Welcome to Pop Culture Anniversaries of the Week, where we take a brief break from 2020 and look back at simpler times every Friday. In this past week...
Spotted: Many millennials suddenly feeling very old. That's right, people: The first episode of Gossip Girl aired 13 years ago, on Sept. 19.
It's hard to overstate the legacy of Gossip Girl. From Penn Badgley to Blake Lively, it made stars out of its cast — with plenty of actual celebrities guest-starring on the show itself (Lady Gaga! Hilary Duff! Tyra Banks!). Heck, we might even have a reboot right now if it weren't for the coronavirus.
Plus, who can forget its preppy stye? One trend spotter even called it “the biggest influence in the youth culture market" in the New York Times in '08 (not even a year after it aired). And, while Blair might not have invented headbands, her name was certainly referenced a lot during the Fall 2019 headband trend.
Still, we can all agree that not all of Gossip Girl has aged well. I used to have the hots for Chuck Bass back in the day, but upon rewatch, I can confirm that he should definitely be in jail. There's also the highly controversial ending, which many (myself included) say made basically no sense.
So, if we do see a Gossip Girl reboot in this lifetime, it'll likely be a pretty different beast — not least of all because no one uses flip phones anymore. But if rich teens on the Upper East Side aren't your thing, here's another 12 anniversaries this week:
1. Nineteen years ago, on Sept. 24, Britney Spears released her hit single "I'm a Slave 4 U."
2. Nine years ago, on Sept. 20, Carly Rae Jepsen released her bop "Call Me Maybe."
3. Nine years ago, on Sept. 22, Rihanna and Calvin released their banger "We Found Love."
4. Seven years ago, on Sept. 23, Liam Payne warned One Direction fans, who were camping outside their hotel, about snakes.
Girls behind the hotel please get out the fields there's a huge sign saying snake habitat it's just not worth it someone's gunna get hurt
5. Nineteen years ago, on Sept. 21, Prince William was getting ready to study at St. Andrews University.
6. Eighteen years ago, on Sept. 22, the Friends cast was celebrating an Outstanding Comedy Emmy win.
7. Sixteen years ago, on Sept. 19, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick were smooching after her Best Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy win.
8. Fourteen years ago, on Sept. 25, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian were promoting a sparkling wine called "Rich Prosecco" at Munich Oktoberfest.
9. Eleven years ago, on Sept. 25, Taylor Lautner was smoldering at the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party.
10. Ten years ago, on Sept. 24, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake were partying at New York's Harvard Club after The Social Network's premiere.
11. Fourteen years ago, on Sept. 21, Beyoncé was at London Fashion Week.
12. Seven years ago, on Sept. 21, the Kardashian/Jenner crew was on the iHeartRadio Music Festival red carpet.
