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I hate the term basic. I remember thinking, the first time I heard it, “That must have been created by a mean girl” (it wasn’t, surprisingly, but more on that point later). No matter who invented the term, it is, in my opinion, mean girls who use it. Adult bullies. By most people’s definition of the word, I’m quite basic. I like pumpkin spice lattes, Britney Spears (the new and old stuff—Britney forever!!!), and yoga. I wear crystals and I don’t know what they mean. But you know what else? I’m nice. I like meeting all kinds of people, I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, I presume people are fundamentally good, and I’m cheery. I like to make other people feel good about themselves—not bad about themselves. I remember once jogging by some women, I guess playing Britney too loud in my headphones, and they started mocking me when they thought I couldn’t hear them. They called me basic, of course. And I thought, “If behaving like those women is what it means to not be basic, then I’m glad I’m basic.” But, ultimately, I wish we’d do away with the term entirely. Here is why we need to stop calling each other basic.
A man coined the term
So, a man coined this term—comedian Lil Duval, to be exact. Are we really taking a derogatory term that a misogynist man created while talking badly about women and using it against each other? That whole series of events makes me shudder.
