I was standing in line at Starbucks. After having a stressful week, I was stopping in for my morning coffee before heading into work. It was busy, giving me too much time to decide if I wanted a “treat drink” instead of just a drip.
Stepping up to one of the registers, I ordered a grande soy pumpkin spice latte. Immediately, the man ordering next to me reacted negatively, sighing audibly. I quickly glanced at him, worried I was taking up too much space, and saw his eyes roll.
As I began to walk over to pick up the drink that caused this poor man discernable grief, I heard him say it.
“It’s that time of the year when all the basic b*tches come out of hiding. Am I right?”
The barista, obviously uncomfortable, handed him back his card and asked if he wanted his receipt.
Here I am, worried I’m taking up too much space, and I have clearly offended this man because I ordered a “basic b*tch” drink.
Oh, what a life he must live.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I find myself thinking the same thoughts or joking around with my friends about it. Girls who wear makeup to their 8 a.m. class? How silly of them. Wears heels to campus? Trying too hard. Ordered a frappucino before noon? Obviously, she doesn’t know how many calories she’s drinking.
Me, the girl who will eat breadsticks as her entire dinner, is judging someone for their caloric intake.
This ideology that we girls are always pitted against each other in fierce competition is ruining the team we are supposed to be on. On top of that, we have men like my friend at Starbucks who just want to put down a girl on her way to work. Did his snide remark make himself feel any better? Did he feel good about the tall dark roast he ordered? Maybe he should add some sugar to make him a little sweeter.
No one wins when we are fighting each other.
And I’m not saying it’s just girls against each other, or even that it’s just boys against girls. This issue is just as much girls against boys and boys against boys. This is a humanity issue.
Creating a world where we can co-exist without judgment seems unimaginable – especially in today’s current climate. Whether you are red or blue, male or female, or anything in between, we are all living life on this weird round planet.
We are supposed to be supporting each other, building each other up, and by tearing each other down for something as meaningless as a Starbucks order, we aren't getting anywhere.
If you aren’t the toughest, buffest, roughest guy, then what is the point?
If you can’t shotgun a beer, if you shotgun one too well, if you can’t get the girl, if you get too many girls, if you are a virgin, if you aren’t a virgin – nothing you do is “right.”
And what is this doing for us?
Nothing good, that’s for sure.
Can we just be nice to each other? And can I just have my basic-bitch drink?
