If you want to insult someone, just tell them their contributions to a conversation or project are frivolous: silly, meaningless, or unworthy of serious consideration.
But what if we’ve been too quick to dismiss the frivolous?
Jehanne Dubrow, a poet, essayist, and professor of creative writing at the University of North Texas, explores the value of things often considered unserious in her new book, "Frivolity: A Defense."
Dubrow joined NTX Now hosts Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning to explain why frivolity may deserve some serious consideration.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the conversation in its entirety, click the 'listen' button above.
Dubrow said she's always been drawn to things associated with beauty and pleasure — like fashion, theater, and perfume — but while writing the book, she noticed many pursuits that are labeled frivolous are also traditionally associated with women, LGBTQ people and people of color.
That became one of the central questions of the book. Dubrow said prejudices involving gender, race, and sexuality may help explain why certain interests are treated as less worthy of serious consideration.
Rather than offering a simple answer, she wants readers to recognize that pattern and reconsider their own assumptions about the pleasures they may be inclined to dismiss.
She also argues that frivolity and seriousness aren't necessarily opposites.
"The frivolous and the serious often bleed into one another or are more deeply connected than you might initially imagine," Dubrow said.
She used clothing as an example. An elaborate ball gown with little practical use might easily be called frivolous, while a pair of jeans worn to work in a field or factory likely wouldn't be. The distinction changes depending on the purpose and context.
The same can be true of art and entertainment. Genres once dismissed as lowbrow can gain cultural respect over time, while seemingly lightweight subjects can become vehicles for serious ideas.
Dubrow experienced that in 2020, when she began what she called her “Year of Perfect Skin,” developing a rigorous skincare routine just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. What started as a superficial pursuit became a way of coping with something much deeper.
“It also became a routine through which I managed my fears about illness, about my own fragility in the world, and about mortality,” she said.
Dubrow says people often seek beauty and lighthearted pleasures precisely when life is difficult.
“We do create beauty, and we do long for beauty, even during difficult times,” Dubrow said. “And sometimes we turn to light-hearted art as a way of processing deep trauma as well.”
Ultimately, Dubrow hopes readers will reconsider their own guilty pleasures, and perhaps stop feeling guilty about them.
She wants people to “think about their pastimes and pleasures and either feel less ashamed of them” or recognize they could use a little more frivolity in their lives.
Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning are the hosts of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org or Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
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