Dana is a 15 year old from Hi-nella, NJ. She loves to write and enjoys reading, singing, and shopping. Her goal is to help others through her writing, and bring attention to important topics.
When you really think about it, you as a parent can’t be there watching your child every second of the day. Especially as they get older and mature. So that’s when you have to trust that you did everything you could to instill good decision making in your children and let them go. Sadly, what everyone overlooks is that the parents’ behavior is not the only thing that influences a child’s actions. You also have tv shows, billboards, magazines, radio, friends, etc. influences. Now a days there’s a tv show for everything. Winning money, making cakes, and PARTYING HARD. Everyone likes to party, granted. But on the hit reality show “Jersey Shore” they are paid to do nothing but party and create drama. With partying comes drinking, mistakes, and confusion. I’m sorry, I know im 15 and this show is designed to “appeal” to me, but I honestly think MTV is glamorizing a lifestyle of drunken mistakes.
Its bad enough Jersey Shore gives the illusion to young girls that drinking and dancing on bars is the way to go. But they are also giving girls from New jersey a bad name. I can only tell you from experience how I was once stereotyped as a “Jersey Girl”. I have olive skin and have Italian in me. My hair is naturally thick so it gets pretty big if I don’t control it. I walked into a local drug store to buy my normal hair care products. As I’m walking down the isle it seems they were out of my regular. I guess the sales girl noticed I was looking for something and approached me. She had a southern accent so I knew immediately she wasn’t from around here. “Are you looking for something?” she asked. I kindly replied, “Yes, but I don’t think what I’m looking for is here.” With out even knowing me for more than five seconds she said “Oh I know what all you Jersey girls want, that big hair like Snookie.” The girls behind the counter agreed and laughed along with her. I looked at them not even knowing what to say. I did a nervous chuckle and left the store. It seemed all they had to offer me was unfair stereotyping. What just because I am an Italian American from NJ, I must want big hair for a night of dancing on a bar and taking shots? You may not realize this, but Jersey Shore is influencing not only an entire generation of kids, but the show is also looked at the mascot for us Jersey girls and boys. Apparently the “Jersey Shore”cast represents us.
What got me even thinking about all of this is when I saw the show influencing my younger cousin. She is only a year younger than me, but on a maturity level she’s very far behind. Well, “naive” is a better word. When ever I see her all she talks about is Jersey Shore. She does her hair in the famous snookie hairstyle (The poof), tries to talk like Snookie, and even act like Snookie. She thinks that the Jersey Shore cast are just the coolest. I look at her and see changes in her personality. Why? Because look who her role models are! People who drink their problems away and let their hormones do the talking.
I mean have you ever really sat down and watched the show? On every episode either someone is cheating on someone, or getting motor boated. (Motor boating is a sexual term used to describe when a man makes motor boat sounds between a girls breasts.) Ok if you want to do that, fine. But keep it off camera so it doesn’t encourage every other teen to do it. Truly, this isn’t a personal attack on the cast of Jersey Shore. I just don’t think its right to document reckless behavior and advertise it as an exciting new episode. Pay close attention to what your kids see, because you have no idea how much it impacts them as a person.
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