The Jersey Shore: Giving the State of New Jersey a Bad Name??

As you may have seen in the Founder’s Blog, my friends and I went to a Jersey Shore themed party last Friday! As we got ready for the party, I couldn’t help but come to a simple conclusion: popular culture has given the great state of New Jersey a terrible name. How did we dress for this Jersey Party? We tried to put together the “trashiest” outfits we could find. I sported a black tank top, tiny jean shorts, and stiletto heels (check out to photo of Windsor and I on the Founders’ Blog!) and I was dressed conservatively! That night the party was chock-a-block with laced up corsets, bikini tops, tiny little skirts, and revealing dresses. Most of the girls glowed orange, dipped head-to-to in bronzer; others had their hair teased up into a big puff (unfortunately, not even a Bump-It could hold my hair up). Our male hosts weren’t outfitted any better. It was apparent many had made their first—or so they claimed—trip to the tanning salon, others had tattoos sharpied on their bodies, and most spent the night shirtless. We fist pumped into the wee hours, but by the end of the night, amidst blowouts and “Cadillac” tats, I couldn’t stop thinking about the fundamental injustice…

Is it fair that this is, an MTV-driven Jersey Shore, is what many of us think of when we hear “New Jersey?” Indeed, the MTV show has generated a lot of controversy, but it’s hardly the first negative depiction of the state in today’s popular media. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I am completely addicted to the Bravo series “The Real Housewives” and the housewives from New Jersey are the trashiest yet; one was most certainly a stripper, caught up in a drug scandal; one flipped a table, during a family dinner; and I’m pretty sure one was married to a mobster—just to add a bit of Tony Soprano. But to the point, I can’t remember the last time I saw a positive depiction of New Jersey. Maybe it’s time that we a hard look at New Jersey. Perhaps it is more than the overly gelled, fake tanned, fist-pumping capital of the world.