How Not To Be #Basic This Fall

You can almost hear the snaps of iPhones taking Instagram-ready selfies over the crinkling of the leaves. You can smell the processed pumpkin flavoring of that overpriced latte you drink while sitting in front of the fire. You can feel the fuzzy warmth of your glorified slippers and your oversized sweater. You know what that means? Fall has finally arrived! But how about this time we try to change it up a bit? It’s time to be less predictable and a little more creative. Here are a few things you can do to stay away from being #basic this fall.

1. For the love of everything holy, please ditch those UGG Boots that you’ve tried to convince yourself you like. Try something a little more stylish so your walk to class feels like you’re strutting like Beyoncé, rather than sleepily stumbling your way to class. A simple ankle boot or a pair chic riding boots are perfect and go with just about any outfit, plus you’ll feel much more confident!

2. Okay, okay, okay, everyone loves Pumpkin Spice Lattes. We get it. But don’t you think it’s time to try something new? I mean, change can be a good thing. Athens has plenty of local coffee shops to choose from and buying a cup o’ joe from somewhere like Two Story Coffee Shop or Sips Espresso Cafe helps support local businesses rather than massive coffee-conglomerates. You may call it ‘being hipster,’ but I call it ‘supporting your neighbor.’

3. Ladies, listen up. We’ve got to cool it with the Instagram filters. Don’t get me wrong, every so often a little change of the light helps boost my selfie-game, but when you’ve filtered it so much that we can barely recognize you, you’ve gone too far. Trust me, you look fine; you’ll still get the double-taps that your heart desires with or without those filters!

4. Lastly, we have to talk about the latest epidemic taking college campuses by storm: wearing leggings as pants. Leggings are a magnificent invention when used correctly, but it seems like most girls end up wearing them the wrong way. During the fall season, it can be pretty hard to pick out an outfit since it’s sweater weather in the morning and heat-stroke central in the afternoon, so leggings are a great way to keep your legs warm enough for the frost-bitten mornings and cool enough for the midday sunshine. But, if we can see your underwear underneath those leggings, then it’s time to change. The truth is that leggings are made of thin fabric, so wearing a t-shirt that stops at the top of your rump means that everyone around you can see those pink zebra print panties with the holes in it that you bought in high school but couldn’t bring yourself to throw out. Save yourself the embarrassment and please use leggings with caution!

Now go forth and spread the word… No longer shall we be #basic!!

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