Until a few weeks ago, I never understood the craze of Starbucks. Usually overcrowded with a line out the door, whenever I passed the coffeeshop on campus, I immediately turned my head and laughed.
At first, I proclaimed it was basic. Not that being a basic white girl is frowned upon, but I thought higher of myself then to succumb to the "trend" that was a grande caramel macchiato dressed up in a white cup with a emerald woman smiling on it. But one day, the line was short so I decided to give it a try.
A daunting board was in front of me, bustling baristas as well, and all the while I was next in line. I'm sure whoever was working could tell I was new to Starbucks by the way I ordered my Green Tea Lemonade and quickly muttered "small," for the size of my drink. I was embarrassed, however, I found myself returning to Bucks after this first failed attempt.
I wasn't going for the glam, I wasn't spending an hour in line and I didn't go with a bunch of my other basic white girl friends. After spending two semesters laughing at the horrible long line in front of Starbucks and judging everyone in line for a drink, I realized I was wrong.
First of all, it's wrong to assume that certain places and trends are only for basic white girls. Not everyone in line is white, or a girl. Getting coffee is part of the experience, making friends in line is another. Also, there is no cooler feeling then texting your friends "hey I'm at Starbucks, want anything?" I felt like a real adult getting coffee for me and my friends.
Second of all, the drinks aren't as ridiculously named or priced as they may seem. Once you know what you like, it's hard to resist the urge to hop in line when there's only 3 or 4 people ahead of you. The time it takes to wait there is a lot shorter then expected and the reward is great.
Third, judging people for doing what makes them happy is very wrong. Carrying around my Starbucks cup made me feel empowered to those who weren't, it also made me feel confident and put together. I'm not really sure how one cup of Green Tea Lemonade can do that, but somehow, having Starbucks made my stressful days better and my successful days even more rewarding.
My point is, do not write everyone in line off as a stereotype because not everyone waiting in line is a basic white girl for enjoying Starbucks iced tea on a sunny day.
