Has pop culture found its way into your therapy sessions? Here's why I'm asking. Today, I'm reading about Jon Hamm signing on to costar in a Ben Affleck-directed movie, thinking that its storyline of two men — one law (Hamm), one criminal (Affleck) — with the hots for the same woman is the closest I'm ever going to get to my much-desired Tequila Sunrise sequel, when I'm forwarded a Best Week Ever link to photos of Jon Hamm on vacation. (It would be totally creepy if writer Michelle Collins wasn't so funny and apologetic: "Here’s to hoping this isn’t too much of a violation of privacy. It’s just, people need to see these. Because we have so little to live for as Americans. With many thanks, The Non-Blind.") I IM'd the link to a friend, who, after the requisite amount of swooning, said, "My therapist and I actually had about a 5-minute chat about him this a.m."
What?! If I knew you got to talk about TV in therapy, I would have gone years ago. She continued:
"Well, as per usual, we were talking about body image, etc., and she said, 'You watch Mad Men, right?' And I was like, 'Omg, yes! I made myself a Joan avatar!,' because we were talking about Joan as a healthy, sexy woman with curves. And then we were talking about the women on the show, and how well they're written. And then she goes, 'And then, well…HIM.' And I was like, 'My. God. I. Know!' And I told her that you'd interviewed his girlfriend [Jennifer Westfeldt], and she's sweet, so you can't even hate her. And I threw in some added info., that he had been roommates with Paul Rudd and worked at a daycare center, and she was like, 'God. That all sounds so hot.' And I'm like, 'I know!' And then she's like, 'I love Paul Rudd.' And I'm like, 'Oh, me too!' 'Did you see Role Models?' 'Yes! Hilarious!' 'Yes!' I mean, it all came from a serious place, but it was right at the end, a nice way to kinda wrap it up."
Your turn to share. Have you and your therapist talked pop culture?
I’m going to have to echo someone else’s comment from the “Twilight”-Pattinson-cardboard-cutout post the other day: Mandi needs to get laid.
i need to discuss my obsession with Michael Jackson w/ a therapist, but i can’t afford a shrink. i’m still devastated and i never even really considered myself to be a mega-fan, just a regular, loyal fan. i miss him so much.
While I don’t currently see a therapist (being poor and all) but I really should have talked to someone about my reaction to “Baby Mama”. I saw the movie with my friend, we laughed, I enjoyed it – I walked out of the theater and 10 minutes later, almost broke into tears out of fear that I would become like Tina Fey’s character and go years without a good relationship and have to turn to a surrogate to have a child eventually. What if I never meet someone? What if I can’t have children? I know that was NOT the point of the movie and I am not a crazy face, I swear – something just hit a nerve that day and I almost had a panic attack. It was not good.
Thank you for the link-he is spectacular!
Wow, your friend has an extremely cool therapist. The way I love pop culture, if I brought it up in a session my therapist would label me w/some type of obsessive disorder.
:-/
Mandi, for the sake of journalistic integrity, I think you need to get in the trenches of wherever Jon Hamm is vacationing and take some photos yourself. Tell us, your loyal audience, of his beauty from the front lines. No more of this posting a forward of a blog post written by someone else featuring photos another person took.
Sorry…my therapy time is taken up with how badly my parents screwed up my life. I don’t have time to talk pop culture at $350/hr.
I second Jennifer’s suggestion. You talk about how well-written the characters on Mad Men are, but your post is incredibly ridiculous. You wouldn’t even be recognizable to strong women like Joan or Peggy.
i’m a little late to this post, but after reading the negative tone to the comments I just want to add that I always talk to my therapist about pop culture because i want my therapist to know what drives me and makes me happy, i.e. pop culture. and Mandi, I love all your posts and I love having your opinions and idiosyncrasies on my computer screen
I’ve talked about Jon Hamm and Mad Men at therapy, too.