Everytime I go to the grocery store I do a quick scan of magazine covers while I’m waiting in the checkout line. No matter what day, week, or month I’m there, at least one of the covers has headline about or cover photo of a Kardashian (apparently this week’s talk is that Kim had a freak out and Kylie is “goals” for showing underboob). A lot of my friends and family follow this famous family, but I have never been interested in their fame. Reason?
The Kardashians, like many other celebrities that saturate grocery store checkout lines, permeate popular culture without a purpose. It has become all too common for people to go to the extreme in order to satisfy their craving for fame and fortune; celebrity status is now the ultimate goal for many Americans, and our societal standards for fame have shifted from impactful poetry and incredible athletic ability to sex tapes and being “the crazy one” on The Bachelor. Desperation for fame and fortune is by no means a new sentiment, but it has reached unprecedented heights.
In the fall of 2014, an artist under the pen name Titanic Sinclair created a satirical media project to attack America’s obsession with materialism, celebrity, and money. The project is a series of YouTube videos featuring a mysterious character known as ‘That Poppy.’ On the surface, That Poppy videos are eerie, strange, and nonsensical; the videos’ color palette and unique subject content combined with robotic nature of the character have cultivated a variety of theories, ranging everywhere from devil worship to bubblegum popstar to illuminati membership. While none of these theories have been officially disproved, a closer look into That Poppy reveals satirical messages about the health of our society and the consequences of its priorities.
A video titled ‘The Difference Between iPhone 5 and iPhone 6,’ for example, satirizes America’s materialistic obsession with owning all the newest models and latest trends. In the video (linked above), That Poppy tells viewers the differences between the old and new versions of the iPhone. While the two models did indeed vary slightly in things like screen size and 3D touch capabilities, no basic functions changed significantly from one model to the next yet the price increased dramatically. Despite this fact, Americans all over the country were anxious to upgrade to the new model when it came out, and That Poppy illustrates the ridiculousness of that fact using a satirical frame. Another video, titled ‘I Love My Fans,’ features Poppy talking about and thanking her fans in a very repetitive, robotic, and emphatic way. While the video would not seem all that odd if not for Poppy’s voice and mannerisms, the message is clear: if it wasn’t for a fan base, many celebrities would not be famous. Not only that, but the video also attacks the way celebrities are constantly working to make their fans feel loved and appreciated in order to maintain their support and, consequently, their status.
Although Titanic Sinclair is not the first–and certainly not the last–artist to address unhealthy levels of celebrity and consumerism, That Poppy has done a brilliant job addressing the issues in a creative and captivating way. Art is a powerful tool for activism because it is so embedded into popular culture and has become easily accessible thanks to the internet. While That Poppy might not be everyone’s idea of a powerful social commentary, I applaud the project and other artists like Titanic Sinclair for using their talent and passion for art to spark conversation and open doors for change.