Why I Hate the Word "Basic."

Basic.

I've grown to hate this term, but like most millennials, I use it all the time.

"Don't mind me, just bein' a basic bitch with my pumpkin spice latte in September."
"Staging a photo for Instagram? You're so basic."
"You mean to tell me you like wearing yoga pants and going to Pure Barre and taking 'candid' pictures and listening to Taylor Swift? AND you have a lifestyle blog? BASIC."

I'm sorry. SORRY THAT I LIKE POPULAR THINGS.

But really. What is it with society and deeming those who enjoy universally liked things as "basic"? Am I the only one who gets borderline offended? It's like telling someone their interests and thoughts and feelings are unauthentic.

Maybe it hits me hard because growing up, I listened to Hilary Duff, Britney Spears, and the Backstreet Boys; I didn't start listening to the Beatles at seven years old and I had zero desire for the majority of my parents' "throwback jams." I watched the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon until I was 16, and I've never had an 'unnatural' color in my hair. I've never spent my time in old record stores, or feeling like no one really understood me. As I've gotten older, I still prefer top 40 to most underground bands. I drink white wine instead of red, and you'll never catch me with a whiskey anything. I've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's, and I don't think of myself as an old soul. And I'm not hating on people who do/have done all these things. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

Growing up, I've always wanted to be that kind of girl - different, edgy, intriguing. The kind of girl you read about in books. The kind of girl who orders whiskey waters and spends her time reading classics in the back of a used book store and discovering new music no one else has ever heard of. I wanted to be the kind of girl who can dye her hair a different color every other week and absolutely love it.

But I'm not.

I make an ugly face every time I take a sip of any kind of whiskey drink. The excessive use of semi colons in old time fiction bothers me to no end, and I really, really love Spotify and my wireless bluetooth speaker. And frankly, I'll never have the guts to dye my hair violet or pink or even red.

As I'm getting older, I'm finally realizing that it's okay. It's okay to be myself. It's okay to like pumpkin everything, to order all my swim suits from Victoria's Secret, to count down the days until the next Taylor Swift album comes out. It's also okay to not to any of those things, because that's what makes us all different. Maybe to some people it looks like I'm conforming, but you know what? I like what I like, and I'm over feeling stupid about it.

And on that note,

HAPPY PUMPKIN EVERYTHING SEASON, BITCHES!