It's not just the quality that makes someone or something known. "People, brands, and styles become popular because the right people have adopted it — rich people, celebrities, opinion leaders ... and we copy them in the eternal human quest to be fashionable and admired," said Douglas Holt, professor of marketing at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and previously a professor at the Harvard Business School.
According to him, cultural icons emerge because they express a particular ideology that society demands at that moment. However, not everyone might understand or agree with the messages that these beacons are sending. So when Reddit user The_Real_Garfield_ posted a question on the platform, asking others to share their favorite examples of the phrase "just because it's popular doesn't mean it's good," many obliged.
#1
Fashion brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci. Well done, you're paying an extortionate amount of money for something you can get for half the price without the name at exactly the same quality. And half the time, the clothes/bags look ridiculous and ugly anyway! Why would you pay 3 grand for a bag you can't even get a fart into just because the label is "high end designer"?
170points
#2
Headlights so bright that the owner is the only one on the road who can see anything.
169points
#3
Religion. Scamming vulnerable people for centuries. Causing wars, women to be oppressed, bigging up the patriarchy. Putting the fear in people who are just trying to go about doing the best they can. Enforcing eternal sin and therefore causing people to feel guilty for things they haven't even done or that are natural things to do. Making people feel that they are bad or evil just because they are who they are. Using the cover of godliness to do unspeakable nasty things to innocent children. Stripping cultures of their individuality and enforcing the bland beliefs of mass religion onto them.
160points
#4
Being horrible to people for no other reason than to make you feel better about yourself. At the end of the day you’ll just end up with less people liking you.
140points
#5
The whole uprise of “pranks”. I love a good harmless prank that’s fun for everyone involved, but a majority of what you see trending is just harassment.
135points
#6
Cable TV. They should be paying us to watch commercials not us pay them.
120points
#7
The answer is 100% TikTok, I don’t get the appeal for it, from what limited I’ve seen of it it seems like a bunch of s**te.
119points
#9
Hate for Taylor Swift. It’s super trendy to hate on her. But the gal goes up on stage and actually sings and actually plays. That’s already not common in pop music. She writes her own songs; also not common. She has single-handedly gotten girls that cared nothing about football into football. She also single-handedly got young people to register to vote in America. She’s changed the world for the better. I get that people may not like her music, that’s fine. But there are people that straight up hate her simply because it’s trendy. And that’s ignorant.
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107points
#10
Tik Tok influencers convincing gullible viewers to spend money on things they don't need like the trend of selling kids adult skin care.
103points
#11
Sequels, prequels, reboots, reimaginings etc. Just stop. .
96points
#12
Those damn Stanley cups. I got my wife one when they first became popular and our generic ones keep ice FAR longer.
89points
#13
Twilight book series. Had to tell so many people who tried to get me into those, just because it’s on the bestseller’s list doesn’t mean it’s good.
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84points
#14
Beats headphones. Supreme clothing. Both marketing machines. Subpar products.
78points
#15
Drinking bottled water. For most of us, tap water is fine but we often opt to pay for water in plastic bottles instead. So many plastic bottles.
77points
#16
An example of a phrase would be fast fashion. It's fashionable and affordable, but often comes with ethical and environmental concerns.
74points
#17
Never understood Twitter, the threads and replies are odd to follow. It should just uncollapse like Reddit. Never understood why people love it so much.
65points
#18
Those Monster energy drinks. So overpriced and taste like pineapple flavoured cough syrup. Absolutely repulsive, I say. The worst thing I've ever bought.
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60points
#19
SMEG. It's a kitchen appliance brand known for their cute mid-century aesthetic that's super overpriced for their functionality and quality. I silently cringe to myself when people bring them up or I see them in the wild. Even the brand name sounds gross. Did nobody ever make the connection to 'smegma' before they decided on a name?
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54points
