American popular culture has expressed itself through nearly every medium, including movies, music, and sports.
The U.S. is also popular for evolving/adapting many elements of various other cultures, such as food (i.e. pizza, hamburgers, and hibachi), and cultural icons (Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny).
Fashion
Apart from professional business attire, fashion in the United States is eclectic and predominantly informal. Blue jeans were popularized as work clothes in the 1850s by merchant Levi Strauss, a German immigrant in San Francisco, and adopted by many American teenagers a century later. They are now widely worn in every state by people of all ages and social classes. Along with mass-marketed informal wear in general, blue jeans are arguably U.S. culture's primary contribution to global fashion.Davis Fred (1992). Fashion, Culture, and Identity.
Theater
Theater of the United States is based in the Western tradition, mostly borrowed from the performance styles prevalent in Europe, especially England.[citation needed] Today, it is heavily interlaced with American literature, film, television, and music, and it is not uncommon for a single story to appear in all forms. Regions with significant music scenes often have strong theater and comedy traditions as well. Musical theater may be the most popular form: it is certainly the most colorful, and choreographed motions pioneered on stage have found their way onto movie and television screens. Broadway in New York City is generally considered the pinnacle of commercial U.S. theater, though this art form appears all across the country. Off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway diversify the theatre experience in New York. New York's Theater District is also the largest in the country with Cleveland's being the second largest. Another city of particular note is Chicago, which boasts the most diverse and dynamic theater scene in the country. Regional or resident theatres in the United States are professional theatre companies outside of New York City that produce their own seasons. Often tiny rural communities are able to awe audiences with extravagant productions.
Television
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-seven percent of American households have at least one television set and the majority of households have more than three.[citation needed]
The US can be said to be the homeland of modern network television.
Music
American music can be heard all over the world. Live music is especially popular with bands and solo artists. American popular music also contains many styles of music that developed in the US and were popular music when they came up (or still are). Examples are hip-hop, Rap, Dance, swing, jazz, blues, country, R&B, funk, pop, house, rock & roll, and various others.
Films
American films are very popular, including icons like Star Wars, The Godfather, The Karate Kid, Schindler's List, Titanic and The Matrix. American movie actors and actresses are widely recognized such as Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Al Pacino, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Marilyn Monroe, George Clooney, Will Smith, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Clint Eastwood.[citation needed] Outside the US, American Film is usually referred to in a generalizing manner as Hollywood.
Dance
There is great variety in dance in the United States, it is the home of the Lindy Hop and its derivative Rock and Roll, and modern square dance (associated with the United States of America due to its historic development in that country—nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance) and one of the major centers for modern dance. There is a variety of social dance and concert or performance dance forms with also a range of traditions of Native American dances.
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