Treat Yo’ Self

If you know me personally, then you know that I have an intense love for all things “trashy.” (Note: please imagine me making air quotes) Still, I don’t get it. Why does it have to be “trashy?” Why can’t I like “trashy” things without it being ironic? Why can’t I genuinely enjoy TV shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians?

I won’t lie – I am definitely a millennial. There’s no question that TV had a huge part in raising me in a household where both my parents worked. But you know what? I am thankful. I am thankful for the influence TV made on me as I grew to become an adult. I can understand anything and everything people are talking about; I am delighted that I can be a walking Encyclopedia Brown for episodes of the Jersey Shore; I am more than proud that I can recite to "Pokérap" word-for-word. But more than anything – I am thankful that TV raised me to have a sense of humility.

That is something that was crucial to me surviving university. It’s cliché, but true. You can’t go through the entirety of university without it, that’s just a recipe for disaster. Much like those microwavable mug cakes – it seems like a good idea, but in the end, all you really end up with is poop that tastes sort of like chocolate… I think that was a metaphor. Why does it matter that you enjoy watching Paris and Nicole's shenanigans on The Simple Life? That doesn’t mean you can’t also enjoy literature written by Judith Butler. Always remember that binaries are just social constructs in the end; just because you like something “questionable” doesn’t make you, yourself, inadequate.

If you take yourself too seriously, you are setting yourself up for disappointment (and even worse, parental disappointment!).  Take some time out to enjoy things you genuinely like, despite what others may think. For me, it’s participating in cheesy, “tasteless,” and nostalgic media, but maybe for you it’s crocheting? Or witchcraft?

What I am trying to say is, that you can be proud of yourself, but you can also have a little humility. Not everything you do has to lead somewhere – you can do something simply because it makes you happy. You are not any less intelligent because you enjoy the finer things in life – and by finer things I mean anything and everything that brightens up your day. Be unapologetic about it; there's nothing wrong with that. Even though people may disagree, in the end, you are your own agent. You made it to the University of Toronto, so, there’s no doubt you’re a smart cookie. Perhaps the sharpest cookie – I mean crayon.

UofT! What's your "guilty" pleasures?!