I've always been a pop culture geek. Any pop culture article is a must read, and I regularly check with sites like PopMatters, Paste, and the arts, culture, and entertainment pages for all the papers I read. Thus, it's not surprising that I've pursued work as a freelance music, arts, and culture writer. And, of course, it's not news to anyone that my regular blog posts and short form pieces often focus on popular culture.
So, as a regular reader and subscriber of the Washington Post, I am intrigued by the new offering of a pop culture newsletter. The new feature from Style reporter Shane O'Neil claims: Our new newsletter takes pop culture seriously - The Washington Post. While there are many culture writers I read regularly, I am not familiar with O'Neil's work, so I am interested to see what sort of angles and insights he offers on popular culture. In the launch piece, he writes:
I love telling people about the stories I’m writing: Gay guys marrying straight women, $230 socks for your iPhone, entire careers based on saying “6-7” into an iPhone camera.And I love the response I get: “Seriously?”
It’s a fair question. These are not the heaviest stories we publish at The Washington Post. One might even say they’re not the most prestigious. I’m not holding my breath for the Pulitzer to add a “Best Labubu explainer” or “Snarkiest take on Kim Kardashian’s Margiela look” category any time soon.
But even the most frivolous stories reveal something about how we live today. They show us new models for how people love each other; how even the greatest minds of tech and design can miss the mark; how younger generations are asserting their independence from their parents by confusing them; why Grindr sponsored a fashion collection made entirely from the wool of gay sheep (forthcoming!).
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