By Katie Aubin
Reporter
Two weeks ago, when I told people I was comparing pumpkin spice lattes for an article, too many of them had the same, boring reaction: “Ha!” they would say, “typical white girl piece.” Aside from just being highly lame, this joke bothers me because it alludes to a broader, more subtle issue.
The “basic white girl” is one of my least favorite cultural figures to emerge in the last decade, partly because despite its popularity, it is so poorly constructed. According to the hard-hitters at Buzzfeed, the Basic White Girl loves stuff like Starbucks and UGG boots and Instagram and taking pictures with her friends while listening to pop music – pretty offensive stuff. In fact, the criteria for this stereotype seem to just include everything that a girl might conceivably enjoy. Frankly, it has almost nothing to do with being white, and everything to do with being a girl.
Simply put, it’s a trap.
Any girl who has the nerve to love things without being ashamed of herself runs the risk of earning the BWG label. For instance, Taylor Swift is one of the most popular and highest selling artists of all time, and has a net worth of close to $200 million, but half of her fanbase is embarrassed to admit they love her because they’re afraid some guy with Doritos breath might call her “basic.”
A recent large-scale example of this kind of mockery occurred in late September, when sports fans watching an Arizona Diamondbacks game could not emotionally handle a group of Arizona State sorority sisters taking selfies in the stands. Footage of these girls making silly faces into their phones instead of watching the game gained national criticism from sociopaths and other people who hate fun things. When the Diamondbacks later offered the sorority free tickets to a game, the girls opted to donate them to charity, in the ultimate act of good sportsmanship.
Furthermore, one of the most frustrating parts of the Basic White Girl phenomenon is that there hasn’t really been a corresponding male trope, though not for lack of material.
For instance, girls are ridiculed for liking pumpkin spice lattes, but guys have literally developed something known as “bacon culture.” Boys also make fun of girls for liking things like boy bands and rom-coms, but will still make decade-old Family Guy references, or say things like “The Eagles have some great B-sides,” when they barely even have good A-sides.
Of course, I’m generalizing to make a point. Taking some perspective on the issue reveals that the BWG is an overrated joke at best, and a sexist stereotype at worst.
Either way, I hope we, as a society, can do a better job with our next cultural meme.
