Sunday, January 10, 2016

Single Story: Basic White Girls


I would like to focus on the group "basic white girls" for my single story. For those who have not heard the term before, it basically means a group of white girls who follow trends. Whether it's drinking pumpkin spice lattes, wearing vests or listening to One Direction.... if you like those things then you are considered "basic". Boys will make fun of them along with girls who considered themselves to be "different."



Their single story is that if a girl likes what is popular than she is trying too hard. Why can't girls enjoy their interests without being mock? Why aren't boys who love watching ESPN and wearing basketball shorts mocked for being "basic"? It doesn't matter how crazy their Starbucks order is, we shouldn't judge people based off their interests. Buzzfeed even has a quiz where you can find out how basic you are: http://www.buzzfeed.com/apentak720/how-much-of-a-basic-white-girl-are-you-actually-1b817#.nbq13bO9W. The weird mockery of being "basic" has almost made it cool. People talk about being "basic" so much it's as if you are not cool if you can't crack a good joke about white girls and their uggs.

http://diply.com/different-solutions/basic-white-girl-how-to-guide/51659

Instead of focusing on what makes someone fit in, why don't we focus on what makes them unique? Behind that girl you just called "basic" could be an incredibly brilliant future brain surgeon or artist. Just because they are obsessed with Justin Bieber doesn't mean they don't also love Dave Matthew Band. The media creates ideas and boxes that each person has to fit into and we as communicators promote those boxes. Instead of mocking those who have different interests than our own we should understand that we are all a little "basic" on the inside.

By making assumptions we are telling girls that they are silly for stupid for enjoying what they like. We should be encouraging everyone to pursue what excites them--not mock them for it. The media is also creating a setting where openly mocking people is acceptable and it never should be.

Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. McKenzie DraperJanuary 10, 2016 at 6:01 PM

    I love this! Your last point is so accurate, the acceptance of mocking others for their likes and dislikes is never okay.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sofie GreenbaumJanuary 10, 2016 at 6:47 PM

    I have seen this single story a lot in the past year, and have experienced it first hand. I am guilty of some of the "basic white girl" stereotype, and I totally agree with you that we should focus more on what makes girls unique.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJanuary 10, 2016 at 11:03 PM

    This is definitely one that's gotten a lot of traction in recent years. I think the internet sort of perpetuates this single story (although that's probably true for just about every single story out there). I definitely appreciate your angle: why are we judging people who are harmlessly doing the things they love?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maria StoddardJanuary 10, 2016 at 11:51 PM

    Great point! I get made fun of for being basic a lot, but I'm not going to be ashamed for liking the things I do.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ChrisCJanuary 13, 2016 at 5:52 PM

    Madison-yes, mocking people is never a good thing. But not sure if any type of white girl would be considered a minority or out of the mainstream in any way

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)