What is a Guilty Pleasure?
Well, I’m glad you asked…
A Guilty Pleasure is:
- “Keeping a secret collection of ABBA or The Carpenters and listening to their albums when no one else is around.”
- “A Guilty Pleasure is defined as something that would ruin us if our friends knew about it.”
- “Something pleasurable that usually induces a minor feeling of guilt.”
- “Something that you like but don’t want others to know about.”
Everyone has their own guilty pleasures to help them make it through the day, whether it is checking Perezhilton.com constantly to see if Jon and Kate are getting back together (they’re not), or watching Jersey Shore just to know your life is more than a fist pump and lots of gel.
College students in particular have some interesting guilty pleasures, here are a few that I found to be some of the highest rated across college campuses.
10.You Tube: During those long sleepless nights, while searching for some new music (or jamming to Replay,) YouTube has entered most college students lives at some point or another. But among those videos that actually have music, are the ones that probably should not be that funny…ie. example 1 and example 2. On top of the guilt that you obviously feel after laughing at those videos, there is also the guilt that your 8 page paper due tomorrow still haven’t been touched.
9. Twilight (the sparkly vampire and over grown dog book): For most of the female population on campuses across…well the world…they are still waiting for their vampire in a shinny Volvo to come and rescue them from the normalcy of their lives. The reason this is a guilty pleasure– most won’t admit to being in love with Mr. Edward Cullen and instead pretend to hate it, even though they are crawling under their skin wanting to defend why Edward is the best boyfriend ever. Even though we all know Jacob is way hotter.
8. American Idol Auditions: Although this is only a short part in the regular scheduled T.V. part of our lives, it is a very important one. American idol has been on for about eight years now, and although most wines get better with age…with this one maybe the saying isn’t so true, except for the auditions. Yes, we all sit there for the first 3-4 weeks watching all the horrible hopefuls be shot down. The guilt that comes from this is more from the fact that you are laughing at these hopefuls while they are singing their hearts out, remember that next time.
7. ABC family original TV series or movies: You know you watch the Secret Life of The American Teenager, but refuse to admit it or mention last Monday’s amazing episode (when Ricky and Amy made out!) that is until it is brought up by someone else, so you know it’s safe. And you know you watch the bring it on all weekend long a-thon every time it’s on. Total guilty pleasure.
6. Sweatpants: In college it is a students right to wear sweat pants to every class in order to achieve that just out of bed look. But the problem guilt starts hitting you when you realize you haven’t washed said pants in a week and have worn them for four days straight. But no one else needs to know that your comfy sweat pants are also your dirtiest…that’s just our little secret.
5. 80’s/ 90’s bubble gum pop music: Don’t tell me you have never rocked out to “love is a battlefield”, or any thing circa Paula Abdul (80’s)…we’ve all been there. But it’s just not the music genre that comes up when we meet new friends or are listing our favorite musicians on Facebook. Don’t feel like you need to hide your old Brittney Spears song in a private play list on your iPod, everyone else has her music on their computers too.
4. “Creeping” on Facebook: Also known as stalking in the real world. This usually occurs when there is some sort of homework you have due in about 7 plus hours and can’t seem to focus. So you start to click away on friends of friends profiles going through their pictures, and after an hour of that you realize you are on your cousins best friend’s sister’s roommate’s page and just learned that she get’s a little crazy after 7 jello shots. Then instead of clicking out of the page you see what her boyfriend looks like.
3. Trashy Reality T.V: These are shows like the bachelor, Real World (clearly), biggest loser, american idol,rock of love, rock of love 2 …well basically any VH1 show. Anyway, Trashy reality t.v. is the perfect way for any college student to unwind. It not only takes you away from your current situation but allows you to see how other people your age live, and why you should be happy that your life is nothing like theirs.
2. Sleeping until noon: In college one of the greatest guilty pleasures of all students is the ability to sleep in late. Because of the flexibility within one’s schedule it is possible to start classes at 1:30pm…which ensures a later wake up time. It doesn’t help that most college aged students are staying up late (working on essay’s, and math home work of course,) making it likely they won’t be able to fully speak until, at the earliest, noon.
1. Ice Coffee: At least at BSC, ice coffee is a total guilty pleasure. Even though you only have 20 dollars on your flex card (which is to buy that book for that one class) you know it’s going toward your weekly coffee intake. Whether that be Marylous or Dunkin, you know by that first class it will be in your hand.
One of the common factors that makes most, if not all, of these a guilty pleasure for college students is the hours not spent on the home work that will now take us until 3am to finish. And the obvious money spending factor.
[insert gossip girl voice] so, what’s your guilty pleasure?
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