Before you criticize Gayle Giacomo for subjecting New Jersey to yet another dose of reality-show drama, consider her thoughts on the range of Jersey style.
Giacomo, 52, is the owner of the Gatsby Salon in Green Brook, the setting for Jerseylicious, a new Style Network reality show set to run from late March through mid-May. The show, which documents the interactions of five stylists at the salon, is billed as the place “where big hair meets even bigger personalities.”
That idea is somewhat bothersome to Giacomo. “I know girls who are 22 and have the wing nails and the dark fake tans. That’s some part of their life,” she says. But, she adds, “I have a son who’s 21, and he wouldn’t ever go out with a girl like that. He likes the hippie types. And there are other types. That’s not just Jersey, that’s everywhere.”
Giacomo, who has been living in Bridgewater for 32 years sees the show as an opportunity to provide a balanced view of the Garden State.
“I don’t have that much time on my hands, so I’ve never watched Jersey Shore,” she says. “But I’ve heard the stories, and I’m hoping what we did was nothing of that caliber. I hope we come across as a sweet, innocent little drama.”