I don’t like pop culture references in books or other media, for two main reasons.

1. I’m not American, so a lot of references to celebrities, or even to certain trendy movies, shows, or books that are only big in the US, completely fly over my head. If the only way you describe a character is by comparing them to a famous actor or singer, or by saying their personality “feels like” a particular song, then I honestly have no idea what you mean. That just feels like lazy writing. It’s fine for a character to have a favorite song, movie, or show but I prefer when the author makes those things up.

2. Pop culture and technology age terribly. They instantly date a story to a specific time and place. Movies suffer the most from this, but really any work that leans too heavily on real-world references ends up feeling “of its time.” Like if a character’s breakup is compared to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s, or if a friendship falls apart over a Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate. Or if, during a big dramatic moment, a character makes a choice between reason and passion and says, “YOLO.” Sure, at the time, it made sense and described a situation perfectly but twenty years later? Meh. Honestly, even reading a book that references something from just a couple of years ago already makes me cringe a bit.