Juarez Autoethnography

Running Head: Impacts of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts
The Impact of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

Hilda D. Juarez
University of Texas at El Paso
Abstract

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This autoethnography will analyze three artifacts related to pop culture and how they
have influenced my life in different ways. I will later on explain in detail what these artifacts
consist on, why they became important in my life and how are they related to pop culture. The
previously mentioned artifacts are my Vince Camuto booties, my iPhone and the movie
Birdman by Alejandro Gonzalez Iarritu. Despite they have nothing in common; each has
affected my life in a different way and play a role on what pop culture means to me. Though pop
culture includes many types of artifacts, in my opinion fashion, filmography, music and new
technologies are amongst the most influential or present. The mentioned before are the ones that
have affected me the most at least and I believe many people from my generation as well. The
positive aspects in which they have affected my life will be analyzed and through research,
evidence will be provided that these artifacts belong to pop culture and are influential to our
generation as well.
The artifacts and its impacts

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Films, tv series, music, technology and fashion nowadays are part of pop culture. They express
the struggles, joys, emotions, and thoughts of this generation. I had never given much thought of how
objects like a pair of booties, a cellphone and a film have largely affected or become a great part of my
daily life, but they have in more than one way affected my perceptions of some things.
My black Vince Camuto booties are without a doubt my favorite part of a winter outfit. Since I
was in high school I have liked black, since in my opinion is the easiest color to combine and goes well
with everything else. It goes well with almost every occasion and will always be on style. Vince Camuto
is in my opinion one of the best brands for shoes out there and probably makes some of the best boot
styles. I have been a fan since I was in high school because of the quality and originality of their designs.
Sadly the creator of this amazing brand passed away a few days ago, on January 21 st , 2015 from prostate
cancer. Though his legacy will remain. A legend in the footwear industry, Vince Camuto is remembered
first and foremost for his passion: passion for product, passion for people, passion for life. (Camuto
Group, 2015). My black laced boots of the formerly mentioned brand have impacted my life in a way that
they represent the style I identify myself with. While high boots look great and keep you warm, booties
are always comfortable and go well with almost any outfit. Ironically my friends wear almost the same
type of booties, but of different brand and I guess it has become a statement by us. Since we wear them
almost always. And though they strike some people as too tough looking I think they are cool and in a
way represent how I am as a person. Meaning I am not scared to wear what I like.
The second artifact to be analyzed is the iPhone. Amazingly, this piece of technology is one of the
greatest parts of my daily life. I remember when the first iPhone was launched on 2007 and it was the
sensation throughout the world. It came to innovate the cellphone industry and positioned itself as the
most sold cellphone that year. It has been a long way for Apple since the first of the artifacts was created.
In seven years, more than 6 models have been launched and become as large a success as the first one.
For me this artifacts has become the means of communication with my friends, family, teachers and the

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world. Through it I am able to be up to date with what is happening on the world, the news of everyday,
the weather, what my friends have been up to, the applications that are on trending, etc. But I guess the
greatest feature for me on this device, is the music. Being able to carry my music anywhere I go and
listening to it whenever I like is perhaps the greatest part of the iPhone. Though I do not own the latest
version of these devices, I am able to perform almost the same things with the 5 th version.
The last artifact to be analyzed is the film Birdman by Alejandro Gonzalez Iarritu, released
widely on November 14, 2014 by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Nominated as one the best films of 2014,
seven Golden Globes and nine Academy Awards, it has become a sensation on pop culture. The structure
of the story, the acting and development of characters, and the soundtrack are among the things the made
this film the huge success it is. This is a strange and beautiful and unique film, one of the best movies of
the year. (Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times, 2015). At the age of 17-19, Iarritu was already making
his way through Europe and Africa working and traveling, making him the creative and original person he
is today. He is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Best Director Academy Award and other
recognized awards. After several movies and recognitions throughout the world, he came up with this, his
fourth largely successful film. The plot surrounds a man around his 40s, going through a crisis with his
career and ego on the last days leading to the opening of his play in Broadway. It has affected me in a way
that I am able to see things from the perspective of a person that lives in one of the biggest cities in the
world and is surrounded by different cultures, the latest trends and the pressing competitivity of the
theatre industry. It also makes me reflect upon what is really important in life, and how drugs and other
not so normal behaviors are accepted by society and no longer seen abnormal or wrong. It is indeed one
of my favorite films.
In conclusion, pop culture has affected almost every aspect of our life nowadays. In a world so
full with information and communication, artifacts as the ones I talked through before are more than just
objects meant for entertainment or to wear. They have taken a deeper meaning in every persons life by
influencing their behavior and opinion of his/her surroundings. Though every person has different

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artifacts influencing their life, these are the ones I chose because of their presence in mine. Pop culture
and its artifacts are, without a doubt, all around us even though we dont notice it at a first glance.
References
In Loving Memory of Vince Camuto. Camuto Group. Retrieved February 8, 2015 from:
http://www.camutogroup.com/ceo
And then Steve said, Let there be an iPhone. The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2015 from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/magazine/and-then-steve-said-let-there-be-an-iphone.html?
pagewanted=all&_r=0
Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu. IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2015 from:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0327944/

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Birdman tops Golden Globe Field With 7 Nominations. Voice of America. Retrieved February 19,
2015 from: http://www.voanews.com/content/birdman-tops-golden-globes-sevennominations/2555569.html

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Running Head: Impacts of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

The Impact of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

Running Head: Impacts of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

The artifacts and its impacts

Running Head: Impacts of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

Running Head: Impacts of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

Running Head: Impacts of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

Running Head: Impacts of Specific Pop Culture Artifacts

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