Being “basic” is often looked down upon and avoided in society, especially, it seems, in the past few years. Let’s start by taking a look at the term “basic”. Urban Dictionary states that; “Basic is used to describe someone devoid of defining characteristics that might make a person interesting or extraordinary”. However, this word has become widely overused and now describes anyone who happens to enjoy mainstream media or products. People avoid fitting into this label like it’s the plague, and even push it onto other people to do so.
Why do people feel the need to stand out anyway? A study conducted by Birga Mareen Schumpe and Hans-Peter Erb states that; “humans feel unpleasant when they experience too much or too little similarity to others. Instead, a moderate degree of uniqueness promises the most positive emotional outcome”. Because of this feeling, humans strive to find a balance between fitting in and standing out. If someone feels like they blend in too much, they might want to make up for this in various ways.
One of these ways is that people may push others down for enjoying mainstream culture to make themselves feel more unique. Often, these criticisms come in the form of mocking people’s media intake, whether it’s music, movies, or TV shows. For example, someone who listens to the most popular artists has terrible music taste, in comparison to someone who listens to underground artists, who has great music taste. People who listen to popular music or watch popular shows are often judged for following mainstream culture, even though they are likely doing so because they enjoy it, not because they want to fit in. Aside from the media, people may also be made fun of for wearing trendy clothes or buying popular products. Because of this, people tend to actively avoid taking part in mainstream culture to appear “cooler”.
I wouldn’t be fully covering the topic of basicness if I didn’t address its roots in misogyny. Accusations of being basic are almost always aimed at women. When you think of a basic girl, you might think of someone who wears Air Force Ones, drinks pumpkin spice lattes, and listens to Taylor Swift. This type of person is often made fun of and ridiculed indirectly, especially online. On the other hand, I have seen countless of boys who wear Nikes every day, listen to Drake, and have the same floppy hairstyle as everyone else. I hardly ever see people making fun of this lifestyle, which is how it should be. “Basic” things are often popular for a reason, and no one should be shamed for enjoying mainstream culture, no matter their gender.
To be clear, this article is not aimed towards anyone who genuinely has niche interests or for some other reason stands out from the crowd. Individuality is incredibly important, and these people contribute to it while facing their own criticisms, though that is a completely separate topic. The real problem is when people actively avoid mainstream culture, while looking down on others who enjoy popular media and products.
The best thing to do to embrace individuality at its fullest is to accept interests as they are, whether they are extremely unique or the biggest trend. After all, people are meant to curate their own media and product intake in a way that suits them best, not in a way that will impress others. Remember this the next time you begin to judge someone, or even yourself, for being too “basic”.
