On October 4th, my friends and I crammed ourselves into one of our minuscule dorms in Fenwick to discuss the all-important subject of the month: Halloween costumes. We had to start planning soon so we could get good costumes together in time. I mean, it was our first Halloweekend in college after all. Everyone began throwing out possible ideas, each one receiving the same critique. Princesses? Basic. Pirates? Basic. Greek goddesses? Basic.
Our struggle to find a non-basic Halloween costume made me begin questioning the concept of being “basic.” What does being basic even mean? Does liking something popular make you worse than another person? On the surface, the concept of being basic is pretty simple; people who prefer mainstream or trending items are considered basic. However, the concept may be more complicated than it seems. For example, trend cycles move incredibly fast, so what’s basic is constantly evolving. VSCO girls, “clean girls,” and Tiktok Indie are all aesthetics that have been considered basic in recent years, each one incredibly different from the last.
Although the idea of what’s basic constantly evolves, one element of the demeaning concept stays the same: the insult is only primarily against girls. While guys are celebrated, accepted, and cheered on for showing intense fanaticism towards a favorite sports team, girls are ridiculed and teased for showing similar behavior towards their favorite music artist. Similarly, for guys, buying an expensive or rare pair of shoes is a sense of pride, while girls who care about brands are made fun of. A guy who likes mainstream products is just “one of the guys,” while a girl would be considered basic and just like everyone else. At its core, the concept of basicness is misogynistic and weaponized to degrade women for their interests and tear them down when they find excitement or joy in something. On the other hand, girls who do not conform to the basic norms are also shamed. Someone who is not feminine or basic enough is ridiculed and called “not like other girls” or “pick me,” while a girl who is too feminine is basic and “trying too hard.” In high school, a basic girl is popular but still shamed, and someone who is not basic enough is ostracized.
Often, there are unrecognized or unappreciated cultural influences on basic trends. For example, the slick-back hairstyle that has come to characterize the clean girl aesthetic has been popular in Black and Latino communities for decades. These communities used this hairstyle for hair management and as an expression of personal style. One creator on Tiktok, @soykaelyn, posted a video explaining her perspective on the issue, stating that she’s “reclaiming the ‘clean girl’ bun” and that “Latinas have been doing this for decades.” Another creator, @fabulousvia, notes how other aspects of the clean girl aesthetic mimic aspects of Latina culture that they were bullied for in the past. Many popular trends have been colonized by minority communities that do not receive the credit they deserve.
Girls have been put up to an impossible standard. On the one hand, girls cannot like trends without being called basic, but they also cannot find excitement in less mainstream items without being ostracized. Additionally, within the concept of basic, whiteness is the default, excluding members of minority communities while robbing them of their culture at the same time. The concept of basic is problematic, misogynistic, and racist. There’s nothing wrong with finding joy in something, trending or otherwise. Wear Lulu Lemon and listen to Taylor Swift! Or don’t. Just make sure not to bring other people down while doing so.
International Studies major with a passion for gossip and chai lattes.
