PRIVILEDGE IN MEDIA

When I think of privilege in a film mor TV show, I immediately think Gossip Girl. This show depicts the lives of high school students in New York City that are very wealthy.

Blair Waldorf’s mother is a fashion designer who is always put of town, giving the character, Blair, free reign of whatever she wants. These kids wear all designer clothes and basically do whatever they want. Because of their high social status, they were ordering drinks at the bar at 15, getting out of legal trouble and paying people to take the SAT for them. While this show is very interesting, it is just not realistic at all. When privilege is shown in the media it is always only showing the extreme.

This type of privilege in media is very entertaining, but if the audience doesn’t realize it is highly unrealistic it can cause them to want this fantasy life. I think a reason why privilege is so common among media is due to the fact that no one can really relate. These shows are like a fantasy world for the audience to escape to, which allows a sense of comfort.

I personally love watching these shows, but I know they are not for everyone.