Blair Waldorf is a main character in the Gossip Girl series of novels and its television adaption which aired from 2007 to 2012. Hailing from old money on her father’s side and her mother being a prominent designer in the fashion scene remarried to a lawyer, Blair holds high status and power as a birthright. This isn’t enough for her as Blair is one who strives for perfection and covets to reach an untouchable regency status, both figuratively and at other times quite literally. She is dubbed “The Queen B” of the Upper East Side and is best friends with “it girl” Serena Van Der Woodsen. In spite of her own brilliance and beauty Blair often sees herself in the shadow of her best friend, but even In the novel, Blair is defined as a “striking brunette” and in the show, her image is the most well known as well as emulated, partially as a result of her connection to the fashion world as well as her own codes of dress that visually manifest or directly depict her place in the world in line with her own defined self-fulfilling prophecy in a world of drama and debutantes in designers.
FASHION FOUNDATION
The first look sported by Blair in the series sets the tone for her identity and the foundation of her development. She is wearing one of her mother’s designs, an Eleanor Waldorf dress paired with sheer elements adorned with floral lace embellishments finished off with black opaque tights, a simple heel, and of course a headband. Her look is much more curated and traditional, an approach to common themes throughout the series. Besides Serena, there is a great sartorial contrast as she is more formidable and dramatic in a contained manner while Serena is highly bright, and effortless- a contrast that will also set the tone for the show. Her most favored and iconic looks are rooted in seasons 1 and 2.
Blair’s signature codes of dress with preppy style as her foundation are traditionally girlish accents such as bows, headbands, or tights, upscale loungewear inside, and highly curated looks outside. Blair’s traditional and classic mindset is prominent, but she is much more dimensional- her prim and proper style hides away the mischievous side. With her mindset on Yale, her looks mirror the Yale woman through a young girl’s eyes, but then she has her environmental influence that places value on high-end fashion. She embellishes her uniform with designer pieces such as bags, contrasting textures, patterns, and pops of color to create her own form of visual dominance.If you’re interested in learning about preppy style, history, sociology, and how to curate this wardrobe I have an entire video dedicated to this fashion.
QUEEN ‘B’ SYNDROME
In sociology, the term “Queen Bee ” refers to a female leader of a group mostly applied to a teen clique, but this term is also present in other social settings and age groups. In media and culture, this is a stereotyped character who is conventionally attractive with charismatic qualities, but manipulative and power-hungry. Usually with a background of wealth and high status that wields influence and power over a group that will closely follow suit no matter how ruthless.
She’s best friends with this girl, Blair Waldorf, who is everything I hate about the Upper East Side distilled into one 95-pound, doe-eyed, bonmot-tossing, label-whoring package of girly evil.
A ruling component of Blair’s style when she is young is that she dresses to conduct control and give the illusion of true extroversion through ways of dress correlated with goals a. Blair’s extroversion is moderate The Psychology of fashion as she has an extroverted with the cognitive function of extraverted sensing she possesses a primarily extroverted personality and desires, but the sensory focus remaining so outward gives space for a deep appreciation and connection to beauty, evident by Blair’s need to remain in environments she finds suitable, to wear the most stylish ensembles, and craft herself as a piece of art on the romantic side, but on the logical curates to adhere to objectives. This means she is extroverted in specific settings, to achieve a goal, and to socialize with motive or aim rather than out of wanting new life experiences or meeting people outside of her world. This is present in her wardrobe as she is someone who loves quintessential ensembles, but will be sure to strategically include an extroverted garment such as a highly saturated coat, colored tights, or patterned headbands to give this accent of access. When she doesn’t do this, she comes off very rigid.
Unapproached, controlled, perfect. She is not unapproachable, she is poised, regal.
FASHION AS A STATUS SYMBOL
This psychologically will give her control of social perceptions and impression formation by using clothing as not a display of status for herself, but a tool to transform the status of others in the image of her own genuinely unreachable personal style. It is a form of self-objectification that manifests the performance of her goal.
Her dubbed minions mirror these components of her looks. This creates a greater social strength in the inner circle through ritual and visual unity, which produces a greater success in conducting control of a social ecosystem due to the salience of the garments worn by the inner group. Blair is highly aware that her rule is a product of her ruling with an iron fist and is willing to do whatever it takes to remain queen.
Traditionally in storytelling, the natural opposition to her rule is someone her threatening order, however, her character foil is usually an it girl, someone who is as gorgeous, popular, and has natural influence over scheming or force. This is often why Blair feels inferior and highly sensitive to Serena’s presence since she is a threat to her throne, the one person who can take control of the clique well if they truly wanted to.
Look Blair I encouraged you to do this, why would I why would I steal something from you that I encouraged you to do? Because you take everything from me! Nate, my mom! Blair! You can’t even help it- it’s who you are.
Through the use of relational aggression, Jennifer Power-Lunder, Psy.D, states, “Relational aggression is a specific non-physical brand of aggression. It is most often associated with “mean girl” behavior. The perpetrator “attacks” their victim by ruining their relationships, often with the aim of destroying their social status. Queen bees use this approach to keep their minions in line, buzzing around the hive. Queen bees rely on emotional abuse and psychological control to maintain their own social status.” Blair is the one who created this dynamic, hones it, and utilizes it. Since she is the Queen bee of the structure she understands how truly fragile it is.
For example, the style of the social circle shifts when Serena is takes the position of queen, the headbands the mirror crowns: rigid with regality are replaced scarves soft and breezy. A tangible depiction of the power struggle between these character foils.
QUEEN B TO DICTATOR OF TASTE
In season 3, her style begins to evolve as she moves on from high school into college. Her silhouette begins to mature out of the schoolgirl look that she takes comfort in. At her new university, she sports sleek lines and many primary colors on a larger scale, but she still integrates her codes in such as a headband or little skirt- just not so overtly anymore. Blair has always had a love for fashion and grew up immersed in it, but here she begins to be a bit lost in the world and we see her as a person begin to try to find a way to shine in spite of the fact that she no longer is in an environment where this behavior will be rewarded in the same manner as it once did. Prior she never would allow her success to being of her own talents or intelligence but would use her talents and intelligence as willpower to ensure momentum and accomplishment. When unable to do so it combats her worldview and she experiences a loss of control.
Into season 4 and 5, Blair’s worldview and perspective begins to change, for example, while interning at W Magazine she initially gets into a competition with Dan but decides to actually work for the job
B, can hear scheming in your voice, don’t sabotage him. Earn the spotlight on your own merit; you’ll feel better. I lost my true self. That girl is fiercely strong, independent, outspoken, beautiful, capable of anything.
rather than striving to eliminate the competition. We see a large amount of development, her style becoming less about codes to harness status into expression through codes and experimentation as a result of appreciation, hence the image shift from the Queen B into the “Dictator of Taste” era where fashion resonates on a new level.
“Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It’s movement, design, and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we’d like to be. Just like how your scarf says you’d like to sell used cars.”
Blair is still the same as she always had a strong sense of self, but is much more in touch with a part of her personality that she would not allow herself to explore or feel her Inferior: Introverted Feeling, that is often self-deemed as a weakness in spite of the fact that it is the part that allows for deeper, meaningful connections. We see her looks to shift to be more sophisticated, we see the goals shift visually. During this period, her relationship with Louis also progresses and the queen bee look matures into a more authentically regal one to aid in her integration of the royal family, the regulations set for her style upset her, but are fleeting as this relationship comes to an end due to her Auxiliary introverted intuition, she is forward-thinking and trusts in instincts even when jumping to a conclusion quickly sets her off. Blair’s development is very evident
THE SPECTRUM OF SELF CONCEPT
A reason why her looks don’t differ but evolve on a spectrum and do not venture out into another style is her dominating nature even over herself, so rather than a drastic shift she remains inline the same way she sets the world in line as this is how she functions in self-concept. When she is not in line with this, Blair doesn’t stray but always tries to find her way back to herself. As a visual person who is now more expressive, during this period she has her greatest range on this spectrum is in season 5 from floral flowy feminine and regal ensembles pieces to glamorous structured garments and even minimal subdued styling.
‘B’ FOR WALDORF
Her journey for self recollection ends when she returns to her roots and takes on the CEO position of Waldorf Designs. However as Blair works on her line, we see this reemergence of her old high school self and being unable to trust herself in succeeding due to her insecurities on top of the constant “it girl” presence that is in her life as it’s noted that everyone takes style cues from “it girl”s anyways. The resurfacing of her insecurities on a new venture adds further pressure and Blair spreads herself thin trying to work in his manner. She utilizes her old tactics but develops further in spite of this setback
You’re running my business like you’re still the meanest girl in high school. I need to use my power to form the fashionistas of the future. With a line for high school girls inspired by my Constance Uniform.
as she begins to avail herself: the resources, leadership skills, and aesthetic that has been a lifetime in the making with a new world view after all that she has been through.
This journey is tangibly captured at the pop-up show where Blair comes into her own marrying the two sides of her and finding a balance between the person she has become in hand with her inner child. Regardless of the drama and scheming surrounding the event, her dictator of taste and queen B balance allows for the clothing to breathe a new life into Waldorf Designs. Blair realizes that Serena is right about her not needing to scheme for success. Her style during this era is beginning to soften but remains mature, her sense of self is no longer in need of protection when she sheds away the scheming and insecurities to produce in a manner with a newfound deep appreciation for not only herself but those in her life.
This is showcased in her final look: taupe sequin dress with bow adornments in her classic silhouette by Zuhair Murad. The ensemble is finished off with subtle fine jewelry, fresh-faced makeup, and an updo: a mature beauty approach. This look to attend the wedding does not upstage, it’s respectful, collected, dreamy, and romantic. No longer standing in her own way she allows herself to shine alongside others, understanding that they do not detract. She can enjoy and create beauty to share without force.
This relates to Carl Rogers concept by which he states “the curative force in psychotherapy – man’s tendency to actualize himself, to become his potentialities.” This is in reference to a person’s ongoing journey where they maintain and enhance their self-concept by reflecting and reinterpreting the past to bring it into the future. This is Blair’s life journey as she recovers, develops, and grows as a person. The stylistically headstrong journey is the foundation of her aesthetic and fashion, every part of her is present what she loves stays with her what she hates transforms her. The looks of Blair’s lifetime mirror reality as we as people define our own style out of not only our physical self but the internal self.
Blair has been a character who both on and off-screen has had an impact on the fashion of many in spite of the fact that she sported the coveted look of the show’s airing.
There is much more than style cues we can take from her, Blair shows us that it’s our individuality that is so noteworthy and remarkable, even when the world around us may favor others it’s not a reflection of ourselves. Even the darker sides of oneself can be rejuvenated into a new admirable trait through self-assessment, experience, and growth. Blair’s rekindling of herself time and time again creates the looks of her life, the fashion that serves her on an aesthetic, emotional, and external level as cultivated individuality never goes out of style.
SOURCES: Character Bio and Events – https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Blair_Waldorf ESTJ Personality – https://www.verywellmind.com/estj-extraverted-sensing-thinking-judging-2795985 Dress, body and self: research in the social psychology of dress- https://fashionandtextiles.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40691-014-0020-7 Gossip Girl Serena and Blair Psychology – https://magazine.psykhefashion.com/decoded-big5/gossip-girl Queen Bee Syndrome/Psychology https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/he-speaks-she-speaks/201610/are-women-queen-bees Mean Girl Psychology- https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/girl-hate-and-mean-girls-is-it-insecurity-or-internalized-misogyny Client-centred therapy. London: Robinson. p. 489.
