What first comes to mind when you hear the phrase "the Jersey Shore"? Gym, Tan Laundry (commonly known as GTL). Snookie. Skimpy, neon bikinis. Guidos (a term used to refer to Italian Americans, made most popular in our generation by the tv show, "Jersey Shore." These stereotypes are in non-locals' has corrupted their view of New Jersey thanks to MTV.
Local New Jerseyans would describe their beloved Jersey Shore a little differently. Falling into this category, I can speak on behalf of locals of the Garden State when I say that we can't stand the TV show that ruined our reputation.
For many generations, the Jersey Shore has been considered a home-away-from-home for many New Jerseyans. We have shore houses, where we spend weekends and vacation weeks spending time with family and friends soaking up the sun and getting some well-deserved relaxation. By day we spend time on our respective beaches—the little kids playing in the sand or go boogie boarding, the teens listening to music and working on their tans and the adults making sure their kids are wearing sunscreen while sipping on beers and reading a light book. By night we have BBQs with neighbors or head to the boardwalk for ice cream and maybe some rides.
This is pretty contradictory to any outsider's view of the Jersey Shore. By day they think we dage (a slang term used to refer to day drinking) on the beach, oiled up in tanning oils and skimpy, neon bathing suits, and by night we hit up the clubs and dance until morning. That isn't to say that this isn't the case in some parts of the Jersey Shore.
Let me explain a little about the southern Jersey Shore geography. There are many different beaches along the coast of the Jersey Shore, each with their own unique characteristics.
We'll start with the family beaches: Avalon, Margate, Brigantine, Cape May. These towns are known for their large population of family summer homes, small restaurants and ice cream parlors and are much calmer and cleaner than some of their neighbors. They are places you would want to bring your family.
The popular Atlantic City is a place where the 21-plus crowd can go to gamble and club as well as attend concerts.
If you're looking for the infamous Jersey Shore boardwalk experience (in order of most family-oriented to least) you can visit Ocean City, Wildwood or Seaside Heights. Ocean City is known for it's family-vibe with pizza and ice cream and rides. Wildwood is a little bit more crazy but still has the same attractions as Ocean City. It just attracts more older kids (like tweens and teens). Finally the one you've all been waiting for—Seaside Heights. This, as many of you may know, is the now-national picture of the Jersey Shore and the place where our favorite cast of the "Jersey Shore" spent many summers living the GTL lifestyle and providing entertainment for many Americans.
Our generation is easily molded by what we see on TV. There is a reason there is so much controversy over whether kids should watch shows with violence or sex. It works in smaller cases too. When "Jersey Shore" became an MTV hit and exploded over screens across America, and we were all eager to see what Snookie would do next, the show slowly altered the original culture of the Jersey Shore, not only in the minds of the non-shore-goers, but also in the mind of the shore-goers themselves. Many of us began to feel the need to live up to the newly-produced stereotype and oil ourselves in tanning oils and have, not only the summer bod, but the “I lift, bro" summer bod.
Because of the MTV hit, the Jersey Shore may never be exactly as it was before the phenomenon, and we definitely attract more tourists. If you are reading this from a non-native perspective, I hope you were enlightened by the different sub-cultures of the Shore. Now, go out and visit the Garden Visit and know that there is so much more to the Jersey Shore than
