Guilty Pleasures: Why Do We Have to Feel Guilty?

Today I wanted to talk about guilty pleasures, as this is a topic that every now and then gets me up on that high horse that I have to admit always leaves me a little butt sore afterwards.

It seems like when people refer to a "guilty pleasure," it always seems to refer to a reality tv show. At least, that's been my experience. People ask, what's your guilty pleasure? Basically, what is the thing that is not socially accepted but that brings you happiness?

Guilt.

Pleasure.

Two very competing words.

If watching, reading, or doing something is bringing joy into your life, why is it that society demands that you simultaneously feel bad about it? This is something that simply does not make sense to me. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it.

No, I am ecstatically debilitated by this. Alright, fine. I had to use the thesaurus for that joke. Competing words, get it?

Sure, some subjects don't bring a lot of value to your life, but that does not automatically mean that you should feel guilty about them. For example, I have learned many a fact from watching the Kardashians. I've learned about fashion designers and it has also given me a glimpse into the life of the rich and famous. Who's to say these can't induce creative ideas that I can incorporate into my writing?

If sipping a glass of wine and watching extravagant dates on The Bachelorette every week is the mental escape I need to recharge, then so be it.

Now, Honey Boo Boo, that is another story. But if watching it brings you joy then I certainly don't have the right to take that from you.

Frankly, the whole thing brings me back to high school. If you're weren't the "cool" one and didn't wear a certain type of clothing and didn't drive a certain kind of car, some people didn't want to associate with you. Kids would learn to hide the things that they enjoyed because they weren't socially accepted. Think back to that time and all the things that you may have wanted to do, or may have wanted to talk about to your friends that you didn't for this reason?

I was a musical theater nerd. I wanted to perform more than anything, but fear of judgment held me back. The whispers behind the backs of fellow thespians held me back from a passion that would have brought me pure joy.

Now that I am adult, I may be able to cope better with casual words of ridicule, tossed around without much regard for the feelings of others. But my experience has made me much more aware of the activities that just simply...

...make me feel good.

And by golly, there is enough in this world trying to make us feel terrible. I'm going to hold on to any and every opportunity to bring a little light to my day. And there is nothing to feel guilty about that.

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Christy Shuler

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