Let’s Take A Breath And Look Back At Some Of The Year’s Biggest Stories So Far

It’s not quite been the absolute upheaval of everything we knew normal life as that was 2020, but six months in and 2021 has certainly given us plenty of headlines. As we’ve officially passed the half way point, we thought it best to take a moment to reflect on what has already been a pretty hectic year in pop culture and look back at some of the best, worst and wildest that 2021 has provided. Here are you’re biggest pop culture stories of the year so far:

Harry and Meghan

A true old-school, water-cooler type event, Oprah Winfrey’s internationally broadcast interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was such a story that it was essentially its own self-sufficient, headline-pumping juggernaut for about a month straight. Whether you thought they were two heroes sticking it to the oppressive British monarchy, or just two narcissists blowing hot air and trying to make a buck, everyone seemed to have an opinion on the 85-minute special. Of course, the true mark of a modern pop-culture phenomenon is its meme-ability, and the special gave us a real gem in the ‘shocked Oprah’ meme that was plastered all over social media for the following few months. Honestly, even despite all the negative press that was directed the Royal Family’s way, they were probably glad to be making headlines for reasons beyond a certain Prince whose name rhymes with Dandrew…. But anyway, that’s more of a 2020 story.

The Quick Death of ‘They Are Us’

It’s incredibly rare that any kind of pop-culture story has the ability to unite members of the public from every end of the political spectrum behind one opinion, especially in the hyper-polarised climate of 2021. Yet the incredibly short-lived proposed docudrama They Are Us unbelievably pretty much managed to accomplish exactly that. The proposed film, which was set to recount Jacinda Ardern’s ‘response’ to the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, was immediately met with almost universal backlash upon announcement. Conservatives saw it as a further unearned glorification of Ardern in the media, while lefties bristled at the ‘problematic’ framing of Ardern, a white politician, as the centerpiece in a story which overwhelming affected New Zealand’s Muslim communities.

Furthermore, everyone was quick to point out that this tragedy only happened barely over two years ago, can we not let these poor people grieve for a moment before trying to make a buck off of it?! Well, after a quick news cycle of sweeping mockery and condemnation from all sides and a quick drop out from one of the films key producers, it seems the ill-conceived project might be DOA. And with that, we’ve all gone back to yelling at each other about policies we don’t really understand. Oh, how harmonious it was for just a fleeting moment.

#FREE BRITNEY

Who would’ve thought that Britney Spears would still be involved in one of our most prominent stories in the year 2021 (and who would have thought it would be one so dark). It started with a handful of superfans picking up on some strange social media behaviour from the 00’s pop icon, which slowly began to seep its way into the mainstream consciousness. The #freebritney movement illuminated Spears’ conservatorship, which she has been living under involuntarily since 2008. The arrangement sees Spears father, Jamie, act as her legal guardian and grants him full control over her finances.

The movement gained real stream in March following the release of Framing Britney Spears, a Netflix documentary which covered Spears early career, mistreatment she received in the media, her subsequent mental breakdown which led to the formation of the conservatorship, and the circumstances of the situation as it stands today. The documentary launched the story to the forefront of public discourse and it has far from faded away in the following months, with the call to release Britney from her conservatorship being relayed by celebrities, politicians and the general public alike. A recent court ruling, which denied Britney’s latest appeal for release, means that this story is likely far from finished, but that won’t change the fact this has been one of the most strange but significant stories 2021 so far.  

The Great Suez Canal Debacle

Only in 2021 can an absolutely disastrous and impactful incident like this turn into a pop culture obsession. You will surely all remember back in March, when a monstrously large (400 metres long) container ship named Ever Green somehow manage to completely wedge itself between the banks of the Suez Canal while carrying cargo through, preventing hundreds of ships from passing through and stifling over $9 billion worth of trade. It was a situation so totally bizarre and calamitous that it made for textbook internet meme fodder, which we, the social media world, took full advantage of.

From the hilarious tribute website istheshipstillstuck.com to endless classic image memes which turned the ship into an incredibly relatable symbol of failure and struggle for the common people, Ever Green became a global maritime icon the like not seen since Boaty McBoatface was first christened. And ultimately, what’s a few billion dollars worth of losses due to the delays in the long run, anyway? No human casualties, no real harm done, right? After the year we had in 2020, I think we could all do with some laughs, and the Suez Canal blockage delivered in spades.