Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore: A Quandary of Masculinity
On December 3rd,2009, the popular television channel, MTV, threw a monkey wrench into the general public’s understanding of masculinity with its debut episode of the now infamously popular show, “Jersey Shore.” Aside from its redefining of the words “gorilla”, “landmine”, “grenade”, and “robbery”, the show created a questionable and outlandish representation of “Guido”/Italian maleness in the Seaside Heights region of southeastern New Jersey. With its strong emphasis and exaggeration of the stereotypically masculine principles of muscularity, masochism, and dominance over women, the show also ironically counters such ideals with the male characters’ irrational concerns for appearing to be physically appealing to females in comparison to each other. Having completed its fifth season, the show, “Jersey Shore”, proceeds to successfully blur the lines of maleness and masculine performance on a grand scale.
In order to understand the various arenas by which masculinities on the Jersey Shore are complicated, one must first understand the premise of the show as well as the unique character traits of each cast member. The show sets out to document the day-to-day activities of Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, Deena Cortese, Vinny Guadagnino, and Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio as they reside together in the shore house, interact with each other, and publically grapple with their personal relationships/lives. The show comparatively recycles the format of shows such as “The Real World” and “Big Brother” through its use of wiretapped telephone conversations and private room confessionals while also combining elements of “The Bachelor” as the single male and female characters endlessly pursue love/sex (Franklin 1). With seasons taking place in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, Miami Beach, Florida, and Florence, Italy, the Jersey Shore cast are shown going to nightclubs together, working at a t-shirt shop called the “Shore Store”, and playing practical jokes on each other. On the surface, the Jersey Shore may come off as a cookie cutter, adolescent-geared reality show, but what makes it unique is the distinctiveness of each character’s personality, antics, and performance of their gender/masculinity.
A foundational endeavor of the Jersey Shore men is characterized by the acronym, “GTL”—a term coined by Mike “The Situation” that encompasses the three pillars of the men’s personal code of behavior: gym, tanning, and laundry (Franklin 1). Every morning, after waking up from a night of alcohol-fueled partying/clubbing, the men routinely drive together in their black Cadillac Escalade to workout at the gym. As Mike, Ron, Pauly, and Vinny perform their various weightlifting and cardio exercises, they constantly attempt to outdo each other by lifting more weight, running faster/further, or completing more repetitions in each set. Such physical competition, however, is ultimately done in the interest of friendly competition in an effort to push each other to achieve more desirable, “built” bodies; bodies that will carry with them the connotations of achievement, wealth, and physical superiority (Dyer 150).
One could argue that the motivation behind the men’s obsessive and regimental workout habits stems from the idea that “a hard, visibly bounded body can resist being submerged into femininity” (Dyer 153). In other words, by working out daily at the gym, the men attempt to position themselves as hypermasculinized physical specimens that run counter to their highly feminine female counterparts. As stated by Richard Dyer, “The built body is an achieved body, worked at, planned, suffered for. A massive, sculpted physique requires forethought and long-term organization; regimes of graduated exercise, diet, and scheduled rest need to be worked out and strictly adhered to” (153). With this in mind, given the amount of time that the men allot to the “gym” phase of the “GTL” trifecta, it is intended by the men that their hard, physical drudgery will help distinguish themselves from other males who may not appear to be as hard, well-fed, cut, and aspirationally posed as they are (Dyer 161). The men are motivated by the thought of being desirable to women through the achievement of a specific body type; a status described by Snooki as that of a “hot gorilla juicehead” (Best 1).
“The Situation”, however, takes such physical pursuits and aspirations to a masochistic-like extreme. Though his actions may not completely align with David Savran’s definition of “masochism” as “exacting sexual pleasure from pain, humiliation, or abuse”, he certainly achieves a high level of self-gratification from working out with such unparalleled vigor (Savran 10). In addition to his lengthy, high-intensity workouts, Mike is also shown consuming various protein shakes, multivitamins, and the pre-workout supplemental drink called “Nox Edge” (Situation 1). As a result of Mike’s scrupulous workout/fitness habits and narcissistic self-view, he, in turn, refers to himself not only in the third person, but also as “The Situation”; a name that he bestowed upon his abdominal muscles as an admiring epithet (Franklin 1). To “The Situation” and the other men in the house, “masculinity is a constant contest—always up for grabs, always needing to be proved” (Kimmel 51).
In contrast to “The Situation” and his grueling workout habits, however, is Vinny. Vinny is portrayed as a comparatively soft-spoken, physically inferior man in the house, yet is the most loved because of his characteristic laugh, congeniality, and sense of humor. While the other men in the house are recognized by the women for their muscular physiques and unique hairdos, Vinny is notorious for his unsuspectingly large penis. This was discovered after an eventful night of drinking and partying where, after such festivities, Nicole and Vinny drunkenly hooked up and “smushed” (had sex). The next morning, in the video confessional, Snooki analogized the happening as being like “trying to squeeze a watermelon through a pinhole” (Best 1). Though he may not have the musculature or hairstyle of the other three men in the house, Vinny validates and legitimizes his manliness in the house by denoting what he and the other housemates refer to as his “third leg.”
The second phase of the Jersey Shore men’s “GTL” routine pertains to the proceeding of acquiring fake tans. After working out at the gym, the men forgo the natural bronzing capabilities of the New Jersey sun in the interest of driving to the local tanning salon to receive artificial tans. Such tans are believed by the men to make their bodies look more muscular and desirable as darker skin tends to “display the muscles more clearly” (Dyer 155). As the men tan while wearing minimal clothing, it is interesting to note the negligible amount of body hair that the men have. Similarly to the likes of modern body builders, Ron, Mike, Vinny, and Pauly all partake in the act of shaving their legs, torsos, arms, back, and faces so as to appear as clean and physically defined as possible. These efforts relate to Michael Kimmel’s description of how men’s maintenance of a “manly front” involves everything men do from what they wear, how they talk, walk, and even what they eat (Kimmel 48). The presence of hair, a once symbolic sign of masculinity, is thus frowned upon and therefore removed in attempts to portray a different manifestation of masculinity.
Pauly, in particular, takes such grooming practices to the nth degree with the hair on his head. In addition to being the tannest male in the house and second overall only to the likes of “Snooki”, Pauly takes pride in shaping his hair into his signature style, the “blowout.” This unique style can be described as a crown-like formation of hair held up and together by copious amounts of styling gel and hair spray. To acknowledge the amount of hair product that he uses in his “blowout”, in episode 2 of the second season, while working at a gelato shop, Pauly jokes, “My boss seems to think that my hair is gonna fall out and go into the ice cream. This hair ain’t movin’, my dude. 150mph on the highway on a street bike… it doesn’t move! What makes you think it’s gonna move in a gelato shop?” (Best 1) In a self-produced video presentation of how Pauly styles his hair, he reveals that such meticulous taming of his hair takes him, on average, around 25 minutes per day to perfect (Jersey 1). As a result, Pauly’s hairdo has landed him much notoriety and a unique stance as the most high maintenance man in the shore house; this status, however, does not position Pauly as more feminine that the other men, it simply recognizes his unique way of expressing his masculinity through difference.
Thirdly, in the natural sequence of GTL, the four men drive to the local Laundromat to do their laundry together. Such an ordeal takes hours to complete, but by doing so, the men’s clothes are believed to be fresh and ready to be worn to the club at night. Upon completion of GTL, the men’s confidence reaches a high as they feel good about themselves and their chances of “getting it in” (having sex) with a girl that they hope to bring home from the club. Because attending a nightclub/bar is the highlight of every single night at the Jersey Shore, getting ready to go out is strangely as much of an occasion for the men as it is for the women. While the women in the house spend hours preparing their hair, makeup, and ensembles for the night, the men spend just as much time, if not more, making themselves look “FTD” (fresh to death). For the men, their physical appearance is believed to be not only the catalyst of their confidence, but also their key to bringing home a girl that is “DTF” (down to fuck). As quoted by “The Situation”, “You need to be on your tip-top game with your GTL to stay FTD to get the girls to be DTF in MIA” (Best 1). Such materialism-based self-confidence and awareness of physical appeal by the men would be considered as feminine and questionably unmanly in most social circles, but on the Jersey Shore, such undertakings are portrayed as both necessary and implicational of “hooking up” in the near future.
When all/a group of the housemates go out at night, the men gauge the successfulness of their night based on whether or not they hooked up with someone of the opposite sex or at least by how much attention they received from the women at the club; thus, “women become a kind of currency by which men negotiate their status” (Kimmel 47). The men are appalled, however, when the women they attract are not beautiful but, rather, what the men consider to be “landmines” or “grenades”—unattractive women to be avoided or whose advances are to be ignored. Each of the men employ different tactics in attracting suitors, however. As the night progresses, “The Situation” is seen lifting up his shirt multiple times to show off his abs to surrounding women. As he smiles and flexes his muscles, the women at the club flock to him in hopes of touching his sculpted abs/chest and taking pictures with him. Pauly, on the other hand, relies on his good looks and unique “blowout” hairstyle to attract women. By far the most physically attractive male in the group, Pauly uses his tanned physique and charming smile to seduce women. Lastly, Vinny, the least muscular and physically cut of the men, is shown using catcalls and humor to attract women rather than a brawny physique. What is interesting about these three highly variable approaches to drawing in women is that none of the men attract or appeal to women because of their own personalities or intellect; their basis of enticement is reduced merely to their own physical attraction/desire yet, this is not seen as wrong or misguided. The men do not have college educations or high-paying jobs; the only things they have to offer are their muscular bodies and infamy from the Jersey Shore; yet, to them, that is enough.
In the case of Vinny and Pauly, the two men share an unconditional love for each other that goes unmatched by any other friendship in the house. Their relationship is not homosexual in nature, but the two men refer to one another as their “boyfriend” and/or “man” and sometimes lay in bed with each other because they joke that they’re “dating.” The two are always seen spending time with each other, looking out for each other, defending each other’s stances in arguments, and going shopping together. All in all, the two men have what some may refer to as a “bromance” or a friendly relationship between members of the same sex. This relationship helps balance out the masculine behaviors of the men in the shore house and serves as a light-hearted representation of a healthy, same-sex friendship. Said relationship is not perceived by the other housemates as strange or uncomfortable but, rather, a change of pace from the men’s typical masculinized antics.
In the scheme of the show’s portrayed masculine values and the men’s both hypermasculine and contrastingly feminine behaviors, it is worth wondering where the Jersey Shore men acquired such alpha male, testosterone-driven impulsions to enhance their bodies, pawn women, and spend every cent of their expendable income in the name of masculinity and expressing themselves as men. According to Michael Kimmel:
…men subscribe to this not only because they want to impress women… but also because they want to be positively evaluated by other men. American men want to be “a man among men”, not a “ladies’ man.” Masculinity is largely a “homosocial” experience: performed for, and judged by, other men.
Such displays become especially apparent by the real life spending habits of the male cast members—especially when it comes to cars. Since the show debuted in 2009, Mike, Vinny, Pauly, and Ron have been seen in public driving increasingly extravagant cars in correlation with the booming success of the “Jersey Shore.” Mike “The Situation”, with a reported net worth eclipsing 6 million dollars, owns a Bentley Continental GT, a Ferrari 360, a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Jeep Wrangler, and a Range Rover (Cars 1). Though “Sitch” is by far the highest paid cast member, the other men also own highly desirable vehicles as Vinny drives a Mercedes Benz E-Class coupe, Ronnie a 2012 BMW 650i and Audi R8, and Pauly D a Mercedes Benz S-Class. Such displays of material wealth by the men can be explained by the idea of the “phallus” or “phallic power.” To the men, by purchasing and flaunting such extravagant vehicles, they are expressing their “phallic power” in that their cars “stand for a superiority that is distinctively connected with maleness” (Bordo 89). Outside of the Jersey Shore, the men’s expressions of their masculinity spans much further than their muscularity.
The “Jersey Shore” is a show filled with conflicting images and ideals of masculinity. On one end of the scale, the male characters obligationally workout with great intensity in the gym, utilize their physiques to attract women, and substantiate their masculinity through the purchase of expensive automobiles. At the same time, the men critique each other’s clothing, spend comparable amounts of time to the house’s women getting ready to go out, and refer to each other with terms commensurate to those of a dating couple. As the men strive to attain the physical stature of a “gorilla juicehead”, they are concurrently concerned with how their hair looks, how their clothes fit, and ultimately how they compare to the likes of other comparable men. On the surface, the “Jersey Shore” may appear to manifest itself as a hypermasculinized production of male egoism, but upon further examination, the insecurities and feminine traits that the men exhibit provide for an interesting obscurement of masculine performance.
Works Cited
“Best Jersey Shore MTV Reality TV Show Quotes” jerseyshorequotes.com. n.d. Web. 20 March. 2012. http://www.jerseyshorequotes.com/best-quotes-from-jersey-shore.htm
Bordo, Susan. “The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and in Private.” New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999. Print.
Dyer, Richard. “White.” New York: Routledge, 1997. Print.
Franklin, Ruth. “The READ: Washed Up.” The New Republic. 6 October. 2010. Web. 19 March. 2012. http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/78178/jersey-shore-snooki-novel-Disaster
“Jersey Shore Hair 101.” YouTube.com. Web. 20 December. 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQDma1E9GoM
Kimmel, Michael. “Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men.” New York: HarperCollins, 2008. Print
Savran, David. “Taking it Like a Man: White Masculinity, Masochism, and Contemporary American Culture.” New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1998. Print.
“The Cars of Jersey Shore.” Celebrity Cars Blog. celebritycarsblog.com. Web. 10 January 2011. http://www.celebritycarsblog.com/2011/01/the-cars-of-jersey-shore/
“The Situation Launching Vitamin Supplement.” New York Post. nypost.com. Web. 6 July. 2010. http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/bigger_wallet_T5SydHe2AiryhV0SuUcHZM
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