Written by Sara Macauley PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS ROEPKE
When the going gets tough, what makes you feel better? As it turns out, we all need a bit of ‘Cultural Fluff’ now and again.
In an age where the idea of self-care is passed around to describe everything from expensive therapy sessions to luxury bath soaks, it’s easy to overlook simple things that help you feel better when life goes a bit sour. Whether it’s a break-up, some bad news or a promotion you narrowly missed out on, when things go awry in life, sometimes it’s the minutiae of culture that helps our nation keep calm and carry on. You should never be made to feel silly for enjoying a bit of triviality.
‘Cultural Fluff’ is a phrase used to describe the frothy and often ridiculed activities that many people partake in, admittedly or not. Things that could be defined as cultural fluff are basically anything you’d consider a guilty pleasure: reading a celebrity gossip magazine, watching reruns of TOWIE or I’m A Celeb, and listening to Girls Aloud on the bus in the morning all count.
Cultural fluff gets a bad reputation in the media and in everyday dialogue, with those who engage in it often deemed as being intellectually inferior. You’ve probably found yourself rolling your eyes when someone in a bathroom queue talks about the latest celebrity split. Bringing up a guilty pleasure like
Keeping up with the Kardashians in the office will often induce a groan from the guy in the corner, too. The thing is, if watching a little reality TV gives your mind a chance to recharge, or buying a foamy cappuccino gives you some much needed get-up-and-go, it may be time to stop the eye-rolling and embrace the feelgood factor instead.
One tried and tested method to help mend a broken heart is a week of bed rest and a good dose of reality TV. Want to feel more confident at work when you’ve got an important meeting? Buying that MAC lipstick and matching nail polish might just help you pull yourself together and get through it. When a family member is sick, watching a film with a bar of chocolate can be just the distraction you need to survive that next hour.
While some of the more serious mental health issues call for expert treatment, if you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps, indulging in an episode of your favourite TV series or picking out a bright nail colour can make a big difference between wallowing in self-pity, or doing something to actively improve your general well-being (even if only for the duration of a Netflix binge.)
It’s high time that people stopped judging others for their guilty pleasures. If you want to eat spaghetti hoops on toast and watch 6 episodes of Come Dine with Me, that’s absolutely fine.
The take-home message? Celebrate the little things that don’t cost the earth and allow others to do the same – the world will be a much happier place.