the plight of the

BASIC B*TCH

In today’s digital age,Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become the single greatest sources of social pressure.

pressure to gain followers, likes, and friends

and thus, popularity and acceptance.

These social media pressures give rise to a new cultural phenomenon:

THE BASIC B*TCH

When they’re not on their quest to make pumpkin spice lattes available all year round

Basic bitches fill our Instagram feeds with gym selfies, sunsets, and #tbt’s.

They never fail to post the results of the latest BuzzFeed quiz on their BFF’s timeline

because “this is sooooo us!”

Or create a loud and often blurry snap story of them dancing #WTG at the club on #GNO.

And while Beyonce and Britney have both tried to

reclaim“basic bitch” as a positive expression

Kreayshawn when she sings,

“Them basic bitches wear that

shit so I don’t even bother”.

Society generally agrees with

MEANING: If you’re a girl and you likecommercially typical things,

you are uncool.

But Why?

It may seem like afeminist act to dismiss all gender signifiers and

be different.

But it’s just another incredibly high formof sexism.

The basic bitch’s male equivalent, the bro, carries a neutral - if not affectionate- tone... When

we could have just as easily called them

BASIC DICKS

“Just because someone reflects convention does not necessarily mean she does so out of

conformity.”-Alyce Currier

This term needs to either be eliminated from our vocabulary OR

used with new-found positive connotations...

delicious

because macaroons are

cut-offs are fun n’ flirty.

and high-waisted

STAY BASIC.so you go girls.

All photographs taken from Flickr and Google Images under the Creative Commons License.

sources

1. Basic Bitch. (2014, January 1). Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=basic%20bitch

2. Buchanan, D. (2014, April 14). Why I'm proud to be a 'basic bitch'. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/14/proud-to-be-basic-bitch

Kyla Craig - 10049689