The summer I finished high school, I went to my local Video Ezy (think Blockbuster) and rented out Season 1 of Jersey Shore. It was a transformative experience.
To this day, whenever someone says they’re from Jersey, I instantly think of the show, much to the disdain of said resident. It feels like it did for Jersey what Borat did for Kazakhstan; brutal and enduring stereotypes seared into the mind of millions.
My biggest memory of the show was the emphasis on GTL; Gym Tan Laudry. The idea was that every guido male had to do three things each and every day: get a tan, hit the gym, do laundry. For about two weeks it became my personal motto, to the disdain and surprise of my parents.
Looking back, it isn’t the worst way to live your life, skin cancer notwithstanding.