English Version | You Know You Love Me

It was nine years ago that we said goodbye to Gossip Girl, but a cultural reset like that doesn't go away lightly. Nostalgia has lingered throughout. Surprise: the series, and its universe, are back, with new characters and storylines. Does this mean a comeback to the urge to gossip? Ah, wait. The gossip never went anywhere. That's what we talked about with Jordan Alexander, one of the leads in the long awaited reboot.

Photography Jason Nocito. Styling by Erik Ziemba.
Photography Jason Nocito. Styling by Erik Ziemba.

There are questions that we have long tried to get answered. For example, "Who was born first: the egg or the chicken?", or "To be or not to be? That's the question." No matter how many theories can be developed around these puzzles, reaching a certain conclusion is an almost impossible job. The same is true of gossip, which has been around since man was a man. Is gossip the stupidest thing about human beings? Yes. No. Maybe. Some say yes, and some say: "Gossip is what makes human society as we know it possible," wrote psychologist Robin Dunbar, in the article Gossip in Evolutionary Perspective (2003), where one can further read that two-thirds of our conversations are dominated by gossip. More recently, in 2019, a study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science pointed out that the average human spends 52 minutes a day gossiping. If you need time to digest this information feel free, we won't judge you. By the way, here I confess: before I threw myself into scientific articles and read what professors, psychologists, and sociologists had to say on the subject, I regarded gossip with some (okay, a lot) of contempt.

We like to think that all the conversations we have are highly productive, with exchanges of ideas about philosophical issues, about politics, international relations, and culture, but things are far from the reality. We all do, but we all judge. False puritans please leave the scene, no one believes you. "The distaste people feel for gossip and those who gossip disappears when they are confronted with a juicy piece of information about someone they know," says journalist Julie Beck, in an article for The Atlantic magazine. We can say with conviction that we have never felt so well represented as in this quote. Since guilty pleasures are no longer guilty, but just pleasures, maybe next time when we are "sharing information" we won't have to beat ourselves up so much, as long as things don't go beyond what is acceptable - or is this our subconscious making excuses?

Who never seems to have had a problem with gossip is Gossip Girl, the series and the mysterious identity behind the publications that ruined the social lives of an elite group of young New Yorkers. It was in 2007 that we first entered the universe of the Upper East Side. Rich kids, spoiled and with an eccentric life for someone who was still finishing high school. A reflection of this niche or pure fiction? It didn't matter at the time, the heart of the matter there was the life of Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen, Chuck Bass, Dan Humphrey, and Nate Archibald - characters that from one moment to the next began to dominate café conversations. Fourteen years ago, blogs dominated the Internet, social media were in their infancy, and Instagram was far from what it is today. Even without other people's lives in the palm of our hands, there was no secret that could escape the sharp tongue of Gossip Girl. In 2012, after six seasons, Gossip Girl's identity was discovered and the blog went out of business. But the nostalgia remained. The MET stairs and Blair Waldorf headbands remained intact in our imaginations. We asked for more. The thirst for a teen drama of this magnitude has not abated. The door to this universe opened again in early July with the premiere of the new Gossip Girl. New characters, new storylines, the usual drama, and a closet to envy. Just like the first chapter of this story, this reboot is a reflection of where society is at. If hiding a secret in the middle of the last decade was a torment, now, with technology dominating everyday life, the task becomes impossible - even more so when Gossip Girl is reborn from the ashes. 

Jordan Alexander is one of the main characters of this new season and on a Zoom Lisbon-New York connection, Vogue had a chat with the young actress, who didn't budge for a second about the secret identity of this new Gossip Girl.

How does it feel to be part of this new era of Gossip Girl?

It feels really good. It's a step in the right direction to, you know, in a way to move things forward. As far as representation and diversity, I'm very excited about the process that's been going on since day one. It's a great thing in my life. This experience has changed my whole life.

What can you tell us about this reboot and the character you play?

I play Julian Calloway, an extremely wealthy influencer. His father is a Grammy winner and music producer. The group of friends she goes to school with are those Julian has known since she was a baby. The drama is coming. 

Looking back at the first series, it is safe to say that what we saw on the small screen was a reflection of where society was. Through the teasers we have seen so far, this chapter will also follow that line of thought. In what ways is it important for Jordan to be part of a narrative like this? 

I think it's very important, because I think it helps to raise issues that need to be addressed, especially in an industry that isn't necessarily doing that. This is a series about drama and Fashion - and everyone is going to have those moments - but we're also trying to raise attention to social awareness. 

Jordan is a proud activist for the LGBTQIA+ community. Being that social media has made activism and social awareness much more visible today than a decade ago, do you see these values reflected in the series? 

Yes. I mean, there is an effort to bridge the gap in terms of discrimination and lack of representation of the LGBTQIA+ community on screen. I feel like that's part of the conversation, but I also know that there's a lot more that needs to be done and that's the best part. It's like, "Okay, we've gotten here, we've done this, but there's still a long way to go." I think it's very exciting to keep pushing on this point. We really need to push and carry the criticism, because there are people who are marginalized in a way that we are not. We need to have the ability to say what needs to be done. Information is valuable. Listening is very important. Being aware going forward is a sure step.

Fashion is very intrinsic to the Gossip Girl universe and this new season screams Fashion with a capital F. While filming, was there a Fashion moment that left you speechless?

The wardrobe is amazing. I feel like a different person every time I wear those clothes. It demands something from me. There is one moment in particular that left me wow, when I wore a dress by designer Christopher John Rogers. It was huge and had a gigantic train. Everyone had to be very careful, the dress was so big that I had to go sideways through the doors, I couldn't even sit down. But that's the luxury. It's fashion baby, it's not functional.

And off screen, is Fashion also important? 

Fashion in the sense that it represents who I am, yes, but it depends a lot on how I feel. Sometimes I just want to be in a t-shirt and sweatpants, sometimes I'm not even sure what I'm wearing. But when I'm trying to be intentional with Fashion, it has the power to make me feel like I'm being seen the way I want to be seen. That's what Fashion is about, really.

We can say that gossip is the main character in this series. With that in mind, why do you think human beings like gossip so much?

The origin of gossip is incredible. We are talking about communication and the various ways we communicate. Gossip is not intrinsically bad - it is described that way. Initially it was along the lines of, "Have you heard of that place? They say it's dangerous." It is, above all, about passing on information. Obviously it got lost along the way in egos and everyone's perceptions, but essentially what happens when you're in the gossip is trying to keep someone safe. But at the same time it all got very dramatic and confusing.

We all gossip, even about small things, but sometimes we tend to say no. Why do people do that? Is it because gossip is the ultimate guilty pleasure? 

Right! There is a feeling that is triggered by this act that is, for some reason, pleasant. People feel part of something. You can get sidetracked and start spouting nonsense or spreading things that aren't true, but it's the idea of community that attracts people.

Backstage do you talk about what's happening with the characters, almost as if they actually exist?

Oh, yes. Absolutely. There was a time when we were pretending that our characters were real. It was like, "I can't believe this is happening." It's surreal how the story being told gave us those emotions. But I believe we used the power of gossip to the positive side.

One of your sisters was very important to your career as an actress. I read that you stopped acting for some time. Why did this happen?

I don't really know how it happened, but it was after I moved to Toronto. I didn't feel it was good for me, so I stopped. I started doing my music, which is something I love. But acting is something that comes naturally in my life and for a long time I was on and off. But my sister influenced me, or rather forced me to do it.

Jordan is not only an actress, she also sings. How do you reconcile these two passions? 

It's very much about what's happening at the moment. Right now acting is the priority - this opportunity is actually amazing. But I would love to be doing both. I think if you can dream it, you can do it. I'd like to live in a world where I could genuinely do both. I miss music right now, because for a year I didn't do anything. For the last eight years I've only done music. I miss it.

And how do you navigate these two industries? 

What's interesting about the music industry, at least at the stage I'm at now, is that I don't need much. I create connections with other artists and make the music happen, or I make music on my own. I don't need to get involved with the industry. But in acting you can't get a job without other people. The music industry is much more flexible, I'm not agented by any record company, I do whatever I want. I just want to make music and share it, I don't want it to necessarily become a job and end up ruining the fun side.

Whether in music or acting, the arts have been your life. Besides this, what gives you motivation? 

Honestly, connecting with people and creating interpersonal relationships. For example, right now I'm connecting with you. You're a human being I've never met before and we're connecting. That's very interesenting to me. It fills my heart, you know. I haven't connected with people much lately, because we’re filming so much. And as much as filming is fun, which it is, it's very different from social interaction. A year into the pandemic, I've been very isolated. I've met people at work and I have my friends in Toronto [the city where Jordan was born] and that gives me encouragement, even though I'm isolated.

In an interview she said that one of the reasons she shaved her hair was because she was trying to figure out what she wanted - and hair was not one of them. A beautiful way to affirm the true self, because that is exactly what we should do. Being honest with yourself is the ultimate goal?

In terms of goals this is very true, or at least this is how I see it. Find what makes you truly happy. I hope that everyone is able to find that and that they are able to pursue their true self. It's not necessarily a reality for everyone, for example, in the LGTQIA+ community you know who you are, but we're not yet at a place where you can truly be you. I think if you can be true to yourself, you have to be. I want to learn to be me. When you are yourself you attract good things for yourself.

Are you ready for the premiere? 

Honestly, I don't know. I'm trying to prepare myself, trying to gain perspective. It all seems very overwhelming. I'm trying to center myself and remember that this is an interesting and incredible opportunity. But I don't know. I have no idea if people will like it. The truth is, we don't know, because this project is a giant scale of everything I've ever done. We're going to reach such a large audience, and the more people you present a project, the more likely you are to get more povs. At the same time it's all very interesting.

One last question, what advice would you give to all queer artists who are trying to break into the arts universe?

Community. I feel that with marginalized people, we can often be tokenized and it gives us complex thinking. Let's all come together and have this beautiful creative community where we lift each other up and where we connect with each other. So community would be my advice. Be with your people, be with your community. That is always the most remarkable thing. 

Originally published on Vogue Portugal 2021 july/august issue.Full stories and credits on the print issue.