In Defense of the “Basic White Girl,” Myself, and Hillary Clinton
If I had a dollar for every time somebody made fun of the fact I was the epitome of the “basic white girl” I’d definitely be a hell of a lot richer. Yet, what is so wrong with this stereotype and identity. Just because I have a passion for Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes, pairing Leggings and Uggs together and enjoy a good pumpkin patch Instagram, it is automatically assumed that I become this stereotype of having no depth at all and I can easily be dismissed as just another one of those “basic white girls”.
I recently stumbled upon this article 12 Men Explain What They See As An ‘Annoying White Girl’ (And Why They Don’t Want To Date Them) and got angry. What is wrong with this “annoying white girl” or “basic white girl” image, just because they enjoy something that everyone else does? Why is it just because these girls profess their love for trendy things they become people without personalities? Or as the article puts it, “vapid personalities”. For Goodness Sake! We just had the for the very first time a major party nominee be a women (hi Hillary Clinton, we’re looking at you). While yes, she sadly lost but isn’t it time our society changes our views on women based on their interest. Just because a girl’s interest is Netflix and wine doesn’t mean she cannot intellectually debate about politics or history. While I’m sure there are girls out there described as per the article but I’m sure there are also many more girls out there like me who fall into that category but we are so much more than these “annoying white girls” stereotype as the article put it. This article led me to think of W.E.B DuBois idea of the Double Consciousness.
a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness, — an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder
This description of the double consciousness represents the struggle that many girls out there have today. It speaks of how if a girl was to enjoy a Starbucks they sometimes are afraid to admit it in fear of being categorized into the “basic white girl” category just because they have an interest that follow trends. This idea of double consciousness applies to all women in how women are constantly judging themselves through the society’s view of how a woman should be, how if they enjoy the norm its considered shallow yet this doesn’t represent women for who they are. A person’s interest should not be the only thing that defines them into just one single category. From a young age women are told to be one thing or fall into a single category and this indirectly even affects men. Such as men as sometimes ashamed to admitting to their interest whether if its really Netflix or a good Starbucks in fear of being called a “basic white girl” and stereotyped. This idea of double consciousness isn’t only represented in this double standard of girls around the world but it is spoken about with Democratic Nominee Hilary Clinton as well. She speaks in how her behavior is treated differently just because she is a women even though if men in her position did the exact same thing they would be well received by the majority audience.
Hilary Clinton speaks of how her actions are always scrutinized just because of her gender and how she has to be aware of her actions while if a man was in her position it wouldn’t matter. Recently Hilary Clinton lost the US Presidential Election and wasn’t able to shatter the hardest glass ceiling which just goes to show how much work needs to be done. It showed to society and the rest of the world that a man who can make racist and misogynistic comments can still win a position of power over a woman and how there are so many double standards that we need to break within society today. So in defense of the basic white girl, yeah, I’m basic and proud but I am so much more than that and just you wait, you’ll see a woman shatter the hardest class ceiling yet.
