Snooki’s sense of shame
Even Nicole Polizzi, aka Snooki, is embarrassed by some of her antics on Jersey Shore.
Even Snooki gets sick of Snooki, said Erik Hedegaard in Rolling Stone. Nicole Polizzi, the spray-tanned, 23-year-old “guidette” star of Jersey Shore has become a symbol for the decline of American popular culture. But she wants you to know she’s embarrassed by some of her antics. Seeing herself acting out on television can be painful. “If I do something stupid, which is pretty much the whole time, I hate it,’’ she says. “I just hate it. Obviously they’re only going to put the good stuff in, and the good stuff is us drunk. Some of the stuff I do is, like, ‘Really, Nicole?’ I look like a freaking alcoholic.”
Lately, she’s been feeling very torn about her identity. “When I look in the mirror, I see me, I see Nicole,” she says. “Then I sometimes see a crazy nut job that just wants to party. I confuse even myself.” She wouldn’t mind just being “Nicole” again. “I miss people calling me by my real name,” she says. All I’ve been hearing is Snooki, so now when people call me Nicole, it’s like, ‘Yes, that is my name.’” But Snooki knows there’s no going back to a normal life, after making $30,000 per episode on TV. “After this, I cannot get a real job,” she admits. “I mean, how do I go and sit behind a desk? It’s insane.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published