quit being basic, Ru.
LOOK! It’s a list! Basic b*tches love lists!
Or not. Or maybe. Or WHATEVER. I’d venture to say everyone likes what has been popularly defined as “basic b*tch” stuff at one point or another, which makes it a little difficult to understand why so many of us are embracing the term. I will spare you the Urban Dictionary definition because you’ve probably already read about it in some other article or quiz or history of basic b*tches essay.
I’m not here to tell you what it means, but rather tell you why it doesn’t matter.
You’re Entitled to Like Whatever the F*%k You Want To
It seems our favorite thing to make fun of basic b*tches about is their unoriginality. It all seems to come down to what women wear, drink, and buy. If anything, that seems like criticism of consumer patterns — the desire to have the newest iPhone, the first pumpkin spice latte of the season, and Uggs boots. But what makes a Droid less pretentious than an iPhone? What makes Uggs so much worse than lace-up boots from Macy’s?
With obvious exceptions, it’s OK to like what you like, even if it involves a very, very complicated drink order at Starbucks followed by a photo shoot with your riding boots and some recently-fallen leaves. Yes, it might annoy the person behind you in line or lose you some followers on Instagram, but you’re not hurting anyone.
Basic is Fun
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22… and I like singing it out loud with Taylor Swift. And I also like to daydream about Paris even though I’ve never been, and wear yoga pants even though I only occasionally do yoga, and I don’t think there is a single person in my life who would call me a “basic b*tch” to my face or even behind my back for it.
All of the lists coming out with basic-b*tch qualities is narrowing us down to the conformity they’re making fun of in the first place. Isn’t it more fun to just enjoy whatever makes you happy?
We All Outgrow Something
When I was in middle school, Adidas track pants and Airwalk shoes were the trendy clothes. Unfortunately, my family was not very well-off, so I had knock-off versions — my track pants had two stripes instead of three and my Airwalks were imitations from Payless. It was noticeable and kids were not nice about it. I coped by giving my parents the silent treatment and eventually blowing up at them with this heartbreaking line: “You shouldn’t have had us if you can’t afford us!”
It kills me now to write that because I realize how inconsequential those clothes were and how hurtful my words were. Thankfully, I’ve outgrown two things: 1) Using damaging words because I am hurt and 2) Following trends. That’s not to imply there is something wrong with trends, or that I don’t like looking nice, but I realize that I outgrew a lot of the things I used to buy, eat, drink, and wear for the sake of fitting in. So have you, probably.
If you still proudly wear your Victoria Secret PINK panties or shout “WOOOO!” with your friends when you’re drunk, good on you for owning what you like and who you are. The best thing to outgrow is living your life trying to meet everyone else’s expectations.
Calling People “Basic” is the New Basic
We covered this in August, but it’s worth mentioning again. If you disagree with number one, two, and three here, I think you can at least get behind this. It’s overused and it’s a way to shut other people down so we can feel a little superior — and that’s something that’s definitely better left back in middle school.
