Oh wow. Between my Ariana Grande post saying that it’s hard to explain naked women on billboards to children (which apparently means I am a horrible person who hates attractive women, according to every 11-year-old girl on Twitter who now hates me) and the “Frozen” nonsense I brought upon myself by (GASP!) writing a post about not liking the movie (which apparently is not allowed), it’s been a big week for little me!
Since I have now had my Scroogedness confirmed by every popular media outlet in the United States, I wanted to mention a few pop culture things that people might be surprised that I like. These things will make me seem like more of a normal person, I hope.
1. Superhero/Comic Book Movies.
I like a hero, a villain, some shoddy science, and a lot of action. Makes the popcorn calories I inhale during such movies totally worth it.
I don’t love everything she does, but I love how catchy her songs are and I like her voice and her edge. I also think she is very pretty and I like her crazy fashion sense even though it’s nothing I’d be brave enough to conquer even if I had her body. I don’t like to sing along to terribly naughty stuff when my boys are in the car, but when I’m alone (or with a trusted friend), I love singing along to her songs about ménage à trois, getting drunk, and melting boys’ popsicles.
See? I like pop music (in moderation) and blockbuster superhero comic book movies. And junky popcorn. I like things!
You know what I also like?
3. Being a part of things that matter more than a movie or a billboard.
Recently I teamed up with some awesome celebrities as well as our government to educate people about everyone’s role in sexual assault. Did you know that one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted in college? And how many people think that if they see someone being assaulted they shouldn’t get involved because of the possible awkwardness or ramifications? More than we’d like to admit. I attended UCLA for 12 years for my undergraduate and graduate degrees and I saw a lot of really out of hand drinking and behavior. It’s scary.
How about this notion? It is our collective responsibility as human beings to stop someone from being sexually assaulted or to step in if something seems like it’s leading to sexual assault. We all know what that looks like even if we don’t want to admit it. You know when it looks like someone’s in a bad situation and isn’t able to defend themselves.
Here’s the Public Service Announcement I participated in.
I know pop culture is important. It defines us. It entertains us. It moves us. But it’s on us to define what’s really important and what’s worthy of critical thought and energy and attention.
With all of the media stuff going on this week, take this pledge and be a part of something powerful and potentially world-changing.
It’s on us.
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