Is Judging Pumpkin Spice Lattes Really a Judgement Of the Women Who Drink Them?
Spoiler alert: probably
If I’m honest, I hoped no one saw me recently ducking into Starbucks for a research-purpose pumpkin spice latte (PSL).
What if someone I know sees me? What if that person walking past judges me and my cream-covered PSL? What must they think of me taking photos?
I also didn’t want to be considered that girl — the one who falls for Fall. The one who, as soon as the weather turns, pulls out the chunky knits and knee-high boots, and carries a PSL like it’s a status symbol.
That’s all a bit basic, isn’t it?
Then I realised I was being super judgemental. What’s worse, I was being judgemental about the very group of people I spend much of my writing career advocating for.
Women.
Generally, pumpkin spice lattes are considered a female-centric foodstuff. They’re called a white girl stereotype. A basic bitch of a drink.
We judge them hard.
But our ridicule of PSLs — or more accurately, the women who drink them — are indicative of a wider problem. When we judge pumpkin spice lattes we run the risk of judging the women who drink them and their perceived “less-than” food choices.
