POP CULTURE ARGUMENT

Pop Culture Argument

Pop Culture Argument

Every day we are persuaded to like or dislike something, when we look at the culture we live in there are tons of temptations and people telling us how to live our lives. By choosing your own path through life you are helping set standards for a certain culture, specifically pop culture. Pop culture mainly reflects the teen society and that in which it develops a standard. Pop culture shapes teen society. Everyday more then half of the teenage population spends millions of dollars on celebrity merchandise. By teenage girls buying the latest Backstreet Boys CD based on the bands appearance shows that teenage society accepts that appearance is key in teen culture. Many celebrity icons use their appearances to sell their merchandise. Teens will do whatever it takes to "be cool" and be a part of the "in-crowd". This includes buying CD's, posters, clothes, and perfumes that the celebrity has to offer, even if the teen cannot afford it. What a celebrity wears, drinks, eats, and even does affects the way the teens live their lives. These celebrities take advantage of the teen culture because they know the teens will fall for their gimmicks and follow the celebrities every move.

The teens do so mainly because being accepted and doing whatever that takes is part of being a teenager. Some teens feel that if they do not have the latest CD or designer clothes that they are "not cool". The merchandise is portrayed as a necessity of life. Owning this merchandise is a way for teens to survive their awkward teenage years by fitting in because they own the latest fads. Teenagers also help to shape the pop culture by their social standing. For example, every high school has its different groups; the jocks, the rich kids, the nerds, the "in-crowds", etc. All of these groups help to form the teen culture because they have different interests. What kind of culture would it be if each group was exactly like the next, listening to the same music and wearing the same clothes? Diversity would not exist and without the diversity of the groups, pop culture would not exist. Without the jock group, sports merchandise sales cease to exist. If the "in-crowd" doesn't listen to pop music and buy CD's then interest in the pop genre of music ceases to exist. Stars Wars movies, comic books, and video games sales would decrease immensely without the nerds. Also, without the "rich kids", who would buy all the expensive designer clothes and shoes? No one would buy them. My point is without these groups having the variety of interests to choose from, everyone would be the same and then there would not be much of a pop culture because everything is the same. The American way of life revolves around popular culture. The artifacts surrounding them shape the lives and personalities of individuals. The choices people make regarding the things they buy come from commercials they have ...