There is no shortage of pop culture references coming out of California. Music, movies and, of course, TV shows.
I’ve grown up with some of those serials set in California and, naturally, created a pre-conceived image of what life in California is all about based on the plots.
I know there’s more to California other than sun, hot people, hook-ups, celebs, glamour, drunken nights and the likes. And that’s why we went road tripping around California, to see it all by ourselves.
But before that, these are some of the things TV shows have taught me about California:
Californication
Ultimately, life is all about fucking and punching! Even if metaphorically.
Baywatch
Girls with big bosoms are loved. I was a kid when Pamela Anderson was bouncing her goods up and down in slow-motion but, at the time, my sister was a teenager. As she used to complain that she had big boobs, my Mom would joke “Don’t worry… you can always move to America, they’re going to love you there!“. Thanks Pamela Anderson, for setting the example for the rest of us girls with cup D and above!
90210 Beverlly Hills
That when girls in Beverlly Hills are sad, the cure can be to change their hair color or take their Daddy’s credit card and swipe all the worries away in ridiculously expensive stores.
The O.C.
That it’s fairly normal for your 18 year old boyfriend to cheat on you (repeatedly!) with your own Mother. If she’s hot, then why not? And then you can become a lesbian because all of this is too much to take! But oh well, if your lesbian love interest is Olivia Wilde, then of course it all makes sense.
Weeds
When you become a widow, the best way of supporting your family and your own upper-class life-style is to start selling marijuana. And if you are a hot widow, you can always start your own strain of weed and call it MILF – selling point!
Modern Family
Spanglish can be damn hot, but mainly if you have juicy boobs to go along with your accent.
Big Bang Theory
A blonde hair and fit body sell more than 4 genius brains put together. Fair? Who cares!… sex sells.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
If you get into fights and are a bad boy at home, they’ll send you to live in a mansion with your rich relatives. The line between punishment and reward seems to be very thin in California.
The L Word
If you live in LA, you might as well become lesbian, bisexual or transgender. As a straight person, you have very limited choice of people to hook up with or date.
Melrose Place
That is fine to sleep with someone and that someone will sleep with your best friend, who eventually also slept with you once upon a time but as you have already forgotten with all the people you have slept with in the middle, you’ll ultimately end up sleeping together again, regretting it, and doing it all over again.
What have YOU learned about California from TV & movies?
Do you think that these shows are exaggerated
or reflect real life?
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Great list of shows. I love Californication!
We love Californication too – out of all the shows listed above, takes the prize for sure!!
Great post I love this. I’ve been watching Californication but should have watched some others before I visited last year :D
Don’t worry Tom! Californication is probably the most representative show anyway! ;)