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Popular American Culture

Running head: POPULAR AMERICAN CULTURE

Popular American Culture
Christine Banaban
University of Phoenix
Soc/105
March 18, 2009

Popular American Culture
Culture can be defined as everything that takes place in a society. This includes the traditions and practices passed down from generation to generation. “Pop culture scholar Ray B. Browne defined it as the cultural world around us, that is, our attitudes, habits, and actions: how we act and why we act; what we eat and wear; our buildings, roads, and means of travel; our entertainment and sports; our politics, religion, and medical practices; our beliefs and activities and what shapes and controls them” (Wilson & Wilson, 2001 p. 4). Pop Culture observes the trends, people and events that formed popular American culture year by year. It is products formed and promoted to the general public such as movies, newspapers, magazines, videogames, clothing trends, etc. Fictional or real life characters like Mickey Mouse, Hannah Montana, Madonna, Shrek, etc., can also be classified under pop culture.
The list of pop culture artifacts in the inventory list correlates with the everyday schedule. On Monday through Friday, the routine is turning on the news every morning then getting coffee at Starbucks, eating, and then working out. Grocery shopping and clothes shopping were done on the weekends and free time. Watching T.V. and surfing the internet were also included when there was spare time.
Many commercials and magazines advertize woman who are thin and chic, as a result many items on the inventory list reflect the desire to be similar to those woman. The theme most prevalent is the aspiration to be fashionable and healthy. Most of the items listed in the inventory deal with fitness, eating the right foods, and keeping up to date with the current fashion trends.
Many of the food related items deal with finding the right ingredients for a nutritious, well-balanced diet. The positive results in dieting and...