Sunday, October 19, 2008

Assignment 3-2

An icon can be loosely defined a symbol. These symbols can take the form of objects, images, or even important people. In terms of popular culture there are countless icons that come to mind, mainly famous people. The first three icons I thought of were Marilyn Monroe, Elmo, and the McDonald's golden arches logo. These are examples of popular culture icons because they are not only famous but household names - thus they are excellent representations of American popular culture.

Marilyn Monroe was an extremely famous - and extremely controversial - model and actress of the 1950's. She is known for her platinum blonde hair, pouty lips, and curvy figure - a look young women still try to emulate today. Her sexy looks and publicized love life have led to her being named one of the most influential sex symbols ever. Though she died of a drug overdose in 1962 her fame lives on. Pictures of Marilyn can still be seen all over the place today, including the famous portrait by Andy Warhol above.


The red furry monster known as Elmo is pracitally an obsession for today's toddlers! He is a "muppet" on the famous children's television show, Sesame Street and another great example of a popular culture icon. The show has aired for over twenty years. Elmo's character has become increasingly famous in the past decade with a special segment dedicated to toddlers and several children's movies where he featured as the lead role. Elmo's great fame can also be credited to the many Elmo toys on the market, especially the infamous "Tickle Me Elmo" doll.


When you're on a road trip and hunger strikes you may find yourself scanning the landscape for the next popular culture icon I thought of - the McDonald's golden arches. Fast food is a huge part of today's popular culture and McDonald's is probably the most popular fast food chain. The golden arches don't just symbolize cheeseburgers, though. The logo is seen by many as an icon of capitalism and globalization, too.

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