"She's such a basic bitch."
"Wow, what a basic white girl."
"God, are you really ordering that? You're so basic."
If you are a young female, you have probably heard these types of phrases before. Maybe they were even directed towards you. What does being "basic" really mean? Urban Dictionary's top definition is "only interested in things that are mainstream, popular, and trending." Examples of things that are "basic" are Uggs, yoga pants, North Face jackets, and Starbucks lattes, as exemplified in this meme:
How has a definition so simple turned into something so negative? The main problem that I see with it is that it takes a few characteristics of someone and blows them out of proportion, reducing them down to a simple stereotype. People freak out when someone stereotypes a race or religion, but yet this is all a funny joke. I'm not trying to argue that this is as serious as stereotyping races, religions, etc., but it is absolutely still damaging.
The overuse of the word "basic" has not only stereotyped girls, but it's made us afraid to enjoy things. We've been stripped of wearing, drinking, doing what we'd like because we're afraid that people will judge us for it. I'd also like to mention that this word only seems to ever apply to girls, never boys. I cannot tell you how many guys I see wearing the same exact outfit over and over again, yet they never get made fun of for it. Every young man seems to own a pair of Nike socks and no one bats an eye, but seeing a girl dressing comfortably in leggings and boots gets her made fun of by the general public.
Young girls face enough pressure as it is. We are constantly supposed to be upholding ourselves to this high standard. Yet, when we try to follow that by doing what is in trend, we get made fun of for it. There is simply no correct way to go about it. How about we all just hold ourselves to our own standards and just do what we want? If that means wearing leggings and boots, then so be it. Next time, before you judge a girl for following trends think, "does this affect me at all?" The answer is almost definitely no, and if you're trying to "save" those girls who you think are just following those trends because they think it's cool, don't be so quick to judge. Let them figure life out on their own. Let's erase "basic" from our vocabularies and just let people enjoy what they like.
