Include, But Still Exclude
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Include, But Still Exclude
Mrunmayee Mainkar
SY BSC
Estimated Reading Time ~ 5 minutes
“Have you not watched this XYZ show/movie?!! Don’t you listen to so-and-so artists? Don’t tell me that you don’t have a particular company’s shoes and clothes. You are MISSING OUT!!”
This is what I have gathered from the countless interactions I had with people whenever I moved to a new place. And it’s always the same shows, the same songs, the same artists, and the same trends. It was fine until I realised that it was used as a standard by many people to determine who was cool and worthy of interacting with. This made me wonder, is our generation unintentionally reverting to the segregation and status quo of the past in an attempt to be inclusive?
Popular “Pop” culture, or mass culture, is all about celebrities, influencers, movie stars, and the trends that enrapture millions across the globe. Its roots trace back to the early 20th century with the rise of mass media forms, mainly radio, film, and print, which allowed entertainers and cultural figures to reach wider audiences for the first time. In the 1950s, rock ’n’ roll, television, and Hollywood helped shape youth identity, with stars like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe becoming household names. The 1960s and ’70s were marked by a shift in pop culture characterised by political movements, fashion, and rebellion, as The Beatles, Woodstock, and punk reshaped the cultural landscape. When the 80s and ’90s rolled by, MTV, blockbuster movies, and pop stars such as Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Madonna made pop culture go global. The rise of the internet in the 2000s transformed the spread of pop culture via memes, funny videos, and reality TV shows. Now, pop culture consists of everything, from entertainment to political agendas. For example, the song “Alright” by rapper Kendrick Lamar is associated with the Black Lives Matter movement in 2015, given the hate crimes taking place in the US against people of African-American origin.
Groupism and following trends, however, are not recent developments. Belonging to a certain part of society has always come with expectations. In the Victorian era, the way people dressed, what they read, and how they conversed was a huge part of being considered “civilised”. The upper class was seen in silk gowns, corsets, tailcoats, top hats, and was known for conversing in immaculate English, their habits and lifestyle considered worthy of the same adjective. The middle class tried to emulate the former’s lifestyle, but lived a simpler life and had access to fewer opportunities. The lower class was extremely poor and malnourished, surviving on the bare essentials and simple clothing made of cheap fabrics. The education levels were lower, and the dialects were local and informal. The upper class had access to various forms of entertainment, such as operas, high-end plays in theatres, photography, art, etc., while the middle and the lower class turned to newspapers, music halls (theatre-like performances with catchy songs), and religious (Christian, in this context) texts.
To be considered as a part of something, it is given that people will do certain things to be included. However, the problem arises when those expectations become a way of determining one’s social standing. This has been amplified by social media. Listening to certain artists, looking a certain way, acting a certain way – the majority of it is determined by social media. Brands, with the help of lifestyle/beauty influencers, create hype around their products, making them trendy and cool, and marketing them in such a manner that it induces FOMO in people and pressures them into buying things that they might not even need. This constant cycle of following trends not only kindles consumerism but also cements a narrow standard of what is determined as “in”. As a result, individuality tends to take a backseat, and people feel compelled to conform just to be validated. The digital age has added to this pressure, making it harder to separate personal preferences from such socially-conditioned and consumerism-promoting behavior.
What has really differentiated Gen-Z from other generations is its advocacy for inclusion and equality across the globe. However, in this day and age, where everyone talks about inclusion, involving everyone and seeing a person beyond race, gender, caste, etc., we still observe a clear distinction between those who follow trends and pop culture versus those who chose to spend their time, money and energy on something else, or something which is not mainstream but interests them. While interacting with others, it is quite evident that the trendy ones are considered to be of a higher social status than those who are not. The ones who want to be different are deemed of lower status or may even be considered cringey. Some examples can be Jordans, iPhones, and makeup products from famous brands such as Glossier, Rhode, and Rare Beauty. These products have been popularised and made to seem cool via advertising. Possessing them should not equate to one’s status, and definitely should not be a standard a person should strive to meet.
An additional but important point of notice is the unintentional exclusion of those who belong to tier-2, tier-3 towns and villages. People coming from such places to metropolitan cities find it difficult to fit in with the others as a result of possessing different values and interests, coupled with the differences in language, culture, and habits. The creation of a shared space of similar interests (in this context, pop culture) unintentionally keeps them out of the loop. This further alienated them because there is no space for the things they enjoy and what they find cool, since it’s predetermined and rigid, in a way. This inculcates in them an inferiority complex and makes them believe that they aren’t worthy or won’t be able to get the same opportunities, diminishing their confidence and increasing the gap even more.
As social animals, it is but natural that we would like to be considered as a part of a group. Isolating oneself is not viable, and however much introverted a person is, he/she will socialise to some extent. But making certain things “criteria” to be a part of something is not the way to go. Being friends only with people who follow trends, are up-to-date with pop culture, or do everything that is considered conventionally cool, and not considering people who do not participate in trends, is wrong. I wish we lived in a society where everyone is able to express themselves without worrying about what their peers would think of them, or whether anyone would find them cringe-worthy. Because isn’t it quite ironic that our generation advocates so much for inclusion, yet we tend to create these superficial standards for even interacting with someone?