"She is such a basic white girl...like, I can't even!"
"Oh my gosh, that is sooo basic of you."
High school may be long over, but I still hear these words with infuriating frequency in people's conversations. Even when they aren't spoken I know they are still lurking in the silence, just waiting to spill out of someone's mouth the minute their friend does something...well, basic.
Wearing UGG boots, shopping, listening to pop music, spending time editing Instagram pictures, fangirling, enjoying pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks...the list goes on and on. If one or more of these things falls under your category of interest, according to popular opinion in our society, you are "basic." Which essentially means that you're inferior because your personal preferences are mainstream and somehow carry less value than the things other people like.
This is one of the most stupid and ridiculous measures of comparison in the world, in my opinion! Since when has it been cool to mock anyone for their hobbies and interests, let alone teenage girls, the majority of whom are struggling with self-esteem and feeling worthy? I cannot understand exactly what satisfaction there is to be had from making someone feel like their little sources of joy and happiness are invalid.
Some deeper questions that may not be easily answered also come to mind: why does it seem like our culture primarily tears apart certain products that we have come to associate with the female gender, like lattes or yoga pants or One Direction? This trend also has strong undertones of sexism and racism towards girls who are members of minority groups -- in fact, there are entire websites and social media accounts that reduce African-American, Asian, and Hispanic girls to nothing more than disgusting stereotypes. So why is it still a widely accepted social behavior? Why do we assign genders to objects at all?! My little sister should not have to grow up facing the pressure to trade in softball for sparkles and lip gloss when there is no reason she can't have both.
Genuine passion is hard to find in this world. And speaking from personal experience, it really sucks to be passionate about something -- a band, a book, a new piece of clothing, or yes, even a Starbucks beverage -- only to be slammed with an immediate wave of humiliation for liking it at all.
"I remember, very clearly, what it was like to be a teenage girl. To always feel like my opinion didn't matter, to feel like my very approval of something instantly lessened its cool quotient," writer and activist Bailey Poland said in a lifestyle article on Mother Nature Network.
This cruel, toxic culture shows just how vast the empathy gap is between people in our society. Girls and young women need to grow up in a positive, encouraging environment that supports their popular interests, not one that shames them. How are we supposed to develop the ambition and confidence necessary to chase our dreams if there is a social stigma surrounding our simplest pleasures and even the way some of us talk? If we like something, we're hated for it. If we purposely try to like something different as a way to stand out, we're hated for it. Most of the time it feels like we're fighting a losing battle against the patriarchy and the public.
Labeling girls' fun, lighthearted activities and interests as "girly" or "basic" is damaging to the female population, but it also harms humanity as a whole. The extreme polarization of toys, hobbies, and consumer goods that occurs when we place them into gender-specific categories is absolutely unnecessary. It prevents the free flow of ideas and attitudes that, if shared, could improve the way people communicate with one another and contribute to society. It's time for all of us to eliminate "basic" from our common vocabulary; it's time for all of us to stop pushing our opinions about what boys, girls, and people in general should or shouldn't love. Live and let live!
