Recently, I have been noticing a lot of flack comes with ordering a pumpkin spice latte, or as it’s been nicknamed, the PSL, at your local coffee shop. It’s association with the stereotype of a “basic white girl” has taken over it’s brand with a force comparable to a great typhoon. I’ve even found myself lowering my voice when muttering the words, “I’d like a pumpkin spice latte, please,” for fear of someone labeling me as basic. Isn’t that ridiculous?? Why should I be embarrassed!? Pumpkin spice latte’s are DELICIOUS. It is autumn in a cup. It is literal falling leaves in a tumbler. It is liquid pumpkin pie pouring down my throat. It is more than a basic white girl’s drink of choice.
In 2003, Starbucks introduced what would become their most popular seasonal beverage of all time. That’s right… I said, of all time. It was such a hit that the recipe - pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mixed with espresso and steamed milk, and topped with whipped cream - has been unchanged up until this year, and the change was to make it better. Starbucks removed the caramel coloring and "artificial flavors." The new and improved drink added fruit and vegetable juices, including real pumpkin. It is available in nearly 50 countries around the world and averages 3,000 tweets about it per day. They have sold over 200 million PSL’s in the past 11 years, racking up $80 million in revenue. I do not think that there are 200 million “basic white girls” to buy that signature drink. Thus proving, that the pumpkin spice latte is for everyone.
I want to live in a world where I don’t have to whisper my October Starbucks order. I want to live in a world where I’m not labeled based on my drink. Who is with me?? No one really cracks at the million other pumpkin spice flavored things. In my pantry right now, I have: pumpkin spice Oreos, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin ice cream and if you count my PSL (yes, I am drinking one while writing this. I needed ~inspiration~) that’s a lot of pumpkin. I don’t hear anyone griping about any of those, so why hate on the Pumpkin Spice Latte? It just doesn’t deserve it. But wait, is it our fault for instagramming or tweeting every cup we’ve gotten? Is it our fault for posting every foaming luscious cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte? Well, I don’t care. Let’s continue to post all the pumpkin-y goodness of the PSL. After all… it’s only for a few months out of the year.
