<P> Despite all of her attributes, Janet Malcolm of The New Yorker considers her "incandescently beautiful, exceptionally kind, and, in the end, it has to be said, somewhat boring ." </P> <P> People compares her character with Josh Schwartz's original it - girl creation, Marissa Cooper, stating that Serena "seems to have it all, but in addition to a party girl reputation, dark family secrets and a disregard for high society, Serena one - ups the sulky Coop with a history of BFF betrayal ." Jason Gay of Rolling Stone describes Serena as "the bad girl gone good (ish) who serves as Gossip Girl's wobbly moral compass ." He added praise while describing her early strained relationship with Blair, stating, "Lively's Serena is a former queen bee who mysteriously disappeared from campus, only to return and find her spiteful ex-best friend, Blair (Meester), in charge ." With regards to her character's direction in the show, actress Blake Lively commented on her character's adventurous storylines during an interview with Nylon saying, "I feel ridiculous at times with her, because I'm, you know, killing someone or marrying someone, but I look like me . I'm like,' Oh, this is absurd ."' Vogue magazine considers Lively's upbringing to be advantageous to her character background and finds her "dazzling and worldly and optimistic". Her mother, a former model from Georgia would dress her differently and her differing fashion choices drew the attention of her classmates from the L.A. private school she enrolled in . "It was the only school where people were just downright mean to me," Lively stated . "They would make fun of my clothes because I dressed differently than the other kids ." </P> <P> In November 2012 concept music artist Marty McKay released a single called "Serena" featuring former Dr. Dre / Aftermath producer Focus...The song is based on Serena's character in Gossip Girl . Due to a lack of promotion, the song did not garner much attention . </P> <P> The first season introduces Serena as the beautiful, wealthy daughter of divorced parents who returns from boarding school . Her return sparks her old rivalry with her best friend, Blair . Serena's return is due to her younger brother, Eric van der Woodsen, who attempted suicide . She is considered unwelcome, most so by her old best friend Blair, who has always seen Serena as a threat to her reign as Queen Bee of Constance . After Serena successfully reconciles with her, Chuck Bass reveals to Serena that he knows the cause of her sudden departure prior to the first season - taking Nate Archibald's (Blair's boyfriend) virginity during a wedding, and he attempts to kiss her . Serena manages to escape and runs into Dan, a St. Jude's student from Brooklyn, who often expresses cynicism about the lifestyle his wealthier classmates lead . Serena also finds a friend in Jenny Humphrey, Dan's younger sister . Nate eventually reveals his tryst with Serena to Blair, and Serena is ostracized in the first few episodes of the show . Blair and Serena consistently fight and reconcile throughout the show's subsequent episodes, often dealing with Serena's tendency to overshadow Blair . Serena and Blair reconcile after a heartfelt confrontation that prompted Serena to admit her mistake with Nate and leaving Blair in her time of need . </P>

How old is serena at the start of gossip girl