Given how much self-congratulation comes with the turn of the year, it’s pretty appropriate that someone would also want to call out the worst aspects of the year too. Which is why every year, GQ magazine releases their list of the least influential people of the year, just to keep people on their toes. This year, Dennis Rodman made it to the #1 spot for palling around with a murderous dictator, but there was still plenty of room for the likes of Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus …
11. Lady Gaga
People will only go along with your whole meta-art tampon costume if you’ve got the songs to go with it.6. Miley Cyrus
Miley spent the entire year foam-finger-blasting herself, licking sledgehammers, and basically trying every inane strategy she could think of to rile up America’s few remaining pearl clutchers. What’s sad is that it totally worked.4. Justin Bieber
When you’re a just-legal megastar raising hell and being a brat, people will still give you a chance. They’ll blame the money and the fame and probably your parents. But once you lose the baby fat, there are no viable excuses.
In all fairness, Miley did end up having the biggest year of her career thanks to the whole twerking thing, but the bigger point they were making here is that everything Miley, Justin and Gaga did this year has already been done in the past. Arguably better too. Miley is another in a long line of post-Disney wild girls, Gaga is getting stuck in her own head, and Justin … well, Justin is just the worst. They’re resting on safe here, and safe doesn’t become influential.