In honor of the new season, I spent an entire two days watching the "Miami" season of this popular MTV show (the things I do for you). Personally, I found the show to be addictive, humorous, and frustrating. I admit that I did enjoy watching the show, but I did not enjoy the show. In our society of work, work, work, and immediate entertainment, it is pretty obvious why this show "works". For an hour, I didn't have to think about gender violence, homework, fitting everything into my schedule, or my to do list. In fact, I didn't have to think at all.
These "non-thinking" shows are quite popular and it's not hard to see why. We all want to take a break from our crazy lives in the form that a society dependant on technology has embraced. Ahhh, the genius of television! However, while watching this brainless television marathon, my feminism did not turn off. Readers, you're in for a treat!
The Jersey Shore consists of four young men and four young women. If we acknowledge the Guido characiture and move on, we see an actual family develop. The four women all enjoy dressing up in self proclaimed "hooker" clothing. They all wear make up and constantly fix their hair. What is so interesting, is the solidarity. The first season, the three main women (Angelina left the show early on) Snooki, Sammi, and Jwow, did everything together and formed a tight bond that few men could break. However, during the Miami season (season two), the girls ended this bond after Sammi's boyfriend cheated on her. Snooki and Jwow wrote an anonymous note telling her, causing all chaos. Alas, the conflict ended with Sammi and Jwow phyisically fighting. This makes the new focus on the women's fighting with each other.
All the women hold their own but Jwow is the "leader". In the show's intro, her quote is, "After I have sex with a guy, I rip his head off" clearly referencing the female praying mantis. Jwow voraciously defends the other women no matter what the consequences. She also appears to have a healthier relationship with her boyfriend in season two. Jwow is the feminist of the show. Politically, I have no idea where she stands, but compared to the other characters, she is more concerned with her female friendships and refuses to be treated as "less than". While Snooki and Sammi are tough, confident women in their own right, Jwow takes the cake.
However, despite this effort of female solidarity, the men hold the traditional patriarch in the family. Mike (The Situation) admits to being the "leader" or "father" of the eight. He decides when the gang leaves a club or restaurant. He cooks Sunday dinners for everyone and claims he is the "glue" of the family. The other men Pauly D, Vinny, and Ronnie, follow this lead. Together, they ridicule Angelina (who in season two leaves again) for her sexual encounters with multiple men. Admittedly they claim, "Girls don't do that". Even Ronnie who brags about cheating on Sammi (with no consequences) joins in the punishment of Angelina who does not adhere to this double standard. Jwow (who has a steady boyfriend) follows the lead and expresses that while this rule is a double standard, she agrees with the guys.
The men are the stars of the show. Their friendship is never broken as they support each other in "hook ups" and physical fitness. While the women fought season two, the men sang "Tee Shirt Time", (a running joke on the show) and generally had a good time. Despite Jwow's bad ass self, the men still maintain the patriarchal hierarchy in the house.
In conclusion, I cannot defend watching this show, but can use it as a basis for deconstructing patriarchy within households acting as mock families. Pretty cool for non-thinking television!
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