USD Magazine Fall 2005

AROUND THE PARK

ydia Stirling ’03 isn’t afraid to be provocative. And what could be more chal- L THE REAL DEAL Grad’s documentary aims to change the pop cul ture conversat ion by Kelly Knufken [ a u t h e n t i c i t y ]

lenging to the status quo than bucking the stereotype that young people are about as deep as the latest hot song download? In Stirling’s first documentary film, Pop+Culture , she takes aim at the notion that today’s youth are all about MTV and image. What’s even more scandalous is that she made the quest for meaning, purpose and religion a central theme of the project. “You can talk about sex all day long,” she says with emphasis. “But the second you try to say you believe in Jesus or whoever you believe in, it’s like (gasp) ‘Why did you just say that?’ I don’t get that at all.” Pop+Culture —which explores the media’s influence on issues like image, success and love — was a natural project for Stirling, whose Canadian family owns NTV, the last independent televi- sion station in North America. “I just wanted to put out some- thing positive and something real,” she says. “I think there’s a lack of realness out there.” The film features some biting media criticism by a series of Stirling’s peers, including USD alums. They talk about how con- suming appearance can be and how the pop culture media blitz can pollute our ideas about love. Many of those featured have

had epiphanies that left them less obsessed with appearance than they used to be; one girl admits she probably was anorexic for a time. Modern-day references and video clips are interspersed throughout. For Stirling, who credits USD com- munications courses with help- ing her learn to challenge typi- cal pop culture voices, the media are a means “to say what I feel in my heart.” The manifestation of those feelings is reflected in Stirling’s bright, infectious personality. She’s endlessly energetic, bub- bling over with ideas about not just her last film, but the proj- ects she’s following it up with: a documentary on alternative healing, an exercise video and a pilot for a fun but substantive travel television show aimed at youth culture. “You have to dream big,” says Stirling, whose

own dreams include having a film play at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination. Like so many of her peers, Stirling is bombarded with media messages that focus on image. But unlike most, she digs beneath the surface of that con- stant onslaught, rather than just taking it on faith that appear- ances are what’s most important.

“Being a woman, I relate to this concept as all women do, in some sort of a struggle,” Stirling says. “Thin, glamorous, gothic, grunge; your identity is in many ways expressed externally. Like many things, there is a balance. Growing up in Southern California, I’ve experienced such a unique obsession with image.” The experience of making Pop+Culture was the first step on

10 USD MAGAZINE