Starting the Project
Honestly I thought recreating Eric van der woodsen’s vibe would be simple at first. Grabbed my laptop Monday morning feeling all hyped up. Opened Netflix re-watching Gossip Girl episodes like crazy, scribbling notes about his fancy suits and that messy blonde hair. Figured I’d just copy his outfits first. Went thrift shopping downtown Tuesday afternoon hoping to score similar blazers. Man that failed hard – found nothing but 80s shoulder pads and stained sweaters. Felt so frustrated I almost quit right there.
Hitting Roadblocks
Changed strategy Wednesday. Decided to mimic his lifestyle instead. Woke up thinking “Okay let’s do rich kid things”. Drove to fanciest brunch spot in town wearing shades indoors. Ordered pancakes just like he’d do in those hotel scenes. Nearly choked when the bill came – $38 for syrup? Damn. Got home realizing my bank account definitely ain’t Upper East Side material. That reckless energy Eric has? Tried it Thursday by skipping work for “spontaneous adventures”. Boss called me reckless when I showed up late Friday. Truth is I ain’t got trust funds to fall back on when I mess up like he does.
The Reality Check
Saturday came around feeling dumb about this whole experiment. Realized something important sitting on my Ikea couch eating ramen: You can’t fake being born rich. Those subtle things? Like how Eric walks into rooms like he owns them? Can’t replicate childhood privilege. Saw my reflection wearing knockoff loafers and sighed. Took everything back to thrift store Sunday morning. Learned you can appreciate a character without pretending to live their life. Maybe I’ll just stick to enjoying the show from my regular dude couch next time.
Why bother sharing this fail? Last month some life coach online kept preaching “You can manifest any reality!” Total BS. Wasted weeks feeling inadequate thinking I could morph into fictional characters. Truth is – and this hit hard – sometimes admiration should stay admiration. Trying to be someone else just makes you forget your own damn strengths. Found way more peace accepting my actual life than chasing phony rich-kid fantasies.
