting that celebrities have to live in this constant bubble. This bubble only allows other celebrities in. Actors are constantly working through life believing that they are making their own choices, but are they really? In Gossip Girl we saw how much influence PRs have in their client's life so is this true for all celebrities? Every now and then when I hear about a celebrity relationship that I would never think would happen I wonder if it is just a ploy or if they are acting so much in their life that they don't realize they are doing things to fit the media pressures. It's sad if this is true, after all celebrities are people, too. They should be able to like someone for who they are and to be actually happy.
As I thought about your blog, I tried to relate it to our day to day experience as well. I feel like sometimes the relationships we make in life are made to fit in with the rest of the group. Some of my friends have geeky guy friends that they get along with so well, but would never date because they are always known to date the popular, cute and funny kid.
Society pressures celebrities and ordinary people to make choices that may not reveal their true thoughts. And some of us realize this, so why does it still go on? It's a complicated thing, I say.
I loved how you were able to relate the information we learned in English class to Gossip Girl. I plan on reading more fun blogs from you in the future!