We’ve all experienced those cold, wet and miserable days where walking to the front door to get the post seems like too much of a struggle. And the only agenda of the day is to snuggle up on the sofa and watch TV. For most people, you would assume that generic shows like ‘GMTV’ and ’This Morning’ are the programs of choice but when the house is empty and it is only you and the remote around, you know that as soon as the coast is clear, you’re flicking the channel to ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ or ‘Total Wipeout’.
Why is watching dysfunctional individuals discuss their problems to a studio audience so entertaining? Nearly every week it’s the same story. ‘My boyfriend slept with my best friend while I was pregnant with our fourth child’…’I don’t know who the father of my baby is’…The stories are outrageous and who knows if they’re even real but I rarely miss an episode.
Every single one of us has a guilty pleasure and more than most have several. For example, I can openly say that I am in my twenties and have all 3 dvd films of High School Musical and a celebrity crush on Zac Efron even though he is cheese on toast and has incredibly feminine eyebrows. I have NSync albums on my itunes and I could happily spend a day watching back to back episodes of ‘My Super Sweet 16′. And the thing that stands out about these guilty pleasures, is that I don’t feel guilty about them at all.
Most people aren’t ashamed of admitting to liking certain tv shows, or listening to music that is aimed at 12 year olds. This just seems to be the way of the world now. Maybe the guilty pleasures don’t exist anymore because people are no longer feeling guilty. I can happily say that watching Jeremy Kyle became an almost daily activity for myself and my University housemates. You could even call it bonding. Not even men are ashamed anymore. I have friends that would prefer to watch ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ over ‘Die Hard’. I also have male friends that idolise Take That and would prefer to go shopping over playing football! Yes, that’s right.
People seem to be a lot more open about what they genuinely like, even if it sounds incredibly stupid and childish. Although, if you know someone who scoffs at you for watching immature programs and listening to cheesy music, I can assure you that once you’ve left the house and it’s time for ‘Total Wipeout’ to start, they’ll be watching people falling off bouncing balls and getting hit in the face with uncontrollable laughter. But the rest of us are mature enough to admit it.
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