Ever heard of a 'Thirst Aid Kit'? You might think it's a term coined by an emergency responder, but think again. The Thirst Aid Kit is a podcast that lit up the airwaves, voiced by Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins. The show tackled fascinating topics wrapped around the allure and desire one feels for celebrities and public figures. Born in the bustling city of New York (where else?), this podcast launched in 2017. That's about the time Taylor Swift went from singing about breaking up to breaking records. The big question here is why and what was it doing in the trendy pop culture landscape?
Let’s talk podcasts. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re everyone’s favorite media darling these days. But here comes Thirst Aid Kit, strutting in with that unabashed focus on exploring 'thirst’. We aren't talking dehydration here but a deep dive into the celebrity crush culture. That’s right, a place where grown adults confess their love for people in A-list circles. It's like maintaining a secret shrine for that one iconic movie star. Is it fan culture? Devotion? Or just a smartly disguised way of objectifying influencers, all wrapped up in giggles and banter?
The Thirst Aid Kit didn’t just stop at admiration. Oh no, they offered ‘thirst sommelier’ services. Imagine that - getting advice on which celebrity obsession would pair best with your personality. As if choosing a favorite wine. A touch of humor, sure, but it borders on the bizarre. This mix of pop culture analysis, personal yearning, and humorous flair made for a cocktail aimed directly at millennials and gen z'ers engrossed in their smartphones.
Let’s not forget its soundscape. Thirst Aid Kit brought in music, sound bites, and other audio treats to spice up its episodes. This audio-layering, though creative, could also be seen as a distraction technique since talking about something as redundant as a celebrity crush doesn’t inherently keep listeners on the edge of their seats. But here we were in the digital age, an era where anything can become content if it's packaged right.
For those of us on the right side of the political center, there’s something to be said about the ‘idolization’ highlighted in these episodes. With references to historical heartthrobs alongside today's favorites like Michael B. Jordan, one must wonder if this is bonafide entertainment or subtle indoctrination. Are we encouraging generations to focus their intellectual hunger on superficiality? Could this serve as a metaphor for what’s wrong with the mainstream media? The podcast dabbles in brushes of prominence but more often than not, it succumbs to the allure of who’s wearing what.
Yet, popularity deemed it a success. So much so, that Thirst Aid Kit’s production continued until 2020, when they chose to hang up their microphones. Now that's a bit poetic, a podcast centered on thirst running out of steam. In the whirlwind of pop culture shows, hosting outlets like Buzzfeed can make anything seem gold-laden to a captivated youth. The same folks buying avocado toast instead of saving for a house, those enthralled by stories of Elvis’s hips or MJ’s moonwalk.
Realism rarely plays a role in today’s day and age of podcasts, and Thirst Aid Kit is no different. Conservative listeners might cringe at the casual nature of deifying celebrities; the depth explored in merely entertaining those butterflies of celebrity fascination - with gusto and abandon. Engaging with such content can feel like viewing a charade, with a wink-nudge to making ‘thirst’ sound like intellectual discourse.
Today, Thirst Aid Kit isn’t producing episodes anymore, but its imprint warrants a look at why and where to place our focus in a media environment that's cluttered with sensationalism. What could be described as a light-hearted romp through Hollywood and beyond is something far more layered - a testament to how unconventional niches can corner an eager audience. Whether you relate or recoil, Thirst Aid Kit provides fodder for discussion on where our priorities in media really lie.
So, the next time you're explaining why ‘X’ actor makes you swoon, ponder this: is it because a podcast told you to, or could there be better arenas where your attention is far more appreciated?