Open Thread: How Did Brittany Spears Change Popular Culture?
Sara and I were having this discussion earlier. She didn't make any argument but she said multiple times that Brittany Spears deserves her star in Hollywood because she changed popular culture. This is an open thread. Please comment.
We're a celebrity-centric culture. We consume celebrities; we even have factories for producing new ones to keep up with demand (e.g. American Idol). The artists who truly create change do so through their talent, not their fame. I think in the long run, she's destined for mediocrity.
I never said that she necessarily deserved her star on the walk of fame. Let me make that abundantly clear.
The fact remains that Britney Spears became a cultural icon at 17, when her debut album went triple platinum and she had a nearly constant presence on radio shows, television, and magazine covers (she has graced over 150 in her time). She is known throughout the industry for creating her own image and breaking free from the "bubble-pop" mold, propelling her career with a sex infused image that was unexpected. While I personally cannot justify or explain any reason why people became so obsessed with her, I find her impact on our culture to be pretty significant and prevalent. (Imagine a world without the song "Hit Me Baby, One More Time"). Currently, she is worth over $100 million dollars to the U.S. economy, with all the magazines and television shows now focusing on her increasingly more dramatic personal life. No other celebrity has ever had so much attention, and our culture has never been so enraptured by another person's personal life. Sure, she's gone over the edge, but people obviously care and are entertained by her antics. I may not have done a better job of supporting my argument, but I know, deep in my heart, that my life (and yours) and pop culture would not be the same if not for Britney Spears.
2 comments:
We're a celebrity-centric culture. We consume celebrities; we even have factories for producing new ones to keep up with demand (e.g. American Idol). The artists who truly create change do so through their talent, not their fame. I think in the long run, she's destined for mediocrity.
I never said that she necessarily deserved her star on the walk of fame. Let me make that abundantly clear.
The fact remains that Britney Spears became a cultural icon at 17, when her debut album went triple platinum and she had a nearly constant presence on radio shows, television, and magazine covers (she has graced over 150 in her time). She is known throughout the industry for creating her own image and breaking free from the "bubble-pop" mold, propelling her career with a sex infused image that was unexpected.
While I personally cannot justify or explain any reason why people became so obsessed with her, I find her impact on our culture to be pretty significant and prevalent. (Imagine a world without the song "Hit Me Baby, One More Time").
Currently, she is worth over $100 million dollars to the U.S. economy, with all the magazines and television shows now focusing on her increasingly more dramatic personal life. No other celebrity has ever had so much attention, and our culture has never been so enraptured by another person's personal life. Sure, she's gone over the edge, but people obviously care and are entertained by her antics.
I may not have done a better job of supporting my argument, but I know, deep in my heart, that my life (and yours) and pop culture would not be the same if not for Britney Spears.
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