The UK is amongst the top 4 most culturally influential countries in the world, this is mind blowing but what really makes the UK so influential? The UK is an iconic set of four countries, each made up of unique and amazing values. Together, emitting great contribution to many cultural components such as cuisine, language, music, fashion, history, media, customs and diversity. Let me explain why the UK is such a hotspot to millions of tourists every month.
Cuisine
The British Cuisine is one of the most recognisable food families around the world. This spread of cultural dishes is considered to have a bad reputation within other communities and cultures around the world, this is often blamed on the effects of the food shortages and rations that arose during the wartimes. The British food selection really shows influence from its post- colonial lands, mainly inspired from South America, South Asia & Caribbean. Some of the most famous British foods consist of the full English breakfast, the Sunday roast, fish and chips, steak pie, bangers & mash, shepherds pie, crumpets, scones, Cornish pasties and Yorkshire puddings.
Language
A big stamp on the UK culture is their native language, English. There are believed to be over 1.5 billion English speakers worldwide, leading it to be the largest language by amount of speakers. There are more people that have learned English as a second language than those who speak it native. This is because Modern English has been spreading around worldwide since the 17th century from the influence of Britain and the US. Mainly via their print works and electronic media. The language is named after one called Angles, one of many ancient Germanic Peoples who migrated to Great Britain that later landed their name, England.
Music
Throughout history, the UK has led major influence in the world of music. At current times, we’re witnessing the rise of Drill, which is majorly controversial in the world of media. With many big platforms often emitting negative energy towards the subject as well as the artists themselves, it hasn’t been easy for them to break boundaries. In the past few years, artists have shown very impressive progression, and as of May 2021 artists Tion Wayne and Russ Millions land marked the first ever UK Drill track to hit official charts at number 1.
Previous British influential musical movements:
- 60’s – Rock (Psychedelic Rock) – The Beatles
- 70’s – Sex Pistols – Punk Rock
- 80’s – The Stone Roses – Madchester
- 90’s – Blur, Oasis – Brit Pop
- 00’s – Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay – Post-Brit Pop
Media
An important subject to address when discussing UK culture is the extremely competitive yet toxic, multi-billion tabloid industry. Whether you live in the UK or not, it will always be hard to comprehend the level of negativity we often see spouting from front pages and social media’s. The UK holds one of the most diverse cultures around the world and many publishers embrace this perfectly, which is why it’s all the more painful to see nasty and sometimes even far-right rumours spreading and destroying peoples reputations. Overall, the UK has an exceptional Media industry, but the unwelcoming press often shadows this.
Fashion
As you all know, London is one of the most iconic cities on earth, even holding the title of a “fashion capital”, one of only four cities to do so. However the whole of the UK is decorated with beautiful, modern, historical cities that hold some of the worlds top attractions, especially with their restaurants and museums. Some examples of other compelling locations consist of Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Swansea, Northampton, Derby, Middlesbrough. Each city is so unique, you can’t simply visit the UK in one go.
Jack is a graphic and Content Designer with a passion for creative work . In his spare time, Jack likes to spend time creating digital art and playing video games.
