Pumpkin Spice. Air Force 1’s. The Dog Filter on Snapchat. TikTok. Iced Coffee. Infinity Scarves. Lululemon Leggings. Avocado Toast. Yoga Pants. Starbucks.
Did reading those words spark any judgement? If you’re like most people, your first train of thought was probably something along the lines of “lol that’s so basic.” I’m not sure when the whole “basic” trend started, but one thing’s for sure- it’s almost always meant as an insult. See, our culture has this never-ending obsession with being unique. God forbid a fashion style, restaurant or music artist blows up, because we already know there’s going to be people claiming they don’t like it, or that it’s overdone or that it’s (you guessed it) BASIC.
I’ve realized that a lot of the time people hate on popular trends because they like to think they’re special for not being a part of the crowd or that not conforming to the majority somehow makes them more intelligent. I believe in something called the threshold of popularity. Once something becomes saturated (or popular) enough, people begin hating on it simply to hate on it. We like to think that straying from the trend proves to everyone that “we’re not like the rest.” News flash, hating pumpkin spice lattes isn’t the ground-breaking stance you think it is.
So am I saying that everyone should buy a pair of Air Force 1’s and call it a day? Well, no. The point I’m making here is that you shouldn’t feel pressure to conform to a trend or pressure to deviate from it. Nowadays, women (and men) are expected to be unique and stand out from the crowd, but each and every one of us is already unique- no two people on this planet are the same. So if California Rolls are your thing, that’s totally okay. But if you’re into Dragon Rolls with a side of spicy mayo? Also okay.
Overall, if something becomes extremely popular among the masses, it’s usually because a lot of people feel comfortable participating in this trend or because it makes a lot of people happy. And if something makes a lot of people feel good about themselves, how on earth could that be a bad thing?