Illustration by Jamel Jones.
As fall rolls around, so do the anticipated jokes about white girls and their affinity for pumpkin spiced lattes and UGG boots. Said white girls are usually referred to as “basic b*tches,” more or less meaning that all of their likes and hobbies are both predictable and boring. (Fun fact: you can find out how “basic” you are with a BuzzFeed quiz, which unsurprisingly starts off with a question about pumpkin spice products … how basic of them). Being basic is almost always spoken about in a negative sense but I think it’s time to reevaluate why the world holds such contempt for those deemed basic.
From what I have gathered, a lot of “signs” that one is basic come from liking widely popular things that are thought to be overrated (think “Sex and the City,” frozen yogurt, Starbucks and the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” for example). While some of these “basic” staples don’t live up to their hype, one has to consider that many of them are also commonly praised for good reasons — “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is a classic film, Starbucks is convenient and tasty and “Sex and the City” won 8 Golden Globes awards. Popular shows, food and clothing are popular for a reason and the fact that they may not be as fabulous as their super-fans claim doesn’t take away from their general likeableness.
I myself have never been accused of being basic before — if anything people have described me as “alternative” — yet I have an almost unhealthy obsession with “Sex and the City,” thoroughly enjoy getting mani-pedis and check Cosmopolitan Magazine’s website daily. There’s this assumption out there that if you have X amount of “basic” hobbies or interests that you must be a caricature of a person. But I bet if you thought about it you’d find that some of your likes fall under the basic category as well.
Liking something doesn’t make you who you are. Someone can wear all the UGG boots they want, eat froyo every day, obnoxiously refer to fall as “autumn” and still be a multi-dimensional and intellectual human being. Therefore, I suggest we all stop judging each other based on trivial things and instead grab a pumpkin spiced latte because you know what — they’re actually pretty darn delicious.
