Take into consideration why you wear what you wear and do what you do. How often is it that you purchase certain clothing items because you truly love them? Another question I would like you to ponder upon yourself is, do you do what you love, or do follow what others (ex: famous people) post about on their social media? I'll let you think about it...
I have interviewed a few people about their thoughts of what they thought of when they heard the phrase of "being basic" and whether or not it was a positive or negative connotation. One person said:
". . . it implies a lack of originality. Everybody uses the term negatively. . .I don't like the term "basic" though because I don't like the idea of labeling how somebody likes to dress as something negative. As long as they genuinely like or act that way, then they should go for it." -Anonymous
What really sticks out for me is the part where this person says, ". . . As long as they genuinely like it, they should go for it." This sticks out for me because it emphasizes a way of either following the crowd, or doing what you love. Some buy Birkenstock's to look or dress a certain way, when others have worn them for almost their entire life because they are comfortable. As I look around my campus, I see a lot of Birks, but it makes me curious why so many people have them. Is it because of trends, or because they actually like the look, or the comfort of the sandals! Even if none of your friends like your new Chacos, still rock them because they are one of the most comfortable pairs of sandals I own, even if they aren't the cutest pairs of shoes on the earth.
Another comment from a friend was that people "form to their own stereotype." Meaning if you are white, then you are therefore basic, and must conform to that "basic white girl" title. Not every 'white girl', or every girl for that matter has to form to their own majority stereotype, unless of course those girls really really enjoy the act of conforming...
On the other hand, there are some positive thoughts of mine about being "basic" right now in our culture. As time has gone on from when I was in middle school, to now in college, trends of activities have moved forward in my mind. Now I have noticed the health kick, and going outdoors a more common theme among the "basic" community. Why is this "basic" given such a bad rap? In my mind, conforming to being healthy and going outside to enjoy nature is a huge step for our culture.
In my eyes, it's a great idea to become basic, but not by conforming to the "standards of being basic" but to love the outdoors, be healthy, be comfortable, and most of all be yourself. Even if others think of you as "being basic" you know yourself the best, and know if you are being a conformist, or being your original self. Think before you purchase, because trends move so quickly, but investing in items you know you love will last a lot longer than a season trend. Your passion will take you further than you can imagine.
