I recently looked up the definition of a guilty pleasure. According to the internet, guilty pleasures are things like movies, TV shows or music that one enjoys but it may not be held in high regard. You know, the type of stuff you like and your friends judge you for it. I definitely have a few shows I love but have never made public. That’s normal, right?
So over the weekend, I finally got back into the swing of things and went grocery shopping and cooked. It had been well over seven days since I last spent time in my kitchen, which is a long time for me. Even though cooking is very therapeutic for me, sometimes a break is needed. This was an unplanned break but one that I sort of embraced.
When I plan out my weekly menus, I usually do it with some sort of background noise like a guilty pleasure television show. Even though I did quite a bit of work over the weekend, I still found time to fit in some of my guilty pleasure television watching. I’m going to let you folks on a little secret today: I’m willingly sharing a few of my guilty pleasures. Remember, this is a judgment free zone. But should you feel so moved, I’d love to hear your guilty pleasures too.
What are my guilty pleasures?
Mindless television. There’s a lot of bad things happening in the world. Sometimes I just want to mentally check out and watch something that doesn’t cause me to think. Shows like Teen Mom (don’t ask why), Hollywood Medium (Tyler Henry is so cute) and most of the Housewives franchise are all shows that I tend to stay quiet about. Sure there are some friends who I’ve let into my little secret but most don’t know.
Other television related guilty pleasures include revisiting some of my favorite old TV shows. Earlier this year, I went through a phase where I started watching 90210 – I loved that show! I could tell John was judging me a little bit for watching it. Currently I’m revisiting Happy Endings but I’m not sure what the next guilty pleasure TV revisit will be yet.
As I indulged in just a few of my TV guilty pleasures this weekend, I wondered, how many of us have our vices but keep them to ourselves? I told a friend recently that I watched The Real Housewives of New York and learned that she did too! Naturally, that prompted a conversation about the last season and how I’m not afraid to say that Bethenny is my favorite (judgement free zone, remember?).
I say all of this to say, sometimes the things we like and hide from others can actually be something that brings you and a friend closer together. I know, sounds weird but it’s true. You never know who else is watching the same memorable episode of 90210 when Donna almost didn’t graduate. Who could forget the student body chanting, “DONNA MARTIN GRADUATE!”, over and over again.
Whether your guilty pleasure is reality TV show or a weird salty snack, I challenge you to share it with someone; be proud of it. Who knows, you may meet someone who shares the same indulgences as you.
