Is being “Basic” a bad thing?

Hi, I’m a girl. I love big sweaters and cozying up on the couch with a cup of tea. I love going to the pumpkin patch and lighting fall scented candles. I’ve been known to watch various MTV and ABC Family original TV series. I am literally wearing yoga pants and a cable knit scarf right now. I just said literally in a blog post. Does that make me a basic bitch?

For those of you wondering what a basic bitch is, I will try my best to explain it to you, even though I have just recently become familiar with the term. To my understanding, a “basic bitch” is a girl who loves Starbucks (especially Frappuccinos and Pumpkin Spice Lattes), wears Ugg boots, Northface Fleece Jackets, and yoga pants (most likely from Victoria’s Secret or Lululemon), watches Pretty Little Liars or Teen Mom, takes a lot of instagram selfies, etc. the list could go on and on. Essentially, it’s a stereotype describing anything that society deems average in relation to young women.

For a funny description of what it means to be a basic bitch, watch this College Humor video entitled “How To Tell if You’re a Basic Bitch”

One place that the Basic Bitch stereotype is greatly perpetuated is, unsurprisingly, BuzzFeed. This post, entitled “27 Texts Only Basic Girls Will Understand” sums up the stereotype quite nicely. Most of the texts had something to do with starbucks, shopping, leggings, and almost all of them included emojis. Another article that I found on BuzzFeed is called “How To Dress Like A Basic Bitch For Halloween”. This article found that the total cost of a Basic Bitch ensemble, including a North Face, Lululemon leggings, Uggs, a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and the new TaylorSwift album is $474.38. Lastly, the article “17 Fall Activities All Basic Girls Love” describes various Basic fall activities, including apple picking, s’mores, bonefires, and baking pumpkin flavored things. The thing about these lists, especially the last one, is that they’re lists of things a lot of people do, not just so-called basic bitches.

Here’s my question: is being basic a bad thing? The assumption about basic bitches is that, because you like certain things, you are boring or generic, which is definitely not true. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I love my yoga pants and scented candles, but Pumpkin Spice Lattes really aren’t my thing. I don’t even drink coffee. I listen to Taylor Swift, but I’m just as likely to be listening to an NPR podcast. These contradictions exist in everyone, so who are we to label others basic?

I don’t know exactly where the basic stereotype originated, but it could be from our individual desires to be unique, and labeling other people, who seem to be doing what everyone else is doing basic. Another thing I found on BuzzFeed today was a quiz entitled “Are You More Hipster Or More Basic?” I got more basic. So I guess being a hipster is the opposite of being basic? I don’t even know.

The thing that baffles me about the “Basic Bitch” is why it’s a bad thing, which is probably evident through most of this blogpost. Why should these girls, who like Starbucks and yoga pants, be penalized and made fun of for liking things that other people like? Also, why does Basic Bitch have to be gendered? I know plenty of men who like to wear Nike shoes, Underarmor sweatshirts and watch football, but no one calls these men Basic Bros.  The basic bitch stereotype is rampant on social media and in pop culture, but I would hesitate before calling someone basic, especially if the jusdgement is based solely on superficial ideals. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go Instagram my dinner and watch The Vampire Diaries on Netflix.