In defense of the “basic bitch”
Pumpkin spice lattes, the classic “basic bitch” drink. We all know the assumptions associated with the people who drink them — they’re girly, stuck-up, and lack individuality — they’re “basic.” Why is that? How come as soon as some flavoured syrup and milk is added to a coffee, it’s considered feminine? And why is that a bad thing?
The term “basic” is thrown around particularly at women who follow popular trends that are distinctly feminine. The use of the word and the double standard behind it isn’t just a joke but is reflective of the societal discomfort around femininity. To be called girly is an insult, to be feminine is to be weak – because in the end, femininity is not as desirable as masculinity. Women cannot exist without being held under a microscope and being perceived in accordance with the ingrained ideologies of a patriarchal society.
The term “basic” suggests that enjoying things associated with women — uggs and leggings, seasonal drinks, Hallmark movies, Instagram aesthetics, pop music — indicates a lack of intelligence. However, the actual lack of intelligence is in the laziness of the insult itself. The word really has no meaning, it is just a term that gives people the chance to shame and mock women’s interests.
I think many women struggle to break free of the stereotyping that comes alongside the term “basic.” Once you rave about a fall-themed latte, recommend a cheesy rom-com that made you cry, or hang up a poster of a female pop artist, assumptions are made about you. They think they can assume all your interests, your personality, and judge you based on the fact that you enjoy something socially categorized as feminine.
Enjoying these things doesn’t have to take away from the fact that you have other interests and a personality of your own. You shouldn’t have to feel like you constantly need to prove them wrong, or distance yourself from the “basic” stereotype as much as you can, because in that way it’s just proving all over again that femininity is not desirable.
If femininity is seen as undesirable in society, less people are going to want to openly associate themselves with it. It’s this hegemony that’s creating a loop of endless misogyny that won’t end until we consciously become more open-minded!
Moreover, what links all these “basic” things together is not only the fact that they are associated with being women’s interests, but the fact that they are popular. People see women coming together and forming a community around a shared interest and deem it basic and stupid.
This viewpoint comes from the fact that once something becomes popular among women, it becomes feminine, therefore if a man in any way becomes associated with that interest, it’s a threat to his masculinity and thus, his identity, of course tholding masculinity in such a high regard is also extremely harmful to men.
All these interests that make someone feminine and “basic” are things that bring people together! Finding community in others is one of the greatest feelings in life, so why do we feel the need to demonize it? Men are allowed to like video games, sports, and rap music without judgement or ridicule no matter how unoriginal or popular it is.
The ingrained ideology that femininity is associated with weakness is something so painfully outdated. If this mind-set could be changed, even slightly, we could open up a whole new world of comfortability in expressing gender and identity.
So please, let’s stop acting like a man drinking a pumpkin spice latte is the downfall of masculinity because if that’s all it takes, maybe masculinity wasn’t that strong to begin with. Be secure in who you are and try to consider how you view or criticize others’ interests within a patriarchal framework.