At some point in the past few years, the term "basic" has been considered an insult applied to girls who dress, act, talk, and behave in a particular mannerism. Most commonly, "basic" girls are those who like to drink Starbucks and wear leggings. I'm sure you've either called someone basic, or have been accused of being basic yourself. When the phrase "basic white girl" comes to mind, you probably picture a girl in Ray-Bans with an iPhone taking selfies in public. I'm not really sure when it became a bad thing to enjoy an iced coffee or wear Lulu Lemon, but using "basic" as an insult in my opinion is just laughable.
In a Cosmopolitan interview, The Hills star and DIY queen Lauren Conrad fired back at an accusation from Allure magazine of her being "basic". Conrad spoke for all of us when she said "I probably am pretty basic. But I'm also a pretty happy person, so that's OK with me." Preach LC, preach.
After Kreayshawn's viral music video from 2011, the term "basic" started to come across as an insult to all girls who carried well-known designer bags, liked to wear skinny jeans, and take selfies. Why some people are concerned with these characteristics of other people is beyond me.
When you call someone "basic" because they like to get their nails done, like shopping at Sephora, watching Gossip Girl, or taking "candid" pictures for Instagram, you're seemingly calling them "plain" and by definition, "essential". I personally do not understand why taking pictures of our food, watching The Bachelor, or drinking iced coffee suddenly makes some girls less than other girls. Who cares? They're happy, move on.
If you don't like Starbucks, Snapchat, Instagram, Adidas sneakers, or wearing oversized sunglasses with mirror lenses, good for you! Great. But you have no right to put down and classify girls as "basic" just because they do.
These girls considered "basic" are up to date with social media and different style and even food trends. They like certain things and are criticized for it, for literally no good reason. When you're calling a girl "basic" because of her exterior that you see for maybe .2 seconds, you're labeling her in a completely unrealistic way. You know absolutely nothing about the girl you're grouping into a dumb stereotype. These "basic" girls are probably some of the most intelligent, creative, interesting, and intriguing people you could meet, but to you, all they are is "basic".
Yes, I am fully aware that there are plenty of worse things to be called than "basic", and obviously it isn't that big of a deal. I understand all of the world issues we face on a daily basis, and that there are more important matters at hand. But it's a free country, and I speak for others when I say I'm pretty tired of being ridiculed because I like to eat avocado toast and drink lattes. I kid you not, I have been made fun of for eating avocado toast.
So you know what, I guess I'm pretty basic too. I use social media, I live by The Betches, and my Starbucks barista knows me by name (shoutout to Brian). But like LC said, I'm pretty happy being this way.
