Basic girls unite

Danielle Wiley

Don’t let being basic be an insult

One of my best friends calls herself “basic.” She loves Starbucks, going to the gym, wearing leggings with baggy shirts and posting everything on Instagram. When she landed her new job, with salary, she bought herself an expensive pair of Lululemon yoga pants and a bottle of white wine. When she decided she wanted to try and go to law school, she invited me over to watch “Legally Blonde,” eat sushi and drink vodka-cranberries.

Danielle Wiley

Danielle Wiley

But when she says she’s basic, this idea of a boring, unsophisticated, spoiled girl comes to mind.

According to Urban Dictionary, basic is a word “used to describe someone devoid of defining characteristics that might make a person interesting, extraordinary or just simply worth devoting time or attention to.”

New York Magazine published an article by Maggie Lange called “The ‘basic bitch’: who is she?” Lange describes basic women as the contrast to “boss bitches” and “bad bitches.” She writes that basic women are imitations of “cool girls,” a girl who likes things that are typical to like and is your “boring girlfriend.”

This harsh definition sparks the obvious question of “Why does it seem like only women are basic?”

So I conducted an informal Facebook poll to discover what a “basic” man is — more commonly known as a “bro.” Surprisingly, mostly men answered the question, stating that a basic guy has beer pong skills, wears either Buckle or Ed Hardy, is a fan of “Entourage” and likes to talk about how “swol” he’s getting at the gym.

But then one guy wrote, “Only bitches can be basic.”

So, at least among some segment of the population, there’s obviously hypocrisy about women being basic and men being bros. Despite the slang of bros and basic being roughly equivalent, most people see bros as a badge of honor and basic as an insult.

If you haven’t yet, check out brobible.com and see it for yourself. This website is riddled with articles about how to be a “bro”, hot chicks, sports and football.

Even some of the most influential female celebrities have been called basic. Lauren Conrad — a successful TV star, fashion designer and published author — was called basic by Allure magazine. In an article on Flavorwire.com, Taylor Swift was described as “the ideal version of the kind of suburban basic bitch.”

Well, if those women are basic, show me the sign-up sheet. If being the CEO of your own record label, a successful artist or self-made millionaire means that you’re basic, then that’s what women should be striving for.

It’s time for women to embrace our basic ways. In reality, being basic means you like popular things and what’s wrong with that?

Basic and bro are ugly stereotypes, similar to hipster, nerd, GDI and ratchet.

My self-proclaimed basic friend is more than just what she likes. Like all women, our likes and dislikes are only the outer shell of who we really are and if someone is unwilling to get to know you based on how basic you are, then that’s their loss.

So take some advice from my self-proclaimed basic friend and wave your basic flag proudly. It is time to get rid of the basic girl stigma that’s floating around our campus.

Go get brunch with your girls on Sunday mornings, order that extra large pumpkin spice latte, wear your extra comfy yoga pants with a messy bun, wear your UGG boots and watch endless hours of “Gilmore Girls” or “Pretty Little Liars.” In the end, being you is one of the first basics they teach in you in college.

  Danielle Wiley can be reached at [email protected]

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