Popular Culture Icons

The three popular culture icons I chose to present to you in this blog are Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and American Idol.  Steven Tyler is the lead singer of Aerosmith and one of the Judges on American Idol.  Aerosmith is a rock band that has been extremely popular for some thirty years now.  Jennifer Lopez is also a Judge on American Idol, but she is also a very popular singer, actress, and businesswoman.  She has her own perfume line and is a very successful celebrity.  Americal Idol is a television show aimed at finding extremely talented singers for which American's can vote their favorite singer to the top and to a record deal.  The show has been airing for several years now and some very popular musicians have been discovered through this show, such as Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, to name a few. 

I chose these three pop culture icons because I feel as if their longevity in icon status has been tremendous.  There are many popular culture icons that fade from popularity in a short time, but these three icons have withstood the test of time, with American Idol being the youngest at nearly a decade.  Millions of people watch American Idol; I think this is because many people relate to the  young, hopeful artists on the show.  The show gives unknown singers a chance to be heard and discovered.  With the show's popularity and because it is called American Idol, it makes sense that the Judges would also be pop icons.  Steven Tyler's celebrity icon status began with the discovery of his band Aerosmith and has continued to rise for almost thirty years.  I remember listening to Aerosmith when I was a teenager and I still like their music to this day.  His band continues to sell out concerts to young and older crowds of fans.  Aerosmith is probably one of the longest lasting bands in American history.  Jennifer Lopez has also had a long standing career as a very well known celebrity.  She took began her trip to icon status in the mid-90's.  She has sold millions of albums and starred in multiple films, such as The Wedding Planner, Monster-in-Law, and Money Train, which was one the films that began her rise to Pop Icon status. 

I am one of the millions of people that watch American Idol.  I have to say it is one of my favorite shows and I try to never miss it.  My kids love it too and we all try to take the time to sit down and watch it together.  We discuss our favorites and least favorites and have a good time watching the show together.  American Idol is one of the few television shows I watch.  Between work, school, and kids, I rarely watch television, but it is nice that when the season comes around I make sure to take a little break to watch it with my kids.  Over the past few years it has almost become like one of our little traditions.