Representations of Young Black Women in the Gossip Girl Reboot

By Shadise Archer

As much as I am a fan of the original Gossip Girl series from 2007, it is severely lacking in the diversity department. The Gossip Girl reboot (2021) is a serious change. The cast is largely made up of people of colour, particularly rich in Black female characters, with the ‘it girls’ being women of colour. The characters also differ and aren't one dimensional. Each character has great qualities as well as negative ones making them realistic.

The original Gossip Girl show had solely white leads, so the reboot is a drastic and welcome change. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, the ‘it girls’ of the show were both white women. Also, the rest of the core cast members were Caucasian. In an interview with Vulture, executive producer of the show, Joshua Safran, said: “When I look back on Gossip Girl, the only things I regret were not as much representation for people of colour and gay story lines.” The original is based off the book series from 2002 where there are also a lack of black characters and people of colour. However, the show starting in 2007 had the opportunity to make these changes and be more inclusive for their audiences. New York at this time was a diverse place, with many black people and POC who could have been represented.

The reboot in comparison is far more inclusive! I’m going to do a deep dive into the shows central Black female characters and explore the inclusivity on the show. Warning… spoilers ahead for season 1 and 2!

Julien Calloway - At the start of the show, Julien played by Jordan Alexander, is the ‘it girl’. She’s social media famous and sort of the queen bee at Constance Billard/St Judes. The actress who plays her is of German, Irish, and mixed African American descent. Julian is a kind-hearted young woman who stands up for what she believes is right – even when it ends up causing her problems – she is a positive influence for viewers. She is a powerful young woman who has built a business on social media and is extremely successful. When it is revealed that her father has sexually abused women that he has worked with, Julian is so hurt and doesn’t know what to do. She tries to reach out to these women and aims to apologies and make up for what her father did. This shows what a caring, thoughtful person she truly is and presents her as positive role model.

Zoya Lott – Julian’s estranged/long-lost half-sister Zoya Lott is portrayed by another black actress, Whitney Peak. She often mentions her race and brings up the importance of strong black people lifting up others and motivating them. The character often wears t-shirts with slogans, or badges which mention social movements and her character is very interesting in social issues. She is seen protesting in some episodes. She has a love for art, history, and culture. Her character is a positive example for young Black women watching as she is someone who cares deeply about her family, friends and charities and causes.

Monet DeHaan – Portrayed by Savannah Lee Smith, a black actress. Monet is the central character but is one of Julian’s minions when the show begins. However, in the second season, she becomes her nemesis when she tries to overthrow Julian as queen bee. Monet is sometimes ruthless and spiteful. She is rude to her teachers and classmates which shouldn’t be aspirational. But that doesn’t mean she’s not a role model in a sense. She is extremely strong-willed. She is determined and intelligent. She helped Julian build a career, and in the second season she aims to do so for herself too. Her work ethic and dedication are traits that audiences can aspire to have.

Although the show is rich in Black female characters, there is still a colorism problem. The show lacks dark-skinned representation. Is this to protect the white gaze, to attract audiences? Perhaps this is because of the previous show's success with an all-white cast.

The importance of diversity on television is something that is always relevant. Although the majority of viewers aren’t as wealthy and experience the same issues as those on the show, subjects such as race are relevant to people of all classes. The show is specifically about the extremely wealthy and their first world problems, meaning that the show is unrealistic and can even come across as insensitive. But Gossip Girl is supposed to be an escape from reality (especially as it came out at a time when the Coronavirus pandemic was affecting people all across the world).

As a mixed-race black woman myself, seeing a show predominantly filled with strong Black female characters is empowering. I feel that the show had a chance to make even more young Black people feel represented, specifically men. There are not any Black male characters – apart from the parents of the female black characters – and I feel that this was a HUGE opportunity which they’ve missed out on.

The show’s cancellation after season 2 was a disappointment to many. It was one of the only shows on TV that was so diverse in race and sexuality. There is speculation online that the show is going to get picked up by another network after HBO let it go. If this does happen then hopefully, the writers will try and include dark-skinned representations and other people of colour in future seasons.