In Defense of the Basic

 

I don't mean basics like a white cardigan or little black dress (though I would defend them if needed)I mean the derogatory term for 'mainstream' people. What's wrong with mainstream? Of course, sacrificing your standards and individuality to fade in with the crowd is terrible, but what about people who do like that kind of thing and that's how they express themselves? So their version of unique is mass produced, what are we going to do?
 We as 'alternative kids' are stuck in the idea that the 'basic kids' are evil.Why? A legion of stereotyping movies? The way they live is simply different than ours?

A while ago in band class while having a free day I was talking to this clarinet player I wanted to get to know because of her flannels, Twenty One Pilots shirts, and dyed hair. We were talking about the sections when she told me she hated most all other clarinets. "They're all just a bunch of basic preppy white girls" she said. What is wrong with being any of those things?
Being basic? The whole reason I haven't been doing fashiony stuff much is because I need to be 'basic' for  a while and I don't want to put forth effort.So I wear sweaters and pants.Am I now cookie-cutter, unoriginal, and 'basic', a term used like a swear word to the 'unique'? Maybe. No, but who cares? It's not meant to be used like that.

Being preppy? There is a stereotype around 'preppy kids'- that they're all stuck up, rich, rude, bleh,bleh. Whatever. Maybe so, me and preppy people are like that, but their fashion choices don't reflect their attitude. Those two thins just happen to coincide. There are plenty of rude alternative kids.

Being a white girl? Just putting this out there: she herself was white. Please don't use skin color or gender in a way to offend.
Thinking about this, I thought of the girls she was talking about in her section. I knew some of them. They were nice to me (upperclassmen being kind to a freshman? Thumbs up in my book!) They were stylish. And a few of them I knew like Twenty One Pilots.

I've done a post in the defense of the weird. Weird is cool. Being basic is cool if that's how you roll. AS important as I find expressing yourself visually in that sense, I don't think that, that should be linked to stereotypes. This is the defense of those who typically don't get that. Be what you need to be when you need to be it, whether that is weird, basic, or undefined. Be a collage.
You never know who may like the same music as you  based on their outfit, readers.
(Images from Pinterest)