I’m a Basic Bitch and I Know it
I AM “BASIC BITCH” AND I KNOW IT.
The urban dictionary defines the word basic as: “to describe someone devoid of defining characteristics that might make a person interesting, extraordinary or just simply worth devoting time or attention too. 2. Lacking intelligence and unable to socialize on even an elementary level.”
Pop culture has coined this term into demeaning women for holding similar looks, traits and style. Just Instagram alone has been taken over by women posing with their perfect #ootd (outfit of the day) looks and starbucks coffee cups. While we all roll our eyes when we see others do it if you’re on social media you are a guilty party as well. As social media grows ever more popular the need to stand out or look different becomes ever more apparent. We look to our peers and even strangers to “like” what we are wearing or doing that day. The need to be”liked” or to be accepted grows stronger everyday. To older generations sans millennials wonder why social media takes over our lives. They grew up in a different time. A much simpler time where instagram, facebook, snapchat etc etc didn’t run our everyday lives. The difference between our generations we have a choice to be sucked in or to embrace the change. Being present on any social media platform is a choice but very easily can turn into an addiction. Or even worse being coined a “basic bitch”.
Some might say that I have fallen under the latter, that I am addicted to my social media platforms. I’d have a hard time arguing that while I do enjoy my snapchat and instagram more than most. But I am not the girl who post everything wants/needs the most the attention? I don’t view myself that way at all. I have embraced what social media can do for us and brought to life my own life by doing so. By doing this I am coining myself a “Basic Bitch.”
Before you read on there is something you must understand. I do not mean to demean myself in anyway. I do not mean to demean others who may do the same as me with their social media platforms. I am merely accepting the fact that under the world’s definition of a “basic bitch” I fall under that category.
But in my world, Basic stands for something completely different. Basic stands for:
BadA$$
Adventurous
Sassy
Independent
Courageous/Curvy
B is for BadA$$:
In my world, I am a Bada$$ for owning my own identity traits. If there’s one thing I have learned over the years is that people demean you because they do not feel good about themselves. They use their own insecurities and try to poison you by believing you are the problem and you’re the one that needs to change. It’s taken me a long time to accept who I am but you know what many have tried to tear me down and in the words of Kelly Clarkson “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. So at this time, I’d like to thank all those who have wronged or hurt me. Thank you for molding me into the bada$$ that I am today. Knowing you has made me the most resilient person and without your presence in my life I might still be a wet pool noodle scared to speak for herself.
A is for Adventurous:
When I was 14, I wrote down 100 bucket list of adventures that I was convinced needed to happen before I died. You might think it’s strange that at a such a young age I was able to come up with so many adventures. I’ve always had a very vivid imagination and natural curiosity for life. But I think my most favorable guiding influence is my Dad. My Dad isn’t a normal Dad he’s a cool Dad. Before marrying my mom at the right age of 36. He traveled all over the world learned Chinese and lived abroad for sometime. My childhood in Southern California was a vast melting pot of cultural experiences. My parents saw the importance for us kids to be immersed in others cultures experiences. By the age of 10, I was surrounded by languages and had I shown more interest I would have been fluent in 5 different languages. This is my one and only regret of my childhood. While I loved being surrounded by all walks of life. I never learned another language until I was in college. Now I speak what I like to call Franglish but I think it was those childhood experiences that made me curious for adventures. I have become an expert yes women to every new adventure that comes my way. Whether that is driving two hours to pick apples on a farm or leaving for a study abroad in Paris. I have caught the adventure bug. And my basic bitch self will not rest until I am completely satisfied that my bucketlist adventures and much more are done.
S is for Sassy:
On a number of occasions my sassy attitude has brought some of the most iconic people to walk into my life. But my sassy side was something that evolved overtime. As I became more comfortable with who I was the sassiness grew stronger inside of me. Growing up my parents could see that vanity would later become an issue if they didn’t interfere. At 15, I did not look my age. My chest size alone would make most people assume I was at least a senior in high school. I would wake up and spend hours trying to get ready to fit in with all the “cool kids.” I felt this dying need to look a certain way so others would like me. It got to the point that my dad started to time me and gave me half hour to get ready for school. Reminding me that while it’s good to look our best it was more important that I gained a personality and intelligence as well. This was probably one of the best things my parents did for me. It allowed me to let go and not worry about what other’s will think of me. I expressed myself through my own personal fashion sense of leopard, floral patterns. While all the cool kids wore clothing from Hollister and Abercrombie. I wore gems from my local thrift stores pairing it with cheaper brands such as forever 21, target etc etc. As I have gotten older my sassy side has only evolved; as has my sense of fashion. But embracing who you truly are will set you free. And it has taken me years to get where I am today. But my sassy side is here to stay.
I is for Independent:
When you’re sassy you tend to also be stubborn and independent. It comes with the territory. I would describe being independent like a cat. A cat comes around and will grace with his/her presence when they feel like it. They will not beg you their attention they will demand it when they feel like it. They can be considered very selfish creatures. But I like to think of them as very self aware. They know what they want when they want it they are the no bull$hit type of company that i enjoy being around. I like a cat, do not demand everyone’s attention all the time. I am independent but will be at someone’s aide if needed in a heartbeat. I will be the center of attention when I choose too but I can quickly turn it off. I like a cat can be very loving but needs her freedom to do what she want. In my world, being a cat isn’t the worst thing. A cat is free to roam it’s surroundings. It’s a sense of freedom and independence in my eyes. I’d rather be a cat than a dog. While a dog may be loyal, a dog cannot climb a tree and reach new heights in life.
C is for Courageous/Curvy: In the code of the Basic Bitch. I give two C’s for one reason. We are all different. As women we come in all shapes and sizes. And in that we must find the courage to love ourselves. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said,
“One must love oneself in order to love another.”
We spend our days worrying about the what if’s. What if I change this then things will be different. We’ve all fallen under that spell one way or another. But at the end of the day finding your qualities that you actually love about yourself is key to finding true happiness. You will spend your whole life unhappy if you do not find the courage to dive deeper into loving oneself. Love who you are because no one can take that away from you. Accepts your flaws as unique traits, Find the courage to work on what you feel like is truly important to YOU and most of love your curves or lack thereof. Don’t spend your day trying to be someone else because you will fail every single time. At some point you’ve got to wave the white flag and say “Hello World, This is me!”
I am a “basic bitch” but I am my own version not the world’s definition.
I am who I am.
What does being a “basic bitch” mean to you?
