By Madelyn Jones
Staff Writer

In modern American culture, a teenager with the ensemble of an instagrammable Starbucks drink, Pink leggings and a full face of makeup is commonly referred to as “basic.” Women are frequently labelled as basic when they are interested in mainstream and/or stereotypically feminine things.

I cannot count the amount of times I have heard the people around me shame or make fun of a girl for being “basic.” Apparently, many people think that these women are unoriginal and potentially fake, and this assumption is used to justify their unkind words. However, people should stop seeing the mainstream as bad and therefore should stop shaming people for it.

Many people have an anti-bandwagon point of view, meaning they disregard or look down on things sometimes just because they are popular. These people are the ones who tend to shame other people who genuinely enjoy things that are trending. Often, these anti-bandwagon people do not understand why they themselves are turned off from things that are popular, and simply pride themselves in being different and nonconforming. They look down on others if they follow the mainstream, and may see following the mainstream as losing individuality.

Even with this point of view, people who enjoy trending activities are probably not hurting anybody. It is useless to be annoyed by what people do unless it is affecting you or others in a harmful way. A person’s interests do not have to be interesting to others, as long as the person is enjoying their lifestyle. These “basic” people are doing what they enjoy and are not being malicious by doing so. What is malicious is poking fun at these people.

Ironically, being anti-bandwagon is also a trend that is becoming exceedingly popular. These days, you are just as likely to find people that are labeled as basic as you are to find people making fun of them, following a widespread trend of their own.

Another aspect to this issue is that “basic” is used to describe women significantly more than men. This comes from the idea that being interested in typically feminine things is bad. Society’s ingrained misogyny teaches us to criticize women’s actions and decisions more than men’s, and basic shaming is a result of this mindset.

I have heard many active feminists call the girls they see walk down the street “basic” and I am always surprised. The core of feminism is empowering women to act in the ways they want, and the feminists who make fun of women for enjoying the mainstream are speaking directly against that. It is important to realize that “basic” tends to be a gendered term and is commonly a way to put down women for enjoying typically feminine things.

Next time you are about to shame a girl for being “basic,” I ask that you really think about what you’re saying. Is what they are doing offensive or hurtful to you or the people around you? Is it worth it to make a negative comment about someone who is living their life the way they choose? Is your negative comment going against your morals? Think about the things you say and the potential consequences and maybe you’ll find that there really isn’t much substance to what you’re saying.

mgjones@willamette.edu