Guilty pleasures- we all have them, some more than others, and I think the biggest of them all comes in the form of music. We secretly buy or download albums from bands and artists we know our friends would frown upon, but really, they are doing it too.

I was shuffling though my music library on my computer and noticed that I have, what most people would call, embarrassing music. Spice Girls, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, A Flock of Seagulls, Ace of Base, and the list goes on from there. Although this is a small fraction of my musical taste, I know that I like, and listen to “better” and more “mature” music.

I grew up listing to and loving Top 40. I ate, slept and breathed pop music, everything from Hanson to the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync. However, I grew up, so did my taste in music, and I left those corny and cheesy bands behind (or so I thought). When I want to feel a little more youthful, I throw on some old-school pop music or even this generation’s take on pop.

I personally don’t feel that guilty pleasures should exist because nobody should feel guilty about doing anything. There are more important things in life to worry about than if your friends find out that you bought (and like) the new Jonas Brothers album. If you want to listen to that Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton song, go for it. I’m not one to judge because I have some of their songs on my play list too. Music shouldn’t make anyone feel embarrassed about enjoying it, and isn’t that the point, to enjoy it?

Don’t feel like you have to crawl into a hole in order to listening to some Top 40 songs or ultra sugary pop ballads. They were created to be catchy for a reason.

Stop purchasing CDs from Amazon because you are too embarrassed to walk into your local record shop or HMV. On the next nice day, roll down your car windows and crank some Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus, because you know all the people on the street and in the cars beside you will be singing along.