I was recently engaged in one of those awkward get-to-know-you, what-are-you-into conversations and found myself saying "Well, I mean in terms of proper, you know, "good music" I like (insert a bunch of stuff that's socially acknowledged as worthwhile here) but, uh, in terms of guilty pleasures I love (insert embarrassing, yet totally awesome stuff here)."And after uttering this ridiculous disclaimer about the things that I like, I made an official decision: I'm not going to have 'Guilty Pleasures' anymore.
Which is not to say that I'm going to stop liking certain "awesomely bad" stuff. Good lord, no! Perish the thought!
But I'm old enough - and comfortable enough in who I am - that I'm going to stop putting the things I like under separate headings. Really, anything that any of us like (a tv show, a band, a movie, a kind of food) exists because there's a market. Hundreds of thousands of other people like that same thing! There's got to be something redeemable or interesting or fun about it if it's widely available to the masses.
And really? Is there anything more intrinsically valuable in the music of The Knux (indie hop hop duo) than the music of The Black Eyed Peas (ubiquitous, top-40 hip hop group)? They're rapping about the same stuff, and (I think) with about the same level of talent. Am I a more interesting/intelligent person because I like a band that fewer people know about? Am I significantly more awesome because I listen to a radio station that introduced me to The Knux?
And is there reason that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (snarky, funny, offensive critical darling of a television show) is "better" than Jersey Shore (funny, offensive, wildly popular, much maligned MTV reality show)? They're both entertaining and neither of them are upping our IQ points. So why should I feel embarrassed about discussing Snooki's outfits?
I'd also like to take this occasion to quote a bathroom stall I read over the weekend: "Everything in moderation. Even moderation." Life can't be all documentaries and whole wheat bread and Pulitzer Prize winning books. We all need a bit of Bring It On and pizza in our lives from time to time.
So in the interest of full disclosure, here are some of the things that I (previously) filed under the heading of "Guilty Pleasure." They will now be filed under the super concise heading of "Stuff That I Like. I Just Like It, Okay? It's Not Ironic, I'm Just Totally Into It."
* Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Shakira, Beyonce
* The Lawrence Welk Show
* Jersey Shore
* Eating Swiss Miss mix powder. Or cake mix. Or crescent roll dough.
How do you feel about the concept of "guilty pleasures"? What are yours?
* Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Shakira, Beyonce
* The Lawrence Welk Show
* Jersey Shore
* Eating Swiss Miss mix powder. Or cake mix. Or crescent roll dough.
How do you feel about the concept of "guilty pleasures"? What are yours?
72 comments:
I completely agree with you. About half way through last year I stopped referring to things as 'guilty pleasures'. Mine include LMFAO (Especially "I'm in Miami, bitch", Shortland St (you MUST have seen it at least once when you were in NZ) and reading at least one trashy book per month - it offsets the intense literature and uni reading.
And this is why I read your blog. :) I'm going to go listen to Party in the USA now and maybe eat some instant cinnamon oatmeal straight out of the package. I might get REALLY crazy and do it in front of people.
My dad is an American History prof who specializes in 20th century and the year that Passions and the O.C were canceled were devastating for him.
I hate culture snobs!!
Annddd lots of grammatical errors in that comment. BLUSH.
If this was possible I would give you a slow-clap standing ovation (sp?)!!!!!
My guilty pleasures? Or just pleasures... Bachelorette, Twlight, Rap music, Taylor Swift love song. Oh and I HATE beer, which most poeple think is weird and not socially acceptable but too bad for them! yay!
I fully agree with you!
mmm... my "guilty" pleasures (or may we all say former-guilty?)...
I indulge in:
-emoticons on any chat I use
-art attack (the kid show)
-planning and plotting outfits for my stuffed hare!
Just to name a few!
I bounce back and forth on the guilty pleasure front. My brothers both seek out obscure music and movies and aren't too into popular stuff (I never, ever got to listen to my music as a kid). So I spent a lot of time attempting to justify my taste and then hiding my taste.
But a lot of times, I just tell people outright. I do have to say that I'm sick of explaining that "well, timberlake just has some catchy beats. Don't you need to dance sometime?" or, conversely, "liking musicals doesn't make me lame. they're catchy too."
I suppose I'm trying to say that, yes, let's get rid of feeling guilty about our pleasures. Life's too short to deny the things you enjoy. And let's also stop judging other people based on what they like. Just because I occasionally enjoy rap/football/Sandra Bullock movies/insert whatever you love here doesn't mean we can't be friends.
absolutely some of my "guilty pleasures" (though why i'm suppose to feel guilty about something that makes me happy or at least smile is beyond me)...
Neighbours (tv show)
Katy Perry
Reading trashy paranormal romances
Just to name a few.
Life is too short, enjoy whatever makes you truly happy :) A lot of people spend too much time hiding who they are or having to justify things.
the hills & the city.
lady gaga & kylie minogue.
movies with hugh grant and/or sandra bullock (yes, two weeks notice is the best movie on earth).
Yes yes yes.
Mine?
Sweet Valley books.
And the Backstreet Boys.
Preferably together.
You guys? I love Sandy B. I felt oddly upset by the Vanilla Gorilla debacle. Don't do my girl like that!
I'm ashamed of the amount of pop culture I know and reality shows I watch.
I love the cheese-tastic movies Xanadu and Purple Rains and own the soundtracks to both!
I don't think that I've ever referred to something I like as a "Guilty Pleasure". I like what I like and I'm not embarrassed by it. I think the fact that I'm such a huge pop fan helps in that department. I love the Backstreet Boys, and I'm pretty sure everyone in High School knew about it. Now if people ask me my favorites, I have no issue listing off artists or naming certain songs I like. If they ask me why I like a particular artist (That I know may not be the most talented in the world) I usually refer to the feeling I get from them. "They make me happy." is a common retort. End of story? Why would anyone deny themselves happiness because of what others think? :)
Love it! I LOVE Ke$ha and Black Eyed Peas...especially the latter, can't get enough of it! I also love "cheesy" country music like the song Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band and I'll shout it from the rooftops =)
Yes! This is great! I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Beyonce, Britney Spears, & ALL Dolly Parton, even the incredibly cheesy 80s country. Also eating Tofurkey out of the package and the movie The Proposal.
you are giving me so much freedom since I watch a lot of tv, and almost everything that I like can be considered a guilty pleasure. I'm tired of apologizing for my DVR, which is filled with reality tv and the Secret Life of the American Teenager.
I also must admit that sometimes I couch blogging weirdly in the guilty pleasure area, mainly to non-bloggers who I feel like are going to say "soo you just write? about yourself? on the internet?" I struggle with that more than anything in terms of trying not to feel bad about something that I believe is worthwhile, and that I really shouldn't apologize for.
Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Journey happily coexist with indie music on my ipod - and they did BEFORE a certain tv show made it ok to like "Don't Stop Believing" again :) And any time "Legally Blonde," "Miss Congeniality," "Bring It On," or "Clueless" are on tv, it is a legal requirement that I stop whatever I'm doing to watch.
I've been having an ongoing argument with a friend of mine who tells me that the reason I don't like Lady Gaga is because she's a mainstream pop artist. To which I replied, "No, I don't like her because she is awful. I love Ke$ha, so suck it."
Other such things I'm not embarrassed to be a fan of include:
Bring It On (always)
Ashlee Simpson
And I don't care what you say, I want to get swept up in a stupid romance between the most morose teenage girl on the planet, and a stupid sparkly vampire. There! I said it!
I get teased regularly about my deep love for The Real Housewives of Anywhere, Jersey Shore and other terrible shows, especially since I'm a teacher/voracious reader/intellectual-nerdy type. I need that "break." And Ke$ha is my girl! I think we all need some fun stuff once in awhile :)
best post. oh how i needed this today! :)
mine?
-celebrity gossip mags/websites
-licking the spoon & bowl when making pancakes/waffles
-justin beiber/ke$ha/taylor swift
-lusting over robert pattinson with the 25 million others on the planet!!
-one tree hill/teen mom/16 & pregnant/secret life of the american teenager
i see all of these 'guilty pleasures' as a break both from the crazy, busy everyday AND from the mundane. they help shake things up and keep me sane when things get nutty! love them!
*
what a perfect post. watching say yes to the dress! reading people magazine instead of time! buying chocolate chips with no intention of making cookies out of them! listening to the backstreet boys! i think my "guilty pleasures" outweigh my "socially acceptable" pleasures, actually.
Thank you! It was maybe this time last year that I realised I shouldn't be ashamed of things I like. Everyone seems to think that everyone must like a certain type of music & only that type of music. Despite the fact that people like me exist who listen to everything! And I view none of it as a guilty pleasure - even the boyband stuff!
I completely agree! I hate that we're made to feel like we have to apologize for the things we like. Some of my guilty pleasures are the Bee Gees, Judy Garland (movies and records), Lady Gaga and the live-action Josie and the Pussycats movie.
On the other hand, I sometimes feel like I have to apologize for liking some of the critically acclaimed type stuff too. Like I'll preface a conversation by saying "I'm a nerd so I really loved ___" (fill in a random old French movie or something), so people won't think I'm pretentious. I think we all need to stop thinking of the media we like as being the most important gauge of who we are.
Love this! Ditto Ke$ha. Also Skins, Sex and the City, Doctor Who, Jeremy Kyle talk show, trashy novels, comfy pants, beetroot butties, Eminem, football and suped-up boy-racer cars. Good idea for a post Sarah! ♥
i love ke$ha too and the real housewives series - i cant get enough of those insane women!
Ooooh you're so right. and for the record, I am OBSESSED with Jersey Shore, have season 1 on DVD, am throwing a party for the season 2 premiere, and I'm still a plenty intelligent and cool lady. Haha. It can be hard to embrace those things about ourselves!
Haha! I'm 37 and I LOVE Britney Spears. Especially to work out to. And I AM NOT ASHAMED.
All-American Rejects
Country dancing
Musicals
...and I don't feel the least bit guilty about any of those ;)
I love:
- Game shows, no matter how ridiculous (especially The Price is Right, Match Game, and Deal or No Deal because I like to watch the greedy people lose)
- America's Next Top Model (even I don't know why, but I just do!)
- buying refrigerated cookie dough to eat without baking it (snuck a tube into a movie theatre once... yes, I rule)
- I second the Backstreet Boys (I still listen to their debut album occasionally when home alone and I dance around my office)
- Fern Gully (which I consider to be a very relevant film, so suck it Avatar!)
I 100% agree. I am not going to feel bad about anything that makes me happy. I love romance novels, and really big cupcakes and emotionally manipulative country music and I don't care who knows it. And if you're really nice I might let you have a bite of my cupcake.
The Lawrence Welk Show, yeah!
Me too, I used to watch it on PBS as a kid.
I'm shameless when it comes to my tastes - so I never felt an ounce of guilty taking pleasure in them! Howard the Duck, The Sound of Music Sing-a-long, Enya, and Pretty Poison ~ all part of my glorious taste (or there lack of)
Shakira should never be considered guilty pleasure. She's genius. ;)
Hmm, I think I'm still pretty shy about this stuff sometimes, because I've always liked things that nobody else around me did.
-Country music (even as a kid, when everyone loved Hanson or the Spice Girls)
-GLEE! Gosh, I miss choir. This show makes me so happy
- Watching movies that famous folks were in before they were famous, to see how dorky/young they looked then. haha so fun.
- The Sims (3). It's so freakin' addictive...
- fashion mags and shopping.
- Marshmallows. The main reason I love camping.
I used to put Swiss Miss powder on vanilla ice cream when I was little. Would probably still do it now if I had the opportunity.
taylor swift, brown sugar, the occasional pizza pop. Great post!
I hope it wasn't awkward to meet! ;) But I think you'd already decided guilty no more by the time we got to know each other.
Katie - Oh, girl! You know we ain't awkward! Ke$ha forevs!
I hate Kesha with a passion. And Jersey Shore.
But I do love Beyonce. I don't even consider her a guilty pleasure because she's good. Same with Lady Gaga. The only "guilty pleasure" I can think of is I love that new Miley Cyrus song--Can't Be Tamed. I don't even like Miley, but that song is so dang catchy! And I kind of hate that I like it.
Ha! This is awesome. Gotta be honest, I barely know half the things you referenced up there, but I do love the three Lady Gaga songs I know, and this season of The Bachlorette ... and I'm (almost) not embarrased to admit it! I do balance it out with a fair dosage of NPR and literature, so we'll just call it a wash.
I embrace my guilty pleasures or as my boyfriend calls it my whitetrashness. yeah, i grew up in a trailer, my dad is a coalminer, I'm proud!
anyway
- Toddlers & tiaras (I 75% wish my momma had put me in shows like this growing up. hell i'd still do it)
- True Blood (but there are werewolves now that scare me so that may be a dealbreaker)
- the Real L Word (on the fence with this 1, its interesting)
- Disney Princess cds. in my car. super loud.
I don't know, I still think they're "guilty" for a reason. I think of them like cake - cake sure is popular, and delicious, and enjoyable, so it's no wonder that there is cake everywhere in the world, from gas stations to fine restaurants to your mom's kitchen. I eat it and I enjoy it but I know full well it's not good for me and if I ate a whole meal made of just cake, I would feel very guilty and embarrassed to tell someone. Because cake is junk. Just like The Bachelorette is junk and I'm embarassed to tell anyone if I watch it.
I made the same decision about a year ago and, besides having that feeling of total freedom, I found that people find me more approachable and relatable. And as for those indie elitist types I previously tried to fit in with? I think I can see a little envy in their eyes when I'm able to discuss Twilight and Jersey Shore in the same breath as EU policies and obscure bands.
http://lesadventuresdulorax.blogspot.com
I guess I understand a "guilty pleasure" to be something that you aren't quite completely okay with liking, for whatever reason. Accepting the pleasure makes it less guilty. Thus, I do see the reason in making them non-guilty pleasures. I think it's cool that you can accept your more secretive pleasures as part of yourself, no matter what others may think of you for them.
However, for this moment my guilty pleasures shall remain a bit hidden (except from my best friends) because I haven't quite yet come to terms with the WHY I like them when logically, I wouldn't/shouldn't.
*Sigh, contradictory-ness.*
Oh, but eating crescent roll dough? That's like, the best breakfast/gross other people out thing ever. I break open the can before even leaving the grocery store!
My guilty pleasures? Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears. I don't even like them, but their music tends to be fun, dance-y stuff, which I enjoy. Actually, nearly anything Disney-related that I still like. (I don't like much of it, now, but if there is Proud Family on TV or Kim Possible, I'd refuse to turn off the TV. xD)
-Aly
A few of my guilty pleasures:
Wipe Out
Big Brother
Really bad sci-fi and/or horror flicks like Mega-Manatee vs. Super-Dolphin
Fergie's My Humps
Divorce Court
Zach Braff
I would say I'm so ashamed but I'm taking your advice and I'm owning it! Yeah I liked Alf? What of it?
Oh goodness... Because I am a 60-something year old woman trapped in a 31 year old body, I love Tom Jones. Full. Stop. No irony, no mockery. Love.
I also enjoy a well-written romance novel. And some moderately well-written romance novels. These do exist. Really. And they're particularly delightful with a plastic cup of box wine while camping, which is my plan for the weekend.
Oh, I do this all the time. I've never been ashamed of it, either. The cumulation of all these wonderful things is what makes Luinae, well, Luinae. I go from discussing themes of the Silmarillion and snacking on almond crackers to watching Bring It On movies. I love those movies.
I like that: everything in moderation. Even moderation.
I'm a person who delights in excess! Bringing up Jersey Shore and It's Always Sunny... you got me thinking of if those two worlds should ever meet... I'm pretty sure I'd explode. I will rack my brain figuring out how that could ever happen.
I second the slow-clap standing ovation.
Blogging is my not-so-guilty pleasure. I'm still working on how to make it less "guilty" and more "not-so".
I agree with everything you said! I love that you speak the truth, my musical guilty pleasures definitely include ke$ha, miley cyrus and ...(justin beiber)
Ohh, Sex and the City, this new show "The Real L Word" - awful already but so entertaining. America's Next Top Model. I don't really feel GUILTY about SATC the show but the movies...definitely.
Oh, and the Twilight movies. The books were pretty horrific but I do enjoy going to see the films.
*cringe*!
As someone with a degree in music, I used to feel guilty about my love of "crap" music until a rather snobby music person complained about "My Humps," a song that I truly enjoy, playing at a party. While that song may not be a musical masterpiece, I think it is fun, and it doesn't ruin my appreciation for other "real" music.
Other guilty pleasures include:
My use of JK, BTW, and whatevs in regular conversation
The Twilight series
Random reality TV
Lawrence Welk. <3
My boyfriend introduced me to the loveliness that is Mr. Welk and I've been hooked ever since.
Oh and also the Big Joe Polka Show.
My (not so) guilty pleasures:
-Rap AND country, the two most "I like everything but"ed things in history
-Celtic Woman
-America's Next Top Model (You know how Oxygen and Bravo have marathons of it? I'm the person who watches them.)
-Wedding and ghost hunting shows (if ever these two reality genres somehow combine, I will glue myself to the television when the resulting show airs)
OH MY...I love SO much that could be classified as guilty pleasures but I much prefer to say. "You know what, it's stuff I like!"
NSYNC, Jersey Shore, The Bachelorette, Cosmopolitan magazine, and SO much more.
By the way, when I was little, around 5 I guess, my mom took me to a Lawrence Welk "concert" in Tennessee and I got to go up on stage with Bobby...he danced with Sissy. Afterwards we got to go backstage and meet a lot of the performers and get autographs. And I don't care, IT WAS COOL =)
Funny how things we (using the general royal "we") think of as guilty pleasures are totally not in that range for many other people. Just another way of culturally stratifying ourselves... and I heartily agree that putting it in the non-guilty column on your like list is rather freeing. Kind of how I feel about my Real Housewives of New York City viewing, and my jarred queso needs. Good post.
This post has made me decide to (try to) stop being embarrassed when hubby sits in the driveway with his acoustic guitar and belts out Hanson's "MMMBop" for the whole neighborhood to hear. It makes him happy.
I totally had a post on Kesha a few months ago!
http://justbeawesomeinstead.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html
I try really hard not to define things as my guilty pleasures. Anyone who judges my taste in music/tv/anything, really, has way too much time on their hands. Life can bring us down enough as it is! Sometimes we need things that are just pure fun. I feel like I can be a smart person during my day job/school, and still go home and watch the hills and not worry that my brain will turn to mush.
Thanks for the reminder!
Love this post! My guilty pleasures are watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kendra and The Hills. I am also a fan of sweets when it's bedtime,--WHY??? Such horrible timing! (chocolate chips suffice when I haven't anything else), readingn US magazine, and my new favorite drink Pinnacle Whipped Vodka with Ginger Ale. I wish i hadn't stumbled upon this new tasty drink as I will be drinking a few too many of them this summer I am sure!
Who knew writing about guilty pleasures would be so fun! Thanks!
What's so "wrong" about Jersey Shore?? It's hillarious! :D I love that show
I love The Rasmus, still like Hanson and dance with no shame to reggaeton but everybody knows so...I don't know how guilty that is! :D
i love guilty pleasures... i was never really completely embarrassed about them though. they just make things more fun!
some of my current guilty pleasures are:
1. party in the usa (how can you not smile and bob your head to that song??)
2. chick lit.... i just can't get enough of it
3. taylor swift
4. jonas brothers (they are just adorable)
hmmm looking at this i think i'm really a tween at heart hahaha!
leethroughthelens.blogspot.com
Oh lordy! I just decided to do this a couple weeks ago when I caught myself turning down my PUMPING Lady Gaga at stop lights so that people couldn't hear what I was listening to. Come on! Who cares?!? Yeah, nobody.
"Life can't be all documentaries and whole wheat bread and Pulitzer Prize winning books. We all need a bit of Bring It On and pizza in our lives from time to time."
My new summer goal is to use this quote all the time a la Ferris Bueller. Let it be known that you're quote-worthy, Sarah Von!
I've never referred to any of the things I like as guilty. I have never understood that. There are other things I can feel guilty about. Such as when I don't treat people as nicely as I should. Then that makes me feel guilty. Gwen Stefani and NSYNC are guilt free!
I decided a couple of years ago to stop pretending I was ashamed of things I like that may not be popular. For instance?
1) The Monkees. That's right, the tv show, the music, everything about them I adore.
2) Eating melted chocolate and peanut butter by the spoonful. It's good. Period.
3) Powerpuff Girls. I don't care that the show's not on tv anymore or that I'm decades beyond the target audience. They are the cutest little badass superheroes EVAH.
4) The Wendy Williams Show. As much as I love Oprah, Wendy's got gossip and never tells me what to do. The show's always pure, girly fun. Sometimes that's all I need.
5) Ripping beautiful pictures out of magazines and putting them on the wall as art. If I like it, who cares where it comes from? Plus? Now my magazine habit serves two purposes.
THANK YOU! Gosh, I am so tired of "guilty pleasure" label. I'm with you on music choices, I'm adding boy bands to the list :) TV shows: The City, The Hills, Laguna Beach, Made...
I'm with you 1000%. I've long been railing against the concept of a "guilty" pleasure. I'm not going to waste any time feeling guilty about crap that I like! (Even if said crap *is* Celebrity Baby Blog...)
YES and YES! (I'm sooooooo glad I'm not the only one who (still?) loves Beyonce - I keep defending her in front of all my friends because she IS awesome: talented, hard-working, fun and down-to-earth). :o) Thank you for this post, Sarah!
Is there an emoticon for applause? Because I'd like to use it please :-)
I completely agree. Am much as I love museums and some of the classics (both in literature and movies) I like to be able to indulge in some "beach reads", non-intellectual TV series and a good gab at Starbucks sometimes does your soul more good than looking at art for 2 hours.
Hence the applause :-)
i totally agree with the swiss miss! my roommates always tend to think it's disgusting. they're missing out.
Your guilty pleasures crack me up! Now I think I'm ready to stop calling them guilty pleasures. Maybe "things I enjoy in moderation"?
My "things I enjoy in moderation":
Top 40 rap songs
Real Housewives of (any of them)
Sandwiches that include bacon and cheese
NOVA Science Now
First of all, the "moderation" quote from the bathroom stall originally comes from Oscar Wilde.
Second of all, I also don't have trouble categorizing certain things I like as "guilty pleasures." I like the cake example, that some things are good but you shouldn't indulge in them as much as others. Speaking as a composer, I would say I definitely have to categorize which music is good on its own and likely to lead to further inspiration and new ideas for me - and therefore I should be listening to all the time - and which music I just like because it's fun and I can shake my ass to it, but I'm not likely to find it leading to compositional inspiration for me. That stuff, I should probably not listen to as often. And I think the food metaphor is apt.
That being said, art is art and I'm not sure that any one thing is going to be "bad" for everyone. It really depends on how you use it. Even watching Jersey Shore a lot can be a constructive activity if you're, say, a media studies professor writing a book on what it means about our culture. I think the key is really what is active engagement and what is mindless. With Beethoven, I'll be actively dissecting the music; with Lady Gaga, I'm way more likely to just be listening to it because it's fun and not because I'm looking for ideas. And general non-active-engagement with music is something I should do sparingly.
THere is absolutely no guilt in liking beyonce or shakira. They are amazing!
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