Beyond Taste: What Counts as Cultured Today? Remember when people defined being cultured as reading Murakami over a lukewarm espresso in a quiet bookstore café?
That version of culture wore wire-rimmed glasses, spoke softly, and rarely danced. Today’s culture? It struts, sells out stadiums, live-streams, and a standing ovation.
So… what does count as cultured now?
Met Gala 2025: Tailored for Who?
This year’s Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,“ didn’t just celebrate fashion. It paid tribute to Black dandyism—a historically political, unapologetically aesthetic movement. With co-chairs like A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, and Colman Domingo, the message was clear: culture is no longer handed down—it’s tailored to fit, stitched with intention.
At the same time, while the world celebrates Black style on the runway, real Black bodies continue to face policing and exclusion. This sharp contrast raises the question: when gatekeepers curate culture, who do they honor, and who do they exploit?
Cannes 2025: Art House or PR House?
Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme and Ari Aster’s Eddington headline this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s a cinephile’s dream. In truth, Cannes today isn’t just about cinema, it’s also a branded ecosystem, where films share the spotlight with sponsorships and media deals.
Red carpets are no longer reserved for auteurs. They have become influencer pipelines, luxury label showcases, and soft-power stages. Sure, art remains. However, sponsorships and social metrics now walk hand-in-hand with prestige, reshaping what it means and who gets it.
People once saw culture as knowing the difference between Fellini and Fassbinder. Now, by contrast, it might just mean knowing how to get into the afterparty.
Taylor Swift’s Tour: The New Louvre?
$1.04 billion in North America. $2.2 billion worldwide.
That’s what Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour earned, making it the highest-grossing tour ever. To put it in perspective, more people attended her concerts than will visit the Vatican Museums over the next decade.
Whether you’re a Swiftie or a skeptic, one thing is clear: the canon is no longer curated by ivory towers. It’s global, interactive, and wrapped in sequins.
This is culture, undeniably. Even so, is it cultured? That depends on who’s asking.
Meanwhile, Diddy Stands Trial
As fashion and film dazzled on global stages, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs entered a New York courtroom. Jury selection began for his federal racketeering and sex-trafficking case.
At the same time, the world celebrated Black excellence at the Met Gala, even as this trial revealed darker realities. This juxtaposition highlights how quickly admiration can shift to accusation—and how fragile the line between icon and indictment truly is.
This isn’t just about one man. More broadly, it shows what happens when culture’s most powerful figures must confront the very systems they built.
Who gets held accountable? Who disappears?
What Is Culture?
Culture isn’t just art or music. It’s shared meaning. It’s what we remember, repeat, remix, and reward.
However, being cultured is something else. Culture is performance, culture is positioning, and culture is who gets to explain the meaning while everyone else gets quoted.
It used to be about taste. Now, it’s about the take.
Which leads to the following question: Do we get to define culture?
Yes and no.
Culture has never been neutral. It’s always been shaped by who holds the mic, the money, or the museum keys. Let’s be honest, you can admire art and still question why only a select few get to be canonized while others remain overlooked.
Even royalty is evolving. To mark her 18th birthday, Princess Isabella of Denmark released an official portrait wearing a tiara and the Order of the Elephant, while holding her smartphone. In one shot, the phone isn’t a prop. It’s part of the moment. No fanfare, no irony. Just a Gen Z royal acknowledging that modern life lives through the screen.
Tradition didn’t vanish—it made room.
As a result, defining culture today isn’t just about appreciating meaning. It’s about interrogating who benefits.
Culture is what survives. Cultured is who gets the credit.
Further Reading: Who Gets to Define Culture?
If you want to go deeper, here are five thinkers who shaped the way we understand cultural power:
- Pierre Bourdieu – Distinction (1979): Culture is class performance. Taste is a tool of exclusion. Read more
- bell hooks – Eating the Other (1992): Desire, race, and how the mainstream commodifies the marginalized. Read more
- Stuart Hall – Cultural Identity and Diaspora (1990): Identity is fluid, historical, and political. Read here
- Tressie McMillan Cottom–Thick (2019): Smartness, legitimacy, and the politics of being taken seriously. Book Summary
- Jia Tolentino – Trick Mirror (2019): How online culture turned everything into performance. Excerpt
Keep Thinking (and Laughing) About Culture:
If you liked this piece, you’ll probably love:
Why people side-eye empathy while handing brand deals to chaos.
Blake Lively, PR feminism, and why some faces are everywhere, without saying much at all.
Keep Going Anyway: The Messy Middle of Inclusion
Inclusion isn’t always inspiring. Sometimes it’s awkward, exhausting, and still worth it.
For the moments you can’t unsee. Especially when they’re yours.
