My Issue with Pretty Little Liars

I've noticed that Pretty Little Liars does what a lot of other TV shows do, which is show its characters living the best in life without showing what they do to get there. When we discussed this in class, I thought of PPL right away. There are plot lines concerning money issues in different seasons, but these issues aren't backed up in the presentation of the show. All four of the girls are very fashionable, and they never wear the same outfit twice, even when their parents are going through money issues. None of the girls have jobs except Emily, who is the poorest of the four (although this isn't really addressed until season four). I understand that this is a TV show, and one that has characters that live higher class lifestyles, but it doesn't even attempt to be realistic. If Hannah's mom doesn't have money to pay the bills, how is Hannah still dressing in a different, expensive outfit every day although the viewer can clearly see that her closet isn't exploding with backed up outfits she's saving to wear? As Joanne Laucius cites, ""A princess...[i]s someone who is living a fabulous life with the latest stuff. But she really can't afford it.""" While all of the characters are made to be likeable (so no "narcissists" here, whom no one likes), I at least don't feel a connection with the characters because their lives are so different from mine. My favorite character is Emily because I can relate to her the most; her struggles with money are something that seems real to me. But even her struggles are glossed over in favor of the more interesting plot. "Real life" is only brought up in the show if it has some relation to the overall plot. The girls of Rosewood seem to live in a world that needs the extra drama that is the central plot simply because everyday life is too boring to focus on, while everyday life is idealized past the point of realism.