The genesis of pop culture.
Popular culture, widely known as “pop culture”, alludes to dominant traditions or rife practices of a particular society. The term refers to art forms like music, art, literature, fashion, and television associated with the society. Although the term ‘pop-culture’ sparks a much-maligned image, it is a very important part of our journey as humans. Not only is it fun to talk about but has a certain level of depth and exploration associated with it.
Throughout history, pop culture has revealed numerous facets of human behavior and culture. From wedding ceremonies to the establishment of fashion styles to religion and everything in between has been practiced and consumed by the masses and thus making it ‘popular’.
The origin of pop culture cannot be dated back to a particular year or time because it has always been there, albeit it has been changing its form. In a couple of hundred years, we went from European aristocracy wearing lace cuffs and corsets to modern teenagers wearing pants and T-shirts.
If we talk about the major milestones in popular culture then undoubtedly Shakespeare tops them all. William Shakespeare is everywhere. His image, his characters, and quotes from his works can be found in countless movies and television shows. His work was and still is enjoyed by countless people thus satisfying pop culture’s requirement of being enjoyed by the masses.
Another artist that grabs our attention is Pablo Picasso, the father of Cubism. His enduring appeal and prolific work is the embodiment of pop culture. By the time of his death in 1973, he was able to create over 80,000 artworks consisting of paintings, ceramics, tapestries, and sketches. Picasso’s ever-changing aesthetics and propensity for change make him a key to pop culture.
Today, Each one of us has our pop-culture menu. Our apps, books, song playlist, TV shows, movies define our behavior and hence are the center of our pop culture world. On a more personal level, pop culture helps people grow and be more accepting as they are made to consider the vast amount of representation throughout the various genres in pop cultures.
With these fundamental aspects in mind, popular culture is also defined as the products and forms of expression and identity that are frequently encountered or widely accepted, commonly liked or approved, and characteristic of a selected society at a given time. Ray Browne in his essay ‘Folklore to Popular’ offers the same definition: “Popular culture consists of the aspects of attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, customs, and tastes that outline the people of any society. Popular culture is, within the historic use of the term, the culture of the people.”
Popular culture allows large heterogeneous masses of individuals to spot collectively. It serves an inclusionary role in society because it unites the masses on ideals of acceptable kinds of behavior. Alongside forging a way of identity which binds individuals to the greater society, consuming popular culture items often enhances an individual’s prestige in their contemporaries. Further, popular culture, unlike folk or high culture, provides individuals with an opportunity to alter the prevailing sentiments and norms of behavior. After all, we are what we consume.
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