Gossip Needs New Marketing
What is gossip? Or, more importantly, what does gossip mean to you? Everybody has a different definition of gossip; I can remember being in elementary school, talking with my friends about nothing in particular, and teachers would walk by and tell us to stop gossiping. Because what else are girls meant to do except spread lies and talk behind each other's backs? Well, I actually see gossip as beneficial, and even good for people. Gossip can mean so many things, so let's break it down a bit.
People often view gossip in a negative tone, but it can be beneficial. If you think back to the times when it was small societies or small groups of people, you would learn who was good at certain things by talking about them. You would realize that one is good at farming and the other is better at leading, and that would help benefit society. By talking about other people, you learn who you should be around. History is just one big gossip sesh! Cleopatra dating Marc Anthony and Julius Caesar, that's some serious tea. Henry VIII cheating on all of his wives, oh, the drama! Marie Antoinette said “Let them eat cake!” (Fun Fact: She never actually said that.) Of course, there are the negative sides of gossiping; the most perfect example of historical gossip gone wrong is the Salem witch trials. People were just making up lies about people, getting them murdered. Not the best use of gossip.
However, I know that if I'm telling my friends information, I'm telling them because I want them to be safe and protected. After all, I love them. When I was young and still learning, I was not a good gossip. Now that I'm older and have seen the consequences of my actions, I'm unbelievably careful with the information I give to friends. If it helps them, I share, and if it's going to cause harm, I keep it to myself. As much as gossip can be genuinely good, it can still be very harmful. People can spread lies. People can twist the truth, and people can make up stories. That's where gossip is negative. Gossip, whether it's good or bad, is subjective to the person who is receiving or giving that information. Gossip can be a wonderful thing that helps people thrive, or can tear them down, but that's all dependent on the context.
Now, I want to point out that I am aware that I may just sound like someone who loves talking shit, so don't just take my word for it. In an article from NBC News, writer Sarah DiGiulio talks about how gossiping is good, and discusses how humanity has been gossiping throughout our entire history. Gossip really tells you who you should associate with, and who you shouldn't associate with. If the information that is being shared about people doesn’t align with who you want to be around, then that's a perfectly valid reason to not be around that person. Obviously, make sure everything is truthful, but that's just good journalism.
Gossip has this horrible, horrible connotation, but it can be a way helping you learn what you can about another person; it’s a way to know if you should really surround yourself with them. It's good to talk. It's good to get information, and it's good to know everything you can about anyone you can. Gossiping between women is seen as a very harmful and distasteful thing, when it can really be truly beautiful and way to bond with people. Let's be honest: everyone gossips, but when I say gossip, we think of women talking to other women. If you search “gossip” on Google right now, the first 50 pictures are primarily women. There's this villainization of gossip that makes it seem as though we're pitting women against women, when I don't believe that's the truth. Gossip can lift women up. How do we change the image of gossip? It's really in the hands of the people gossiping. Using the spread of information for the benefit of others is what it really should be. Gossip was how women would talk and bond throughout all of time. Princesses sitting in tea rooms talking about dukes and lords feels the same as sitting with your roommates gossiping about some guy you saw at a bar. Now, who are we to question those who came before us? If kings and queens gossiped, shouldn’t you be able to as well?