On any given day, I can be found at the Starbucks lounge at my school, perusing through my media law textbook, typing on my laptop, or catching up on New York Times articles for weekly quizzes -- all in the company of my go-to venti iced green tea latte.

When I look at the people eagerly waiting in line for their drinks -- caramel macchiatos, vanilla bean frappe, peach green tea lemonades -- I see East Asians, South Asians, Whites, Blacks, Hispanics and people of all ethnicities. And I see males and females, alike, waiting on that line. So why do I keep hearing that "Starbucks is for white girls."

You've probably heard it yourself, or maybe you've said it yourself, "I'm not a white girl, so I don't drink Starbucks," or some variation of the seemingly popular phrase. Somehow, no matter what your race really is, by drinking Starbucks you're now labeled by your peers as a "basic white girl." The idea has become widely recognized and received as derogatory. In fact, it seems as though our peers, nowadays, just throw the phrase around every which way without even thinking. Yes, it has become so commonplace for people to say that by subjecting themselves to a simple order at the coffee chain, they are essentially white girls.

When I ask some people why they wouldn't have a beverage from Starbucks, even if it looked really good, many of them nonchalantly say, in a derogatory fashion, "because I'm not a white girl." Because having a sip from a Starbucks cup will change you forever, right? Not being a white girl, in my opinion, is not substantial reasoning in this situation. In fact, I feel that it's absolutely ridiculous that people attribute so much offense toward that group of people.

Now, this kind of thinking could stem from the idea that the Starbucks company is a major symbol of status. What class in society is historically and typically associated with status? The upper class. I'll admit that the company's drinks don't come cheap, but you don't hear nearly as many people saying that they don't drink Starbucks because it's expensive, now do you?

Here's some news for you: You don't have to be of a particular race to enjoy any product from any company. White girls aren't the only ones who sip lattes on their way to class or work and implying this is a rather ignorant view of today's society.

Sure, our barely-opened history textbooks tell of a time when whites were able, if not expected, to enjoy certain luxuries that people of other races could not, or were not allowed to enjoy. However, this is no longer that time period. I know there are some people out there who judge so hard at the sight of a brown girl carrying a venti caramel macchiato. They probably judge even harder when they see that same girl chilling at Starbucks every single day.

To each his own opinion; if you swear up and down that you will never, ever have a drink from Starbucks, that's your own business. But don't make fun of those who actually enjoy their frappes and lattes, and don't attach derogatory tones to the term, "white girl."

I'll still enjoy my iced lattes, even if you sit in front right in front of me, making fun of me. It's no skin off my nose, and frankly, I'm surprised, though unimpressed, that you're even expending energy to observe my beverage habits and call me out on them.