Saturday, July 2, 2011

Guilty Pleasure?

Chris and I both watch trash TV, but our taste is very different. While he can watch Dolph Lundgren dolled up as a post-apocalyptic warrior in the same straight-to-dvd flick for the 40th time, I'll actually DVR soap operas. And typically I don't feel a need to justify my choices. I just don't feel guilty over my TV pleasures. But I've got to say that I'm finding it hard to justify my DVR'ing of the Real Housewives of NYC these days. Although I found most housewives in other zip codes to awful to watch, I've been able to watch NYC because the women seemed to lead fairly interesting lives. Yeah, watching them promote themselves is annoying, but I could at least understand why they were trying to brand themselves. But things have just gotten ugly this season.

Not only have the women lost any self-awareness, but the show's editors seem to enjoy casting them in as negative as light as possible. Each show my jaw just drops when I hear Kelly babbling inanities under the pretense of offering advice or listen to LuAnn hold forth on appropriate behavior. I shake my head when Alex stumbles into yet another socially awkward situation or Sonya reveals way too much without panties.

Why am I still watching? Especially since I don't have anyone to gossip about them with anymore? Is it schadenfreude? Am I tapping into a fascination for train wrecks? When all is said and done, I'm probably still watching it because they're in NYC after all and everything just seems a little more glamorous when wearing Manolo Blahniks.

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