The Good Kind of Gossip

My senior year in high school, I was nominated for "Class Gossip." Fortunately, I lost to my friend Cindy. I thought it was funny to be nominated, but I'm also well aware that "she's such a gossip" isn't a compliment.

But I still love a juicy story. And because of that, I am so thankful to be living in the days of celebreality. Between a handful of blogs and Us Weekly, gossip has become a nearly victimless crime (I mean, except for the paparazzi-plagued celebrities. But they get PAID FOR IT.)

Imagine - in the Middle Ages, gossipy women had only their immediate neighbors and leaders to talk about. I suppose over the next century or two, that circle expanded a bit, but not too much. At the turn of this century, movie stars began to emerge as public figures, but access to information about their lives - especially their personal lives - was still minimal. All those years, gossiping about neighbors was much more satisfying than talking about the famous.

But all that's changed now. I don't need to potentially hurt my friends' feelings by speculating on the health of their marriages or the cost of their jewelry. Not when Jessica is drunk and Paris is...Paris.

Sigh. The internet is so fantastic.