There was a time when admitting you watched the most popular show on television or knew the words to a chart-topping pop song felt like a form of personal failing. For years, a specific brand of cultural snobbery convinced us that true taste required constantly turning up our noses at anything embraced by the masses.
We treated pop culture like a trap, operating under the assumption that if millions of people liked something, it must be inherently basic. But, in reality, this is an exhausting way to consume media, and frankly, it is time we all grew out of it.
Learning that ‘Swifties’ have more fun
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I will fully admit that I once fell into the category of people who thought they were simply too cool for the likes of Taylor Swift, Off Campus, and films with a ranking below four stars on Letterboxd. Throughout my late teens and early twenties, I wore my ignorance of mainstream media like a badge of honour. Was this anti-mainstream stance rooted in a genuine, deep-seated passion for obscure micro-genres? Quite possibly not.
Looking back, it was almost entirely about trying to construct an identity that felt cooler and edgier. However, I now realise this logic was deeply flawed. In reality, it just meant I was severely missing out. My reformed taste in music, film, literature and so on is now far more vibrant and varied. Yes, I still enjoy smaller artists and indie cinema, but Taylor Swift is now permanently in my heavy rotation, and I am currently enjoying a long overdue TwilightSagarewatch.
My reformed taste in music, film, literature and so on, is now far more vibrant and varied. Yes, I still enjoy smaller artists and indie cinema, but Taylor Swift is now permanently on my heavy rotation and I am currently enjoying a long overdue Twilight Saga rewatch.
Amelia, Culture & Lifestyle Writer/Creator
How embracing the mainstream improves your life
Surrendering to the mainstream is astonishingly liberating. There is an unmistakable magic in collective enthusiasm, whether that is screaming along to Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour, watching Justin Bieber take over the desert with Bieberchella, or letting a pop hook from Sabrina Carpenter live rent-free in your head for weeks on end.
The same goes for screen and page. Dismissing television hits like Off Campus or the viral phenomenon of Heated Rivalry because they are widely watched means missing out on top-tier storytelling that actively shapes the cultural conversation.
Surrendering to the mainstream is astonishingly liberating.
Embracing the entire spectrum of media
Now, I am not suggesting you throw away your dog-eared copy of The Secret History and resign yourself to a life of exclusively reading Colleen Hoover. Two things can be true at the same time: you can spend your Sunday evening completely engrossed in a foreign language film, and equally spend your Monday morning fully invested in the latest reality television drama. Enjoying high-brow content does not automatically relegate pop music to a guilty pleasure. It is high time we viewed mainstream genres as having equal value, because more often than not, a massive pop phenomenon has just as much to say about our culture as any niche piece of entertainment you choose to consume.
It is high time we viewed mainstream genres as having equal value, because more often than not, a massive pop phenomenon has just as much to say about our culture as any niche piece of entertainment you choose to consume.
Refusing to engage with mainstream media does not make you an enigmatic tastemaker; in fact, in my opinion, it has the reverse effect. The people whose taste I truly respect are those who can simultaneously embrace the mainstream while pulling out an obscure, unheard-of recommendation. They will happily debate the romance tropes of Off Campus while Sabrina Carpenter hums in the background, then seamlessly pivot to analysing an underrated 1970s French new-wave film. True cultural confidence isn’t about shunning the chart-toppers to protect your aesthetic. It’s about having taste wide enough to enjoy the whole spectrum.
Culture, Films & TV, Music & Theatre
