Blaike Young This is about to be girly beyond belief, but I have no shame. Just this past Monday was the season premiere of the last season of Gossip Girl. When Gossip Girl started in September of 2007, I was only 12. While that was only 4 years ago, I can’t help but feeling Gossip Girl was part of my childhood. Gossip Girl was instantly cool. Long before I knew about a Team Edward or a Team Jacob, I knew about a Team Serena and a Team Blair. I’m still a devoted member of Team Blair. I grew up with Jenny (from innocent to goth to just totally disappearing and never being heard from again), Nate (hot to hot? I don’t know. Not much change there), Dan (loner boy to Serena’s boy to Vanessa’s boy to Serena’s again, then Blair’s, I’m pretty sure Hilary Duff was in there somewhere, oh and fake baby mama Georgina too), and Chuck (almost rapist to the love of Blair’s life-Chair forever!-and back again, and then again).  Yeah, I think it’s a little hard to follow too. I watched them go through high school while I was in middle school. Those were really the years. That show really gave me a false sense of what high school was really like. I don’t go to many masquerade balls, have a mahogany locker or a killer uniform, but they did, and it was really cool. And perhaps most strikingly different is that there isn’t a Gossip Girl trailing my every move. Not that I’d be cool enough anyway. Gossip Girl blogging about me would sound like: B spotted running halfway across the globe to get to her science class. B falling up the stairs because she’s a klutz #awksauce. The show started to go downhill about 2 seasons ago. Blair and Dan were, and always are, an absolute no. I don’t know how the writers could even dare write that. And the storylines grew a little duller. Blair and Chuck weren’t going on many vengeful missions anymore, Serena was temporarily Gossip Girl, and Blair gave up headbands. She also lost her independent attitude for a significant amount of time so she could stay in a relationship with Prince Louis. That wasn’t the Blair I had grown up admiring. Blair was never perfect, but she was also never just accepting of whatever came her way. She was a fighter and the Louis storyline destroyed that in her. It was disappointing. And so in certain ways I’m happy and sad that the Gossip Girl era of my life is coming to an end. I want to always remember the characters in their high school years. I want that part preserved, and I don’t want it glossed over by the past few lackluster seasons. So, I’m content with letting the characters continue to grow off screen while I grow myself and experience the real perils of high school. You know you love me, xo xo, B]]>