Guilty Pleasures

The occasional whispers, the hushed confessions, the apologetic looks...you are talking about your Guilty Pleasures. American Idol, Dance Moms, The Real Housewives, Janet Evanovich, The Proposal, Hanson. Whatever it is, I know that you like something that you don't want to admit to people in normal conversation. But here is the thing...I don't believe in Guilty Pleasures.

This is not to say that I don't like Guilty Pleasure tv shows, movies, books, and music. In fact, I like almost exclusively Guilty Pleasure things. But I don't know why I should feel guilty about them. My grandma watches a lot of PBS shows, reads a ton of great books, used to be a teacher, does puzzles and crosswords. Over Christmas she admitted that she loves the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. It was her dirty little secret. I find that to be about the funniest thing I've ever heard. Mostly because once I started reading those books I became obsessed and talked about them non-stop to other people who have read them. Also, they are really quite tame compared to the books that I normally read.

It really seems a societal thing. Feeling bad about enjoying something fun rather than something important. I think the Oscars really exemplify that. I did not see any of the Oscar nominated movies this year. There were a couple that I thought looked good, but when it comes right down to it, if I am going to spend my money on a movie, I'm going to choose Fright Night over The Help and Thor over War Horse. Now, this isn't to say that things that are "good" shouldn't be consumed. I actually really enjoy watching pretentious films and reading the occasional piece of good fiction. And if that is what you enjoy, go forth and consume. But if your tastes swing more to Dance Moms than The Good Wife, don't feel bad about it. Embrace your personal tastes and don't apologize for enjoying sometime.

My favorite "Guilty Pleasures" that I freely admit to:

TV Shows: Dance Moms, Say Yes To The Dress, MTVs The Challenge, Survivor, Toddlers & Tiaras, Hawaii Five-0, Legend of the Seeker

Movies: One For The Money, Thor, Bring It On (1 & 3), Leap Year, 27 Dresses, Troy, 300

Books: Janet Evanovich, Lisa Kleypas (trashy romance novels), Karen Marie Moning (trashier romance novels), Joanne Fluke

Music: Hanson (I've seen them in concert three times since college and each time was better than the last. What!), Music from Glee, Justin Bieber (he has fun songs)

Share your Guilty Pleasures. Feel guilty no more!