true life

True Life: I’m Under Peer Pressure

“Since its initial episode in 1998, MTV's award-winning True Life documentary series has told remarkable real-life stories of young people and the unusual subcultures they inhabit. Whether documenting the lives of gay marriage activists, individuals dealing with obesity, or teens in high school--the True Life series tells its stories solely from the varied voices and points-of-view of its characters--putting the series in the unique position of reflecting the state of youth culture at any given moment”- MTV.com


MTV‘s “True Life” series has always been intriguing. With stories regarding anything from drugs, obesity and even competitive eating, it’s pretty cool to watch stories about “real people”. But today, OH MAN, I saw an episode that really pissed me off and confirmed stereotypes that our generation is materialistic, impulsive and super-superficial.

True Life: I’m Under Pressure…should’ve been called True Life: I Am Superficial and my priorities are all mixed up

[keep in mind, I didn’t finish watching the episode, but the parts that I did watch were foreally upsetting]

The episode featured three people:

a) a former band member who fell into alcoholism and drugs while he was in a band with his “friends”. After leaving his band, he cleaned up, started going to a music institute and had a serious girlfriend. But of course, he decided to return to the band, which also meant being exposed to the same drugs and alcohol that led to his previous downfall. So of course, the downward spiral led to a breakup and a relapse into the crazy rock and roll lifestyle. OKAY. If you knew how twisted you were while you were in the band, then return to that band, OF COURSE the drugs and alcohol will be accessible, OF COURSE you’ll be tempted again, OF COURSE you’ll lose everything that’s good in your life just because of your lack of willpower. DOY!

b) a Hooters girl who feels the pressure to get breast implants because apparently it’s completely necessary for her line of work. Also, living in Miami, she feels like she doesn’t fit in because her wardrobe consists of t-shirts and jeans. Her Hooters girlfriends continually try pushing her to get the work done, saying it’ll make her feel more like a woman, more confident, and more successful at work. This particular girl is cute, nice body, she has a serious boyfriend who loves her and has been house-shopping so they can move in together. He finally gives her the ultimatum that it’s either gonna be the house or her implants because obviously the boob job will be expensive. When she tells him she’s gonna go thru with it, he even says, “tell me this...are your boobs big enough to live in?”. OKAY. First of all, she admitted that her boyfriend loved her EXACTLY how she was, which should be a huge indicator that she doesn’t need plastic surgery. The surgery would be a selfish act that would waste money that could be put towards a future. Then she claims that the surgery is NECESSARY FOR HER JOB…as a Hooters girl…which displays her true career ambitions? She's a Hooters girl, how long does she think she'll be working there? She COULD also maybe consider a different job. I understand how a girl wants her man’s support, but this guy genuinely loved her and wanted to start a future together…but she claimed that getting a boob job would enhance every aspect of her life. Poor guy, stupid girl.

c) [this may have been the most frustrating] The last subject was a not-so-skinny guy with low self-esteem because he hangs out with “more attractive” guys who always get the girls. His “friends” even force him to ask girls out, but every time he gets rejected. One of his friends even tells him that he’s practically a cock-block when he tries to pick up girls. His “friends” try to hint that MAYBE it’s because he’s… “fat”. This guy later vents that he feels the pressure to lose weight in order to GAIN HIS FRIENDS’ ACCEPTANCE….!!!! OKAY. This guy is emotionally-damaged because his very own “friends” aren’t approaching the situation in a supportive way. They straight up tell him that his social life will improve immensely if he loses the weight, but really I feel like they’re pushing him to prevent their own social embarrassment. LAME. Dude, obviously those guys aren’t good friends, they are not looking out for his interest, they are not supportive and so superficial to the point where they’re kicking this poor guy down because of his looks. Again, LAME.

Okay, yeah. So maybe these people on the show have personal issues from the past, low self-esteem, etc etc. But this can go beyond this episode. This happens far too often to many people. When the social networks that they consider important to them direct attention to flaws rather than good qualities…well, something’s wrong there. When someone rejects a serious, loving relationship for excessive partying, wasteful spending, or an impulsive decision that selfishly puts a healthy future on the backburner, well, something’s wrong there too. When someone feels that they need to change in some way to gain acceptance from his friends, oh man, that’s beyond wrong. Unless it’s a change for health reasons or to somehow improve the general situation for a lot of people, people shouldn't need to change.

It's a little tricky...i understand that the opinions of friends and family are truly valuable and sometimes those conflict with your own personal interest. Everyone needs to be aware of that balance between knowing what's right for you [your morals, beliefs, values, future] and what can be ignored because it has no actual value.