Let me start with a confession.
I like things I’m not supposed to like.
Not illegal things. Relax. I’m not running a black-market ring of stolen office snacks (anymore). I mean the kind of things that make people tilt their head, squint slightly, and say, “Really?”
Yes. Really.
I like trash TV. I like dumb comedies. I like songs that critics describe as “uninspired,” which is just a polite way of saying “how dare you enjoy this without a dissertation attached.” I’ve eaten food that nutritionists would describe as “an aggressive act of self-sabotage.” I’ve rewatched the same comfort show so many times that the characters feel like coworkers I tolerate but don’t fully respect.
And every time I admit any of this, there’s always someone—always—who responds like I just revealed I clap when the plane lands.
“Oh… you like that?”
Yes. I like that. I also like breathing. Would you like to critique that too?
The Myth of “Guilty”
Let’s address the word “guilty” first, because it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
Guilty implies wrongdoing. It suggests that somewhere, somehow, a moral law has been violated. That enjoying a reality dating show or a greasy slice of pizza is somehow on par with tax fraud or mild arson.
Who decided this?
When did we collectively agree that pleasure requires justification?
There’s this unspoken hierarchy of enjoyment:
- If it’s intellectual, it’s valid
- If it’s obscure, it’s respectable
- If it’s difficult, it’s admirable
- If it’s popular, it’s suspicious
- If it’s fun, it’s probably trash
And if it’s trash?
Well, then you’d better enjoy it quietly, like you’re sneaking cookies at 2 a.m. hoping no one hears the wrapper.
I’m here to say: I’m done whispering.
The Performance of Taste
Somewhere along the way, taste stopped being personal and became performative.
People don’t just like things anymore—they curate them. They present their preferences like a résumé.
“Oh, I only watch foreign films with subtitles and emotional devastation.”
Cool. I also enjoy emotional devastation. It’s called checking my bank account.
There’s this pressure to consume content that signals something about you:
- Intelligence
- Depth
- Sophistication
- Cultural awareness
Which is fine—until it turns into a full-time job.
Now you’re not just watching a movie. You’re proving you’re the kind of person who watches that kind of movie.
And suddenly, liking something simple feels like a reputational risk.
God forbid you say, “I just thought it was funny.”
Let Me Enjoy My Dumb Things in Peace
I don’t need every piece of content I consume to:
- Challenge my worldview
- Expand my consciousness
- Rewire my understanding of existence
Sometimes I just want to watch something where:
- The plot makes zero sense
- The dialogue is questionable
- The ending is predictable
And you know what? That’s okay.
Because not everything needs to be meaningful.
Some things are just… enjoyable.
And enjoyment, despite what the internet might tell you, is not a character flaw.
The Hypocrisy Is Loud
Here’s my favorite part of all this.
The same people who publicly reject “lowbrow” entertainment are privately consuming it like it’s oxygen.
They’ll post about:
- Art-house cinema
- Literary fiction
- Thought-provoking documentaries
And then, at 11:47 PM, they’re three episodes deep into something they would absolutely never admit to watching.
We all do it.
Because deep down, we don’t actually want to be challenged all the time.
We want to relax. We want to laugh. We want to turn our brain off and let something wash over us that doesn’t require analysis.
But instead of admitting that, we pretend we’re above it.
We’re not.
We’re just better at hiding it.
Joy Should Not Require a Defense Attorney
Here’s what bothers me most.
The idea that you need to defend what makes you happy.
That you need to explain it. Justify it. Contextualize it.
“Okay, yes, I watch this show, but ironically.”
Oh, so now we’ve invented ironic enjoyment as a loophole?
You don’t actually like it—you like it as a joke.
Congratulations. You’ve managed to enjoy something while still maintaining your intellectual superiority.
That must be exhausting.
What if—stay with me—you just liked it?
No irony. No disclaimers. No footnotes.
Just:
“I enjoy this.”
Full stop.
The Productivity Brain Rot
I blame productivity culture for some of this.
We’ve been trained to see everything through the lens of:
- Optimization
- Efficiency
- Self-improvement
So even our leisure time has to justify itself.
If you’re reading, it should be educational.
If you’re watching something, it should be enriching.
If you’re listening to a podcast, it should make you better.
Better at what? Existing?
Sometimes I don’t want to be better.
Sometimes I want to be entertained.
And not in a “this will improve your cognitive flexibility” kind of way.
In a “this is dumb and I like it” kind of way.
The Comfort Factor Nobody Talks About
Guilty pleasures aren’t just random.
They’re comforting.
They’re familiar. Predictable. Safe.
In a world where everything is:
- Fast
- Uncertain
- Constantly changing
There’s something deeply reassuring about knowing exactly what you’re going to get.
That show you’ve seen ten times?
It’s not about the plot anymore.
It’s about:
- The rhythm
- The familiarity
- The emotional autopilot
It’s like mental mac and cheese.
Is it sophisticated? No.
Does it need to be? Also no.
Let’s Talk About Food (Because We Should)
Food is where the judgment gets especially weird.
People will:
- Shame processed food
- Worship “clean eating”
- Talk about ingredients like they’re evaluating a lab experiment
And then act like enjoying a burger is a moral failure.
It’s not.
It’s a burger.
You’re not betraying your ancestors by eating fries.
You’re just eating fries.
Not everything you consume needs to be:
- Organic
- Sustainable
- Nutritionally optimized
Sometimes it just needs to taste good.
And if that offends someone, I regret nothing.
The Internet Made This Worse
Of course it did.
The internet took private enjoyment and turned it into public performance.
Now everything you like can be:
- Judged
- Ranked
- Critiqued
- Turned into a personality assessment
You’re not just watching a show—you’re signaling something about yourself.
And people are very eager to interpret that signal.
“Oh, you like that? That says a lot about you.”
Does it?
Or does it say I had 45 minutes and wanted to not think too hard?
The Fear of Being Basic
Let’s address the elephant in the room.
Nobody wants to be “basic.”
It’s the ultimate insult.
Not wrong. Not immoral. Not harmful.
Just… basic.
Which is fascinating, because it reveals what we’re actually afraid of:
Not being unique.
Not standing out.
Not being interesting enough.
So we reject anything that might associate us with the masses.
Even if we genuinely enjoy it.
Because heaven forbid we like something other people like.
That would be terrible.
I Am Basic. And I Am Free.
Here’s the thing.
I like popular stuff.
I like things that millions of other people like.
And instead of seeing that as a failure of individuality, I see it as proof that something works.
If something resonates with that many people, maybe—just maybe—it’s doing something right.
Not everything needs to be obscure to be valuable.
And not everything popular is mindless.
But even if it is?
So what.
The Emotional Honesty Test
Guilty pleasures reveal something important.
What you actually enjoy when no one is watching.
Not what you think you should like.
Not what you’ve been told is good.
But what genuinely makes you:
- Laugh
- Relax
- Feel better
And that’s worth paying attention to.
Because it cuts through all the noise.
All the expectations. All the posturing. All the performance.
It’s just you and your preferences.
Unfiltered.
The Moment I Stopped Caring
There was a moment—I don’t even remember exactly when—when I just stopped apologizing.
Someone asked what I’d been watching.
And for once, I didn’t hedge.
I didn’t say:
- “It’s kind of dumb, but…”
- “Don’t judge me…”
- “I know it’s not great, but…”
I just said:
“I like it.”
And waited.
You know what happened?
Nothing.
No lightning strike. No social exile. No dramatic consequences.
Just a normal conversation.
It turns out most people don’t actually care as much as we think they do.
We’re the ones doing the judging.
So Let Me Be Clear
I’m not saying everything is above criticism.
Some things are objectively bad.
Poorly made. Lazy. Problematic.
But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to enjoy them.
Enjoyment is not endorsement.
Liking something doesn’t mean you think it’s perfect.
It just means it works for you.
And that’s enough.
Final Verdict: Not Guilty
So here’s my official stance.
Your guilty pleasures?
They’re not guilty.
They’re just pleasures.
And if something:
- Makes you laugh
- Helps you unwind
- Gives you a break from everything else
Then it’s doing its job.
You don’t owe anyone an explanation.
You don’t need to justify it.
You don’t need to reframe it as irony or intellectual curiosity.
You can just… like it.
One Last Thing
If anyone tries to make you feel bad about what you enjoy, just remember:
They probably have their own guilty pleasures.
They’re just better at pretending they don’t.
And honestly?
That sounds way more exhausting than just admitting you like what you like.
I’ll take honesty over performance any day.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have something deeply unserious to watch.
And I’m not even a little sorry about it.