I'm a Jersey Girl, In a Jersey World

Yes the title of this post is from the parody of Aqua’s song “Barbie Girl” aptly titled “Jersey Girl.” It’s quite a funny song – go check it out. My brother commented on my Facebook page this morning stating, “As you grow older, you get more like mom everyday.” I’m not quite sure how to take that (no offense mom!). It was in response to my new blog, so I’m going to accept that comment as a compliment. My mom is a wonderful writer and has given me the “gift of gab.” We can both be a little long winded at times, but that just means we have a lot of thoughts circulating through our thick skulls. I’ve enjoyed writing since as far back as I can remember, and it is something I would love to make a career out of. This is where I get to test out whether I have any talent for that dream or if I should go find a husband.

I titled my blog “Jersey Girl Takes on the World” so I thought I would spend some time informing my readers who do not hail from the Garden State exactly what a “Jersey Girl” is. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about people who live in New Jersey. The Star Ledger wrote a very nice description about what a true Jersey Girl is. Warning: Snooki is NOT a Jersey Girl. Sorry for disappointing you…

"The Jersey girl..a love of an unpretentious good time, and a certain sense of style. Jersey girls are about attitude. They're about eating pizza, drinking beer, having great hair - and enjoying it all..She's got a mouth on her. She says what she means. And she's got a nice, cheerful laugh..Bottom line, all of them are sexy as hell." -The Star Ledger

I think this quote sums it up quite nicely. The majority of us are intelligent, fun loving individuals who are not afraid to get sand in our hair or salt water in our eyes. We love the beach, and the attitude is very apparent when we cannot find parking near East Avenue in Bay Head on a Saturday in July. We love our towns and get frustrated when Bennys (A.K.A. non locals – Entire MTV Jersey Shore Cast) trash it and give us a bad name. There is a reason why both of my parents graduated high school in Pt. Pleasant and Pt. Beach, moved to a million different places, and returned to the Shore to raise a family – They knew there was no place better! Sure it’s not always perfect. Sitting in slow-moving traffic behind a South Carolina plate in August for 45 minutes when it should only take me five to get home is never a joy, but then I think about how awesome the week after labor day is at the beach, and I’m happy again.

One of my roommates told me a while back that all stereotypes have to begin somewhere, which is an accurate statement. We do have Guidos that flock our Boardwalk every summer; we do drive a little erratically sometimes (although it gets us where we need to be); and some of us do tan a little more than is healthy (yours truly excluded since the sun and my pale skin do not get along). But we are also the most honest people you will ever know, and since we do not call the first person we meet our best friend, you can bet once you do get in that inner circle it’s the tightest bond you will ever have.

My roommates said to me recently, “Kate you’re not true New Jersey” and I was offended. When they explained that I didn’t fit the stereotypes and the statement was a compliment, I walked away thinking “I may not walk around fist pumping on a daily basis, but I have Jersey pride. I am a true New Jerseyite (is that what we are?) because whenever I fly into Newark, or drive over that border from Pennsylvania (and sigh with great relief!), I feel at home.

Just a few famous people who are also from New Jersey to all you haters out there:

Samuel Alito – Supreme Court Justice (Trenton)
Jon Bon Jovi – Musician (Perth Amboy)
Zach Braff – Actor (South Orange)
Danny DeVito – Actor (Neptune)
Michael Douglass – Actor (New Brunswick)
Kirsten Dunst – Actress (Point Pleasant – My Hometown!)
James Gandolfini – Actor (Westwood)
Whitney Houston – Singer (Newark)
Nathan Lane – Actor (Jersey City)
Kelly Ripa – Actress (Stratford)
Bruce Springsteen – Musician (Freehold)
Meryl Streep – Actress (Summit)

The list goes on and on ☺