Pop Culture
9 Gifts For The Pop Culture Obsessive In Your Life
None of which is a Cameo (though that’s a good option, too).
It can be hard to find a gift for a pop culture fiend, not because they’re usually extremely opinionated on a range of issues that don’t actually matter at all — though they are that — but because they’ve likely already bought up all of the tchotchkes their kitschy little heart desires. What to give the person who hoards reality TV artifacts and music merch like a bird building a nest?
Fortunately, there are some things that this pop-culture-loving friend or family member likely doesn’t have yet. Whether that’s a Real Housewives-inspired painting, a hat celebrating their beloved podcast, or a shirt referencing one of their favorite movies, there’s a gift on this list that’ll inspire fervent love — the kind of obsessive, passionate affection that only they’re truly capable of. (Parasocial relationship? Never heard of her.)
Below, the best gifts for the pop culture fan in your life.
We only include products that have been independently selected by Bustle’s editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
1
A Mug That’s “Here For You”
Succession freaks will get a kick out of this mug. (Note that you, as the gifter, are not liable if they begin exclusively eating a “Tomelette and Greggs” for breakfast each day, so as to complete the Succession morning experience.) The best part? On the back, it reads “We Here For You,” the slogan that Terminal Tom dreamed up back in Season 2.
2
A Kacey Musgraves-Approved Candle
You don’t have to smell Kacey Musgraves to know that Kacey Musgraves smells good. In fact, it is likely that each bathroom she walks into transforms upon her entrance, its scent profile switching from “damp subway” to “rose garden.” Your friend or family member can replicate that experience with this candle, created by Musgraves in collaboration with the much-loved brand Boy Smells.
3
A Seemingly Endless Supply Of Love Stories
Could you put a price on love? Right now, you can gift the romance fan in your life an Audible subscription.
4
A T-Shirt To Die For
It’s been more than two years since Ari Aster’s Midsommar hit theaters, and the memes haven’t stopped. There’s something about that sun-drenched cult and Florence Pugh’s cursed flower dress that just sticks in your craw. Naturally, when cool-kid designer Online Ceramics teamed up with cool-kid movie distributor A24 to make some cool-kid merch, Midsommar was among the films memorialized.
5
A Kuddle-Worthy Blanket
Kim Kardashian is inescapable. She has savvily wormed her way into every sphere of our culture, continually popping up where you least expect her (SNL?) in her quest for domination. Kim is everywhere; Kim is everything; Kim is the alpha and the omega. Help the special person in your life replicate our day-to-day reality with this blanket, which allows the user to literally be enveloped by a sea of Kims.
6
Socks That’ll Warm Your Heart
For those who prefer to keep their Hayao Miyazaki fandom with them at all times, there’s this My Neighbor Totoro sock set, which comes with enough Studio Ghibli-inspired designs to let your friend rock them all week. Slipping on these bad boys is the next best thing to befriending a Totoro of your own.
7
A Very Bitchy Christmas
Christine Quinn may not always make her co-workers feel merry, but the fan favorite certainly brings joy to Selling Sunset viewers around the world. From her outrageous soirees to her head-to-toe designer outfits, Christine doesn’t come to play. There’s no one a Selling Sunset fan would rather have slap them before leaning in to whisper, “Merry Christmas, B*tch.”
8
A True Work Of Art
Laura Collins has made a name for herself with her paintings of curious, memorable celebrity moments. From her series inspired by Britney Spears’ selfies to her depictions of Real Housewives fights, Collins finds something deliciously haunting in the way the camera captures these figures. Luckily for gift shoppers, they’re emblazoned on prints, T-shirts, mugs, and more from THNK1994 Museum (yes, that stands for Tonya Harding Nancy Kerrigan 1994 Museum — a whole other story).
9
A Hat That Says It All
Many a pop culture devotee is a fan of the Who? Weekly podcast, a show that separates the “Thems” (as in, “Oh, I know them”) from the “Whos” (as in “Who?”). This piece of merch from the Who? Weekly shop commemorates the evergreen sentiment “I don’t know her” — a sentence that luminaries like Wendy Williams, Beyoncé, and Mariah Carey have uttered about some very well-known people.
10
The Food Of The God(dess)
The best gifts, they say, are experiences — and surely, the best experiences exist at the intersection of Mariah Carey and McDonald’s. Treat your friend or family member to a meal from Carey’s special McDonald’s menu, and know that you have given them something they’ll remember for the rest of their life. (Save the packaging as proof, though, just in case they don’t.)
