Chances are that at some point you have been deemed “basic.” Chances also are that immediately upon hearing this you halted whatever “crime” you were allegedly committing. Why, though? 

Why should you force yourself to fit into the confines of norms? 

If you want to style your outfit with that matching magenta scrunchie or “save the turtles” with that turquoise Hydro Flask, do it. Why? Simply because you want to. 

This whole thing is especially ironic since in the effort to avoid being “basic”, you’re conforming. You are in a sense becoming what you have condemned. 

In order to amend this we need to delve into why we systematically segregate ourselves based on things as trivial as t-shirts. 

First we need to clarify the definition of “basic.” According to the Webster Dictionary, “basic characterizes someone or something as unoriginal, unexceptional, and mainstream.” However if you refer to the Urban Dictionary, you will find that the definition varies quite a bit. 

The Urban Dictionary uses the term “basic” to belittle not only one’s choice of bracelet but also their character. They use it to describe someone “devoid of defining characteristics that might make a person interesting, extraordinary, or just simply worth devoting time or attention to.”

We cannot gauge a person’s substance by something as simple as a latte. 

Avoiding stereotyping is something that has been ingrained in our brains since the first day of kindergarten yet we perpetually forget. Well this is your reminder. 

So ask yourself: since when did being “basic” make you bad?