http://youtu.be/2qqojuj1zoU
There are a slew of new shows out this season. Several pilots focus on women in their 20s, and, let’s face it, we’ve been watching 20s on the tube since “Friends.” So what (if anything) have we learned about ourselves?
We have no idea what we’re doing with our lives. Some of us get drunk and make bad decisions. (See: “Grey’s Anatomy”) Some of us get drunk, make bad decisions and post them on social media. (See: “Gossip Girl”) But sooner or later (right around 24 1/2) we realize we’re not in college anymore and that we have a lot of stuff to figure out. Our future is wide open and we’re left with a lot of questions. Career? Marriage? Kids? Are we already behind the curve? We just cleaned up our Facebook account.
We’re bad at making decisions. See the first statement. We have a lot on our minds, but we really don’t want to make them up. They don’t call it a quarter-life crisis for nothing. And why commit to a life plan when our lives are changing daily? It’s good to have goals, but does NYC really need another cupcake shop a la “2 Broke Girls”?
Salary is for reality. Every 20-something show features the holy grail — a spacious apartment the characters can afford with 20-something paychecks. Yes, many involve mutli-roomate situations, but did you get a load of the bathroom on “New Girl”? And even though producers tried to make “Broke Girls” place look dingy, there’s still enough room for a horse. Plus, most characters still have time to look cute, cut and coiffed. Real 20-somethings have student debt, car loans, rent and small salaries. We’ll pull ourselves up from our stiletto straps and stick to a budget sans fancy digs.
We’re shameless. “Whitney” almost wears a hoodie to a wedding and admits to doing kegel exercises while working. Jess, aka “New Girl,” sobs on the couch and sings to herself in front of her cute roomies. We’re loud, outspoken and just a tad dramatic. But there’s a fine line between spunk and psycho, gregarious and gross. These shows are walking it. A little self-deprecation goes a long way. We created the phrase T.M.I. and we’ll try to avoid it.
We’re so glad it isn’t the ’60s. Unlike the ladies in “Pan Am” and “The Playboy Club,” we don’t have to suffer chauvinist fools and wear ridiculous stuff. (Thank goodness. What is a girdle?) We’ve come a long way, baby. Let’s not forget that.
Where do we go from here? Are we destined to become “Desperate Housewives” or “The Good Wife”? Not in this decade. Obviously, we just need to whine a little, stress a little and try to remember that our lives aren’t scripted and luckily don’t have a laugh track or studio audience.
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