In 2008, Momsen became a professional model, and in 2010, she was chosen as the face of Madonna's "Material Girl" fashion line. She's the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band The Pretty Reckless.
Tropes:
- Actor Allusion: Several of The Pretty Reckless's singles are featured on Gossip Girl.
- Contractual Purity: She began her career as a child actress, famously as Cindy Lou in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. And although Gossip Girl was a sexy teen drama, Taylor's character was the Token Wholesome of the cast. The fact that she was not as squeaky clean as her character didn't sit well with a lot of people. Despite the fact that she's been relatively scandal-free, it didn't stop her undergoing some
Memetic Mutation with Before And After pictures like this
. The Pretty Reckless's video for "Make Me Wanna Die" was prevented from being released for a while because Taylor appeared nude at the age of sixteen. - Creator Backlash: Admitted that she wasn't too fond of her acting career, claiming her parents pushed her into it when she was two, and she had already been burnt out by the age of seventeen.
- Dye Hard: She's naturally blonde but goes for a platinum shade.
- I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: Connor Paolo, a good friend of hers who played Eric in Gossip Girl, appears in The Pretty Reckless's video for "My Medicine".
- Real Life Writes the Plot:
- Jenny's 'good girl gone bad' storyline in Season 3 of Gossip Girl was a reflection of Taylor's own Hotter and Sexier public image.
- She opted to focus on her music in The Pretty Reckless, so Jenny only appears in a few episodes in Season 4 and then gets Put on a Bus completely (though came Back for the Finale).
- Scary Musician, Harmless Music: She once dressed like this◊ while on tour. It's a quite a black metal image for a band who plays pretty straightforward radio rock.
- Stripperiffic: Some of her outfits, especially shoes, were even bought at stripper shops, though she may have grown out of this style.
- Underage Casting: Cindy Lou is said to be eight years old, Taylor was six.
- What Could Have Been: Taylor was one of the actresses Disney was interested in when developing Hannah Montana. This gets a small Shout-Out in an episode of Gossip Girl.
- Younger Than They Look: When she was a teenager, her style of dress and makeup made her look in her early to mid twenties. Also while Cindy-Lou Who was stated to be 8, she was only 6 during filming.
