Here’s a glorious photo of our beloved Pauly D doing what he does best: trying to follow Italian American stereotypes as much as he physically can. His perfectly coiffed hair, diamond earring, ideal tan, rosary, and flexed bicep with a cross are just a bit too much. What’s he trying to prove to us with the tattoo, that deep down he’s a very religious Catholic who views his religion as more important than everything else? Is he oblivious to the background behind him, which just so happens to be the Jersey Shore, a location synonymous with cheap and sleazy partying?
The paradox Pauly D has created is so evident it’s hilarious. Pauly D tries to show us that his religion is above all other aspects in his life. Yet sadly, with the number of girls our beloved Guido went through per evening in season one, it just can’t be the case. Pauly D doesn’t act at all religious; he just tries to give off the appearance that he's religious so that he could be the ideal Italian American. It’s as if he’s trying to show that religion is at the top of his hierarchy of what matters most to him, when that isn't at all the case. Ironically, what's most important to Pauly D is his Italian American culture, and in order to fit into that culture, he needs to show how strongly he values his religion. He is completely reversing this hierarchy that he’s trying to exude.
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