1/8/2017 0 Comments In defence of: fluffFluff /fluef/ noun 2. Entertainment or writing perceived as trivial or superficial. So first I want to highlight the most important word in that definition. Perceived. Anything value based is always perceived and therefore can never truely be fact. So pretty much that means perception is either an individual’s opinion, or a societally ingrained bullshit opinion. In this case, fluff is perceived as being unimportant. Anytime something is perceived as unimportant I think it is always important to ask for facts as to why. If there are no facts and merely perceptions, that is probably bullshit. So what is fluff? Fluff to me is the T.V. your mom got mad at you for watching when you were supposed to be doing your homework. It’s Jersey Shore, 90210, The Bachelor. It’s also Archie Comics, Cosmopolitan magazine, and Twilight. It’s Princess Diaries and it’s the Kardashians. It’s also disproportionately female content. Fluff does not include action movies, sports, or Call of Duty-- all traditionally male subject matter. Which is really no surprise as female interests have always been perceived as trivial or superficial. Fancy a round of needlework anybody? The mistake this definition makes is in perpetuating this perception of female content as trivial and superficial. I would argue you could learn as much about our world watching one episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, than through reading half the high-flown novels I read for my English degree. The heavy emphasis on femininity in Keeping up with the Kardashians often leads it to be construed as both trivial and superficial. The show is made up of mostly women and documents their everyday lives including going for lunch, choosing their outfits, and updating their instagrams. What's percieved as more trivial than that?! But where one person might see fluff as superficial, I see an archive of our current pop culture reflecting society in 2017. I see women exploring interpersonal relationships through fictional characters. I see women just enjoying this content, and that has got to stop equating to trivial. That seems pretty important to me. -Leah
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