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Popular Culture Summary The Nature of Popular Culture  Associated with commercial products and paraphernalia:  Demand develops and expands due to media, marketing and dissemination processes• Companies and corporations make a profit from popular culture by marketing and distributing commercial products and paraphernalia • Includes items such as:- Accessories – Perfumes – Clothing Magazines - Films • Gives people a way of identifying which a popular culture through their identity and culture • Helps generate more money and create widespread familiarity to the popular culture • The media (social media) plays a huge role in the commodification of popular cultures Converse:  Grunge era, Kurt Cobain and the Ramones promotion  Company bought by Nike Inc in 2003  Collaborations- Marvel, Simpsons, recent collaboration with OPI nails- introduced new form of shoe- All Star Slip Low, involves neon diverse colours  The company expanded its market to include clothing, back packs, accessories (hats)  Develops from a local to a global level:  Experiences global acceptance with the progression and integration of technologies After success on a small scale, popular culture moves onto to national level where consumers of similar cultural norms are able to guarantee the rising popularity of the product  Can release its potential to the international market where the profit motive plays a huge role in the expansion  The rate of development is now rapid due to technology and ready access to international media (news, live reality TV) Converse: The original Converse company was set up in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse, who called his new venture the Converse Rubber Shoe company. The company's first several years were profitable enough to keep the brand running, but it was the transition to producing basketball sneakers in 1917 that really shifted Converse from a simple rubber shoe to the cultural icon it is today. The kicks were given the name "Converse All Stars" as a nod to their athletic design. When basketball Hall of Fame alum Chuck Taylor lent his name and signature to the trainers in 1921, they became the basketball shoe. Taylor travelled across America with the shoes and hosted basketball coaching clinics to promote it. In 1936, Taylor designed the white Chuck Taylor All Star high-top, the official shoe of Team USA for the first ever Olympic basketball

championship. Basketball’s inclusion in the 1936 Olympics only meant more publicity for the now-popular Converse All Stars, made all the more compelling by American's win against Canada. The shoes became the official military training shoe in the US in WWII. • The shoe was promoted on an international level; Olympics, James Dean, Grunge era of the 90s • Started as a practical sporting shoe, evolved into a fashion statement shoe as competitor shoes (Nike, Adidas) entered the market in the 1970s  Achieves widespread consumer access:  Broad access is assisted by media and communication technologies Consumers of popular culture need to be able to access it effectively or the corporations that distribute it will not make a profit  In order to achieve widespread access, PC is often formulated by corporations to adept to a variety of societies so that it meets the needs of a global audience Factors which can limit access to popular cultures include:  Age Class: socioeconomic class  Ethnicity: language and cultural barriers  Location: rural, regional, remote, urban  Institutional Power: government censorship and control Converse: • Basketball coaching clinics, early form of consumer access • Campaigns: “Shoes are boring, wear sneakers” • Digital stores • Promotion through media; West Side Story 1961, MTV, Grunge era (Kurt Cobain, Ramones, Nirvana) • Modern promotion: Stranger Things (show is set in the 80s, reinforces their consistent pop culture presence), Doctor Who, Breakfast Club, Wayne’s World • During the 70s, the shoes were $20, thus were considered relatively affordable • Forever Chuck 2017 campaign: Millie Bobbie Brown, Maisie Williams, Vince Staples. Chucks on Film/and LA Culture/in Music, exhibits the diversity of Converse in pop culture and its evolution, specifically its role in film, the grunge scene and ethnically diverse groups  Is constantly changing and evolving:  Experiences continuity and change  As society changes and evolves, so does popular culture  In order to satisfy consumers and maintain popularity, PCs must adapt regularly with society’s changing rends and preferences  It is also in the producers interests to stimulate change, creating a ‘need’ to consume or ‘keep up’ to generate more profit. – Influences society while simultaneously society influences the popular cultureConverse: • In the 1960s Converse introduced coloured shoes

• Following the 1970s decrease in engagement with Chucks, the brand relabelled itself by making their range of shoes predominately canvas, straying from the athletic image • Repurposed as a fashion show • Diversity in style; high-top, mid and low-top • Eyelets being added n 1932for ventilation • Collaborations- Marvel, Simpsons, recent collaboration with OPI nails- introduced new form of shoe- All Star Slip Low, involves neon diverse colours • Converse X- a global community of youth collaborating with converse. They are moving culture forward in their respective scenes and cities • Sandal converse, platform converse, ‘dainty’ converse, one-star, classic chuck Focus study  The creation and development of the popular culture:  The origins of the popular cultureThemes present in the teen film genre existed before it officially established itself. With this being present in films from the Depression Era which explored the troubles of adolescence and hard-luck tales, such as those present in ‘Wild Boys of the Road’ (1933). However, the genre did not become established until the 1950s in America. Post-World War II, social attitudes altered in America and the booming post-war economy led to the emergence of both teenage culture and the film market. Middle-class parents who had weathered the Depression and the war wanted their children to have full educations, uninterrupted by work or military service. As a result, young people found themselves with larger allowances and more free time. The dramatic possibilities of this stage of life, marked by rebellion, angst and young love, quickly became evident to moviemakers. The musical genre of rock and roll was further emerging and became synonymous with a rebellious adolescence that was rejected by parents. The Wild One (1953) became the first film released to be firmly considered a teen film, thus launching and establishing the genre. 1950s The Wild One 1953 Blackboard Jungle 1955 Rebel Without a Cause 1955 Jailhouse Rock 1960s Beach Blanket Bingo 1964 To Sir with Love 1967 1970s American Graffiti 1973 Animal House 1977 Saturday Night Fever 1977 Grease 1978 1980s Porky’s trilogy 1981, 1983, 1985 The Outsiders

1990s

2000s

2010s

Risky Business 1983 Sixteen Candles1984 The Breakfast Club 1985 Ferris Beuller’s Day Off 1986 Pretty in Pink 1986 Weekend at Bernie’s 1989 Bill and Teds Bogus Journey 1991 Hangin’ with the Home Boys 1991 Clueless 1995 Dangerous Minds 1995 Black Rock 1998 American Pie 1999 & 2001 Ten Things I Hate About You 1999 Almost Famous 2000 Bend it Like Beckham 2002 Freedom Writers 2007 Mean Girls 2007 Superbad 2007 Juno 2007 17 Again 2009 Book smart 2019 To All the boys I’ve Loved Before 2018 Sierra Burgess is a Loser 2018 Love, Simon 2018 The Fault in Our Stars 2014 Paper Towns 2015 Edge of Seventeen 2016 Easy A 2010 Lady Bird 2017 Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012

1950s Jailhouse Rock (1958) Richard Thorpe Plot: Vince Everett a tough and aggressive man who is convicted of manslaughter whilst defending a woman when a brawl breaks out. In prison he discovers his passion for music but his cellmate whom becomes a mentor for Vince encourages his aggressive tendencies. Upon realise he discovers success in his music career, climbing his way through Hollywood the pressures of celebrity and power spur on his belligerent behaviours. Accompanied by a ‘love-story narrative’ where he charms damsels with his bad boy persona and new found fame and success. Themes: • Rebellious • Hidden Talent • Womanising • Attractive • Chivalry • Coming of Age • Damsels

• Associated Violence • Unwarranted romantic advances • Tough/Aggressive behaviour • Hyper-masculinity 1960s To Sir, With Love (1967) James Clavell Plot: Mark Thackeray, an immigrant to Britain from British Guiana via California, applies for an engineering job, but learns that it will be a long time before a decision is made. He also applies for and is offered a teaching post at North Quay Secondary School in the tough East End of London, which he accepts as an interim position. Thackeray learns from the staff most of the pupils have been rejected from other schools, and their antics drove their last teacher to resign. The students prank the teacher excessively and Thackery resorts to changing his teaching approach, saying that they will be treated as adults and can pick their own learning topic. Students chose to discuss what the pupils can expect when they leave school, including advice on how to apply for jobs. Fights occur and the students lose respect for Thackery. The film ends with prom where both the students and Thackery reconcile. Themes: • Racial adversities • Rebellion- pranks, fighting etc. • Support • Bildungsroman- class utilised in order to prepare them for life postgraduation, the effect this has on the students later on demonstrates revelations and thus a coming of age • Prom, used as form of reconciliation 1970s Grease (1978) Randal Kleiser In the summer of 1958, local boy Danny Zuko and vacationing Sandy Olsson meet at the beach and fall in love. The film moves to the start of the seniors' term at Rydell High School. Danny is a member of the TBirds greaser gang. The Pink Ladies, a clique of greaser girls, also arrive. After her parents decide not to return to Australia, Sandy enrols at Rydell and is befriended by Frenchy. Unaware of each other's presence at Rydell, Danny and Sandy tell their respective groups the accounts of events during the pair's brief romance, without initially mentioning the other's name. Sandy's version emphasizes the romance of the affair, while Danny's version is more sexual. When Sandy finally says Danny's name, Rizzo arranges a surprise reunion for the two, but Danny is forced to maintain his bad-boy attitude in front of his pals, upsetting Sandy, who storms off and begins dating Tom, a jock. Frenchy invites the girls to a pyjama party, but Sandy falls ill from trying a cigarette, drinking and getting her ears pierced by Frenchy. Rizzo departs to have sex with Kenickie, during which his condom breaks. Danny takes Sandy to a drivein to reconcile to a drive-in theatre but makes a clumsy pass at her, causing Sandy to leave. Meanwhile, Rizzo fears she is pregnant after missing a period. Sandy watches from afar as Danny races, concluding she still loves Danny, and decides to change her attitude and look to impress him; she then asks Frenchy for help to achieve this goal. On the

last day of school, Rizzo discovers she is not pregnant. Danny has become a letterman but is shocked when Sandy arrives in black leather. In song, the two admit they love each other and reunite. They depart in the Greased Lightning car, which takes flight. Themes: • Identity, social hierarchy and cliques • Coming of age • Sexuality, sexual identity • Love, young love, ‘forbidden love’ • Men, masculinity, women and femininity 1980s The Breakfast Club (1985) John Hughes Plot: Beyond being in the same class at Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois, Claire Standish, Andrew Clark, John Bender, Brian Johnson and Allison Reynolds have little in common, and with the exception of Claire and Andrew, do not associate with each other in school. In the simplest and in their own terms, Claire is a princess, Andrew an athlete, John a criminal, Brian a brain, and Allison a basket case. But one other thing they do have in common is a nine-hour detention in the school library together on Saturday, March 24, 1984, under the direction of Mr. Vernon, supervising from his office across the hall. Each is required to write a minimum one thousand-word essay during that time about who they think they are. At the beginning of those nine hours, each, if they were indeed planning on writing that essay, would probably write something close to what the world sees of them, and what they have been brainwashed into believing of themselves. But based on their adventures during those nine hours, they may come to a different opinion of themselves and the other four. Themes: • Rebellion • Stereotypical grouping of teenagers • Rebellion • Drug use • Views of sex. If you have haven’t you’re a prude, if you have you’re a skank • Romantic interests • Relation to modern day issues such as peer pressure, suicide, abusive household 1990s Clueless (1995) Amy Heckerling Cher Horowitz is a wealthy Los Angeles high schooler who lives in a large mansion in Beverly Hills with her father, a successful $500-an-hour litigator. Her best friend is fellow rich girl Dionne Davenport, who shares Cher's understanding of how it feels to be envied, as well as her passion for fashion. Cher decides to bring two nerdy and low-grading teachers together, when she sees how happy her matchmaking has made them, she decides to continue doing good works for others. Inspired to give back to the community, Cher adopts a dowdy new girl at school, Tai Frasier. Dionne and Cher give Tai a makeover and groom her for popularity. Tai is enamoured of amiable slacker Travis, a skateboarding stoner, but Cher

steers her away from him and towards popular snob Elton instead. Cher's plan backfires completely when Elton rejects Tai and tries to seduce Cher instead. Cher is disheartened and Tai heartbroken at the rejection. While Cher has expressed a marked distaste for "high school boys," she finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a mysterious new student named Christian. Dionne's boyfriend, Murray, eventually explains to Cher that Christian probably doesn't want to date because he is gay. Cher's charitable project with Tai begins to work too well, and Tai's popularity soon surpasses her own. Tai confides that she has become attracted to Cher's step brother, Josh, and wants to enlist Cher's help in dating him. Cher tells Tai that Josh is wrong for her, which prompts a quarrel. Cher realizes that her reaction to Tai's interest in Josh was so vehement precisely because she is interested in him herself. Eventually Cher and Josh admit their feelings for each other and kiss. Themes: • Social Class, Popularity • Love • Presentation and Outward Appearances • Giving Back and Doing Good • Negotiation and Control • Coming of Age • Highschool • Virginity • Driving and Responsibility 2000s Mean Girls (2007) Cady Heron moves to a new school from Africa. She unwittingly finds herself in an elite group of cool students dubbed "the Plastics”. She makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of queen bee Regina George. She falls into popularity and forgets her true friends, rising above Regina. Regina sabotages her with the ‘burn book’ and her popularity fades. Themes: • Friendship • Loyalty • Cost of betrayal • Identity • Social Status • Conformity • Self-discovery • Love • Prom 2010s Book smart (2019) Olivia Wilde Academic overachievers Amy and Molly thought keeping their noses to the grindstone gave them a leg up on their high school peers. But on the eve of graduation, the best friends suddenly realize that they may have missed out on the special moments of their teenage years. Determined to make up for lost time, the girls decide to cram four years of not-to-be missed fun into one night - a chaotic adventure that no amount of book

smarts could prepare them for. As Molly and Amy find out other students who are considered to be badly behaved, party goers and unintelligent got into elite ivy-league schools like Harvard and Yale, they begin to question what their hard work went to and if not joining in with the high school experience was a mistake. They consequently seek to attend a graduation party in an attempt to make up for lost time before they go to college. Themes: • Exploration of sexuality • Graduation • Coming of age • Rebellion • Drinking, party culture, drugs • Academics, stereotypes • Social status  The development of the popular culture from a local to a global levelTeen films are largely produced in America due to the dominant culture that exists surrounding high school and prom. The industry further began there. However, teen films are consumed globally, but more typically in Western cultures due to the monoculture approach and the idea of a ‘White American Family’ being central to many teen films. There is an increase in diversity present in films. The increase of teen films to a global sensation is particularly evident during the 80s in which director John Hughes largely influenced the genre. Ferris Buellers Day Off: Local. Chicago 11/9/1985 – filmed. National- US and Canada 6/1986 – released. Made over $48 million in the first 48 days. Global- UK, France, Germany, Sweden 1986 released. International teen films- The teen film genre has consequently been mirrored in other nations, but not to the same success or extent as the American teen film industry. India- Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar (2007), Ishq Vishk (2003). Korean- 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (2004), Love Forecast (2014)  The process of commodification for the popular cultureCommodification refers to a social process by which an item is turned into a commodity in readiness to be traded. The process relies on marketing strategies with the aim of producing a perceived value in the item. The way in which films are advertised, from posters to online advertisements. Digital consumption of teen films more popular than in person. Paraphernalia associated with teen films.  The role of mythology in the creation and perpetuation of the popular cultureMythology- a set of stories or traditions that serves to support a worldview or is associated with a group or historical event. Myths may have arisen naturally from truth, or they may be fabricated or deliberately fostered to rationalise, support or explain ideas. Mythologies and their narratives provide a framework for societies to explain or support a belief or practice. How do the myths and stories of teen films assist in the genre continuing? Common myths and stories: Bildungsroman- the coming of age story

1. Graduation/Prom night- losing virginity and being rebellious- Book Smart, Blockers, American Pie, Can’t Hardly Wait, 10 Things, Pretty in Pink, Carrie, 16 Candles, Perks, Lady Bird 2. First love- Pretty in Pink, 10 Things I Hate About You 3. Rebellion- confrontation with authority and power, parents, the law etc 4. Awkwardness/Misunderstood by adults- Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dead Poets Society 5. Ugly protagonist needs makeover- Sierra Burgess, The Duff, She’s All That, Princess, Sierra burgess, Clueless, Grease, Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club 6. Miss-match relationship- (Nerd/Jock), (Ugly/Pretty), (Rich/Poor) Dumplin, Angus Thongs, My Mad Fat Diary, To All the Boys, Grease, Paper Towns, Aquamarine, Mean Girls, Twilight 7. Social hierarchies and status- High School has a specific social order and some fit the mould others fail to do so- Mean Girls, Clueless, Breakfast Club, Book smart Positives Negatives vain/shallow, Films gradually trying to depict SuperficialClueless, Mean Girls, wild child, the hardships of teenagers ‘Misunderstood’ looking for GBF, Bring it On support- Dead Poets Society, Rebellious teen, disturbing order for citizens- Ferris Bueller’s Day mean girls Challenges beauty stereotypes- Off, Heathers, Breakfast Club, TATBILB, Dumplin, sierra burgess, Lady Bird, Easy A Clique and Exclusive High-School lady bird, Alex Strangelove Diverse Films- Love Simon, Book Culture, focus on status Good girl goes bad, Grease smart, Alex Strangelove Smart- Juno, 10 things, Easy A, YOLO perks As mythology depicts stereotypes, a status or norm is conseq...