One of the most annoying things to be called as a girl is "basic." After being a girl for my entire 18 and a half years of life, I still don't see what's wrong with wearing leggings, or drinking pumpkin spice lattes. However, the term "basic" has negative connotations, and the people who toss "basic" around never really mean it as a compliment. In my experience, it's really boys who mean it in a negative way, and the boys who call girls basic are all sort of the same. And being sort of the same, liking the same things as other boys, dressing similarly.... that sounds pretty basic to me. So I compiled a list of the boy equivalent to the most basic girl things. So, sorry boys--if anything on this list applies to you, you're probably basic.
Pumpkin Spice Lattes = Blender Bottles
In the fall, it's pretty typical to see girls walking around with their white Starbucks cups, and instinctually, you already know what's inside--that iconic PSL. However, year-round, you see guys walking around with a Blender Bottle. Literally at any hour of the day, some boys will not be caught without their Blender Bottle, with kreatine residue or a chocolate powdered shake or sometimes even just water. "But blender bottles are actually useful! I need that protein for my gainz," basic boys might feebly argue. Tell that to the humans for the past 2000 years who have built muscle without a Blender Bottle.
Leggings = Those Sweatpants
You know those sweatpants. Every single boy, and his father, has those sweatpants. Probably gray, probably Champions, but maybe Nikes if they're really ambitious. Those sweatpants are worn to class, around the house, on lazy days, to the gym, hungover... The limitless opportunities to wear those sweatpants is the same as the limitless opportunities to wear leggings. Both are comfortable, make you look good, and have been your go-to for years. Sounds pretty basic to me.
Little Black Dress = That Sweater Your Mom Bought You From Kohl's
Any "basic" girl's go-to when getting dressed up is a short black dress. It works for pretty much every nice occasion, and looks put-together and well thought out, even if it's not. That dress is the exact same as the sweater your mom bought you from Kohl's for Christmas two years ago. The basic boy has worn this sweater to any number of formal occasions, and always gets complimented on it. Without having it as a fallback, he would probably end up accidentally wearing a sweatshirt to a family party and getting reprimanded by all of his relatives. The Sweater is universal, too. I know 0 boys who can tell me they don't have a sweater from their mom, and even if they don't know it's from Kohl's, it's definitely from Kohl's.
Instagram = Snapchat
"Girls use Snapchat too!" Yes, and to be honest, our Snapchat game is stronger than yours. Just gonna be honest. But basic boys use Snapchat the way basic girls use Instagram. Basic girls use Instagram to show off the best version of themselves, and that's exactly what guys use Snapchat for. Whether it's trying to slide in to yet another girl's messages, or putting pictures of their car in their story, or even videos of them lifting at the gym, boys use Snapchat to make themselves look good.
Long, Shiny, Straightened Hair = That Haircut
The stereotypical basic girl will have hair that is straightened to perfection every day. However, the basic boy has that one haircut. You know what I'm talking about. Short on the sides, longer on the top, with a fade? Boys will side part it, or comb it straight back, or let it get extra long and put it in a bun (which is a whole other story), but that haircut is extremely basic, because almost every boy has it.
Messy Bun = Baseball Cap
When basic girls are feeling a little lazy, the classic move is to put all your hair up in a perfectly disheveled, messy bun. Basic boys slap on a baseball cap and call it a day. You might say that's not why, but it's totally why. So many boys who don't feel like washing their hair, or combing/styling it the right way, will put on a baseball cap and wear it the entire day. You're really not fooling anyone when you wear a baseball cap during class. Not only are you inside, where it's not sunny, but outside it isn't sunny either, and it's also the middle of winter. None of that screams that a baseball cap is necessary, which means you're wearing it to hide something. Just like, as much as girls may deny it, the messy bun doesn't hide the fact that she hasn't washed her hair in four days, the baseball cap doesn't hide the fact that he didn't feel like doing his hair.
Those are just a few of the many examples of boys being basic. "Basic white boy" even sounds better than "basic white girl"--that alliteration is important! So, boys, think about this the next time you want to dismiss a girl as just being basic for doing what she likes to do.
