There are a lot of people who love some rather questionable things. Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, any Eddie Murphy movie. You name it, someone out there probably loves it. As a culture and society, we kind of shame these people into keeping the things they are most passionate about hidden from the outside world, and I think it’s time we stop doing that.
We call these kinds of things guilty pleasures. The kinds of things where we joke that “we know it’s stupid, but—”… are our guilty pleasure. But you know what? They shouldn’t be! Why are we so caught up in defining what is and isn’t cool to be interested in?
I always ask people, whether they’re my friends or dates, what their favorite movies, television shows, and music are. A lot of people, before they tell me, have some sort of weird instinctual urge to apologize for what they consider to be their favorite things. And why? A lot of the time, the things that you like are based off of who you are as a person. Your favorite things help define who you are and are often what make you great.
Like, for example: I love Ariana Grande. Look, I know she’s a diva and always wears that god-awful ponytail, but her music is cool and upbeat and she has awesome pipes! I shouldn’t have to apologize for liking music that gets me excited and makes me want to dance.
On a related note, let me segway into the common cultural staple of the term “basic.” For years, this term was meant to define the common girl and girl interests: Taylor Swift, Ugg Boots, and of course, Pumpkin Spice Lattes. We’re making fun of these girls for liking stuff that was marketed towards them! What kind of sense does that make?
For years, I was a perpetrator of the term “basic.” I called people that all the time regardless of the context (usually if they said or did something I considered lame). But what is so wrong about liking common things? It doesn’t make you a bad person to want to have things that are mainstream or created expressly for you and others. Why do we feel the need to pick on people for not having similar interests as us, or, when they do, shame them for having too common of interests?
It’s an all-too-common practice. We shouldn’t shame each other for liking things. The stuff we find to be cool and interesting and make us feel good most likely helped shape most of our personality, and that shouldn’t be hidden away! Let your freak—or normal, I guess—flag fly! No one should make fun of you for liking what you like. Unless you’re like, murdering people. Don’t do that. That’s not a guilty pleasure, that’s just a straight up felony.
But otherwise, go for it! You like going to renaissance fairs? More power to you! You like Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Order a Trinta! No one should stop you from loving whatever it is you want to love.
The things you are most passionate about in life are what make you, you. Don’t let anyone take that away.
