Reality Television

I am personally not a fan of reality television, but as per the assignment for this blog post, we were required to watch an episode of a show. I watched an episode of the only reality TV show that I have ever taped episodes of: The Jersey Shore. This show is a disturbingly awful representation of not only NJ, but also of Italians. Being Italian and from NJ myself, I take offense when people from out of state refer to this reality show as what jersey is actually like. The Real House-Wives of NJ also does this, but that's another story. I decided to watch the first episode of the first season on Jersey Shore, just to get a feel for where it all started. There is NO piece of the episode that is real, not even the names of the characters! Mike is referred to as "the situation," Nicole is known as "Snooki," and Jenni is called "J-Woww." If names aren't even real, can we truly expect anything else to be? I decided to pay close attention to Snooki and see how her gender is portrayed. She, along with every other girl on the show, is portrayed as dumb, slutty, and a party animal. She is often seen having no common sense, drinking until she cannot function, or having sex with random men she doesn't know. While this may be the life of some people, it is severely exaggerated and glorified for the purpose of entertainment.

Throughout the show, Snooki's ridiculous character is funny just because viewers are embarrassed for her. Take this photo for example which is from season 1, a classic example of Snooki: drunk, looking ridiculous, and walking back from a one-night-stand:

Its embarrassing, but its is how they all became famous. For years, this is what Snooki was known for- being trashy and crazy. Flash forward to now, she is the mother of 2, a fitness advocate, and has turned into what I believe is a great person. Would you be able to tell from that picture? No way. And there are still many people who cannot see past these old photos, and she will never live down the impression that she made during the years she was on the Jersey Shore. Here is Snooki now, the person that I consider to be real, rather than the fake cast that was exaggerated on the show. Good for you Snooks...I mean, Nicole!