realtalk POP.
popular culture. noun. contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted, cultural patterns that are widespread within a population; also called pop culture.
from dictionary.com
In other words, pop culture is what we live by as a society. Literally. We decide what becomes a part of pop culture because, as a definition, pop culture is what we find interesting, entertaining and enjoyable. Our society thrives on pop culture, and technological advances over the years have made it possible for people to access all of their pop culture needs, including entertainment news, TV shows, movies, music, books and even direct access to their favorite celebrities, at the click of a mouse. With websites like PerezHilton.com and Twitter, people can get updates on their favorite celebrities (and even their favorites to make fun of) every minute.
We are a culture of contradictions. We idolize celebrities and are responsible for the stardom that we as fans have given them, yet we criticize and judge every aspect of their lives in the newspapers and magazines. We generally accept that the paparazzi are out of hand, yet we provide their paychecks by eating up the photos they take like candy. We also generally accept that tabloid magazines are about as truthful as a fictional novel, yet we read them as often as we can for the same reasons we love to read a fictional novel: it's entertaining.
Don't get me wrong. I am guilty of all of these contradictions just as much as the next person, in fact, probably more. I believe that this desire to follow the life of someone we don't even know and probably never will is an incredibly important part of our culture. I believe that reading the tabloids and following celebrity gossip is an avenue of escape for many people, a way for regular people to dream and fantasize about a glamorous lifestyle, even if that may be a false interpretation. While I feel terrible when celebrities are harassed by the paparazzi, I believe that a good amount of public exposure is the price of celebrity and fame.
I point out these contradictions that we so easily fall into every day because I think they are important for us to remember, simply to keep ourselves in check and in reality once in awhile. However, I also think there's nothing wrong with having a little fun with the gossip columns. My goal is to use this blog to look at and criticize all aspects of pop culture, from movie/music/television/book reviews to poking fun at the crazy lives of our favorite famous friends.
Enjoy and welcome to realtalk POP.
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from dictionary.com
In other words, pop culture is what we live by as a society. Literally. We decide what becomes a part of pop culture because, as a definition, pop culture is what we find interesting, entertaining and enjoyable. Our society thrives on pop culture, and technological advances over the years have made it possible for people to access all of their pop culture needs, including entertainment news, TV shows, movies, music, books and even direct access to their favorite celebrities, at the click of a mouse. With websites like PerezHilton.com and Twitter, people can get updates on their favorite celebrities (and even their favorites to make fun of) every minute.
We are a culture of contradictions. We idolize celebrities and are responsible for the stardom that we as fans have given them, yet we criticize and judge every aspect of their lives in the newspapers and magazines. We generally accept that the paparazzi are out of hand, yet we provide their paychecks by eating up the photos they take like candy. We also generally accept that tabloid magazines are about as truthful as a fictional novel, yet we read them as often as we can for the same reasons we love to read a fictional novel: it's entertaining.
Don't get me wrong. I am guilty of all of these contradictions just as much as the next person, in fact, probably more. I believe that this desire to follow the life of someone we don't even know and probably never will is an incredibly important part of our culture. I believe that reading the tabloids and following celebrity gossip is an avenue of escape for many people, a way for regular people to dream and fantasize about a glamorous lifestyle, even if that may be a false interpretation. While I feel terrible when celebrities are harassed by the paparazzi, I believe that a good amount of public exposure is the price of celebrity and fame.
I point out these contradictions that we so easily fall into every day because I think they are important for us to remember, simply to keep ourselves in check and in reality once in awhile. However, I also think there's nothing wrong with having a little fun with the gossip columns. My goal is to use this blog to look at and criticize all aspects of pop culture, from movie/music/television/book reviews to poking fun at the crazy lives of our favorite famous friends.
Enjoy and welcome to realtalk POP.
Labels: celebrities, culture, pop, popular
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