What’s wrong with commonality? During my allotted phone time before bed, I’ve recently felt suffocated by content bashing people for enjoying “basic” things. Whether it be a band, movie, book, coffee shop order, or even a water bottle brand, there will always be something painted basic. Basic because everyone likes it, or basic because it was discovered via social media– I feel like we as a collective society are constantly fighting to prove we are more interesting than one another. What’s the fun in genuinely liking things if we’re so fixated on claiming something as our own?
If you called a 17-year-old me “basic” in any context it would have–to put it lightly–probably ruined my whole week. I was, and probably still am, a chronic individualist, but honestly, if you put it into perspective, no one wants to be called basic. Being called basic feels like a way of erasing all of your character. For an embarrassingly long time, I was desperate to look cool and prove that my interests were my own and unique to only me. It’s naive to think that way and It’s also unrealistic to pretend that you don’t find any cool new songs or book recommendations on social media. Still, in my own experience, I know it can be embarrassing to admit.
Our loves and passions should be shared with the world. No artist, fashion designer, author, or barista does what they do just for one person to enjoy, that was never the point of humanity. Hot people don’t gatekeep; share what you love and if it explodes in popularity and is absorbed by everyone around you, feel not frustration, but satisfaction. Take pride in providing someone with something new to love.
It’s laughable when you see someone else wearing the same outfit, ordering your same special go-to at a Starbucks, or reading the same book as you. I love music, probably too much, but I’m not going to stand around and pretend that I enjoy listening to hardbag house music (real genre), but if you do that’s great! I take pride in my self-proclaimed niche and underground music taste, but for every deep cut I enjoy there are two top 40 hits I enjoy just the same. If you actually like something, never be ashamed about it, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure no one actually cares whether you found that artist from a TikTok or bought your shoes because you saw them in a popular magazine– though we all pretend like we do. Never be ashamed of liking something, enjoying something, and taking pride in it is what makes you unique, not whether or not it’s considered “underground.” On my never-ending journey to not caring what others think, I’ve learned that being an individualist is exhausting. Enjoying “basic” things is fun, no opinion or trend should ever stop you from doing what you enjoy.
Basic doesn’t make you boring. I speculate that there are two identical people no matter what we as individuals will always be unique. Having a shared interest with someone doesn’t make you any less special, in fact, it makes you more connected to the world around you. Stop trying so hard to be unique– you already are.