At times, it feels like shaming women is the country’s national pastime—and this holds true regardless of the gender of the shamer. You’re either too easy or stuck-up, either “asking for it” or unattractive, either uptight or unfriendly. Each of these labels (and the countless other labels I don’t have time to name) is problematic in its own right, but what seems especially hypocritical about this hyper-judging environment is that any attempts to meet the center a la Goldilocks is also sneered at.
Behold, the Basic Bitch™.
In a nutshell, the term “basic bitch” is a way of mocking women for having an interest in what’s popular at the moment, whether that means wearing trendy clothing or watching mainstream shows or using popular filters or whatever.
Now see, I’m all for calling out these trends when they’re causing issues—like when Coachella fashion becomes culturally appropriative or when Snapchat filters reveal underlying racial bias.
But the mere act of watching the same shows as other women or liking the same jokes or wearing similar outfits isn’t a bad thing, and it certainly doesn’t mean a girl has no mind of her own. All it means is that she was (a) exposed to a certain trend, and (b) she likes it.
That’s it. That’s literally it.
What they say: That girl’s so basic.
What they mean: Unless that girl changes her hobbies, style preferences, and interests, she has no value.
What’s really infuriating about this is the fact that oftentimes, when a woman doesn’t follow the norm, she’s often considered to be weird or a poser. There’s just no winning when it comes to society’s standards.
I saw this video from College Humor a while back featuring a couple who was informed that the woman had been diagnosed as a Basic Bitch. Her “symptoms”, which ranged from her activities and her likes, were treated as shameful and like they were in need of correction. At the end, her husband promised to be supportive of her (and the use of the word “supportive” here is questionable), but when she compared their relationship to “Love Actually”, and he immediately wanted to divorce her.
Ha.
The thing is, I’m all for comedy, and in the grand scheme of things, this is far from the most harmful joke out there.
But here’s the real take-home issue: If women are constantly belittled for something as simple as liking things (whether they’re “basic” for liking mainstream culture or “weird” for liking something atypical), then what’s stopping us from being demeaned when it really counts? When we’re wearing the “wrong” makeup at a job interview or not having “proof” during a sexual assault hearing?
Image Credits: Brynna Spencer on Pexels, Khloe Kardashian on Logo TV, and College Humor