Columns

Life’s Better When You’re Basic

Basic

We live in a world where there are plenty of derogatory terms used to insult people. Most of them are entertaining and clever, but some? Some lack that certain spice, that certain zing, that certain creativity that I want in an insult. And while I get it, I officially refuse to let “basic” be one of them. Basic people are said to lack personality and anything that makes them interesting. I don’t think this is the case at all. Okay, maybe that is the case, but there’s nothing wrong with buying into what everyone else is. Knowing what you want is hot, right? I’m part of a group of hundreds of thousands of other remarkable women who also fit into this category and I’m damn proud of it.

First off, let’s set the record straight that being basic has nothing to do with your intelligence or annoyingness. Being basic means that you like certain things that are mainstream, albeit cliché. But I would argue that some of the things that are considered basic almost every single person likes. Show me a girl who doesn’t wear leggings, enjoys missionary sex, casually wears Nike shorts, always orders guac, binge watches Netflix, slaps the bag, goes on Target shopping sprees, takes hundreds of snaps, or frequents brunch. Yeah, I don’t think she exists. Everyone dabbles in at least a few of those basic loves. And if you don’t? I don’t want to know you. Any bitch who doesn’t brunch is no bitch of mine.

I guess the difference is that some girls are just more basic than others. They’re higher up on the spectrum if you will. These are the girls who get called out for living that basic life of predictability. But what separates girls who only enjoy Starbs every once and a while and basic girls who enjoy it every damn day? It isn’t unoriginality, it’s passion. It’s dedication.

When a basic girl knows she likes something, she dives in head first and makes it her be-all end-all. She knows what she wants and when she wants it and isn’t afraid of what anyone will say about it. I can’t think of better traits to have. Basic girls could care less what people think of them and will continue to order their PSLs with pride. Haters are just afraid of the power of this type of woman, so they shame them into thinking they should be embarrassed of who they are. Don’t fall for it.

Being a basic myself, one of my favorite things to experience is the girl who will do everything she can to prove that she’s anything but basic. Not only does she not like Taylor Swift, but she’ll make it a point to inform everyone. The minute a T-Swift jam comes on, she storms out of the room completely offended. She makes it clear that her taste in music is so much better that yours. Of course, this only encourages all the basics around to team up and turn up the tunes. That’s another thing that basics rule at: teamwork. There’s plenty of us and there’s power in numbers. The last thing you want to do is mess with a bunch of basic bitches.

And just because basic girls like a lot of the same things, doesn’t mean we’re clones of each other. We’re still able to have our own personalities. Some of us like emojis more than others. Some might listen to ~indie~ music. Some might not have a bomb Insta feed. We’re united by our similarities and ability to have differences and that’s a powerful thing.

Quite frankly, I feel bad for people who aren’t basic. They have to spend extra time looking for music rather than just turning on Top 40 radio. They have to try out different fast food rather than just flocking to Chipotle. They have to like different vegetables rather than obsessing over kale, even though they don’t even *like* kale. My point being, don’t be ashamed to be “basic.” Being basic means were decisive, passionate, and work well with others. Don’t hide from the stereotype. Put that shit on your (pink, scented) resume.

This featured image is a stock photo from our database. The people photographed are not in any way associated with the story.

Email this to a friend

Blackout_B

Blackout_B (@b_m4rie) enjoys drinking beer by the gallon and making memories she'll never actually remember. When she isn't embarrassing herself by making out with randos on the dance floor, you can find her pretending it's normal to drink a glass of wine with breakfast every day. It's fun to sit down with her on Sunday mornings and hear how fucked up her weekend was.

For More Photos and Videos

Latest podcasts

New Stories

Load More