Stop eating Lady Gaga's Oreos
Celebrity-branded products like “Lady Gaga Oreos” prompt a broader look at how art, fame, and commerce have collapsed into each other. Commenters contrast today’s near-total acceptance of brand tie-ins with the 1980s–90s ethos that stigmatized “selling out,” arguing that the rise of influencers, streaming economics, and social media has made monetization feel ubiquitous and often necessary. Some see this as the erosion of counterculture and authentic critique, while others note that celebrity endorsements and commercial art have always existed and that the real change is in visibility, scale, and how little backlash remains.
Scope of “Selling Out” and 90s Culture
- Many see the 90s as peak “anti-corporate / anti-commercial” ethos in mainstream rock and indie (grunge, punk, riot grrrl, zine culture, No Logo, etc.).
- Others argue selling out was never universally stigmatized: pop acts and athletes were always deeply commercial, and even then only certain subcultures cared.
- Some say the unique thing about Nirvana/Pearl Jam wasn’t anti-corporatism itself, but being both countercultural and massively mainstream at once.
- There’s debate whether that ethos was ever “mainstream” vs just a loud subculture amplified by 90s media.
Celebrity Endorsements: Then vs Now
- Many note celebrity/product tie-ins have existed for decades (and even centuries) across music, TV, sports, and art patronage.
- What feels new:
- cultural critics have lost gatekeeping power;
- endorsements are more ubiquitous and lower-stakes (micro-influencers doing $500 posts);
- for musicians, ads/merch/brand collabs are now primary income as record sales collapsed.
- Some argue the line of what counts as “selling out” has shifted: benign collabs (cookies, cosmetics) barely register; people reserve outrage for morally dubious partners (defense, gambling, crypto, etc.).
Counterculture and Youth Today
- Several commenters doubt that anti-consumerist subcultures have disappeared; they may just be smaller or less visible (e.g., anti-big-tech/AI, open source, socialist/“eat the rich” sentiments).
- Others feel there’s “almost no” counterculture that treats omnipresent collabs as suspect, and that celebrity worship is deeply entrenched.
- There’s discussion of parasocial dynamics and the idea that people now see themselves as “temporarily unknown celebrities,” shaping behavior on social media.
Art vs Advertisement
- Some strongly object to art functioning as a node in a personal business empire, seeing it as hollowing out the artistic “soul.”
- Others say it’s always been this way (from Michelangelo’s patrons onward), and that artists can mix “pure” work and commercial projects without invalidating either.
- A recurring concern: when everything can be monetized, all behavior starts to look like profit-seeking, eroding trust in supposedly genuine expression.
Oreos, Taste, and Health
- Multiple commenters say the various celebrity Oreos (especially certain flavors) were genuinely tasty and fun; a few are now curious precisely because of the critique.
- Some complain about recipe changes, higher prices, and excessive sugar; others note Oreos’ niche as an accidentally-good vegan cookie.