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Photo by Riley Petillion / The Phoenix News
You have probably heard the term “common white girl.” Whether it is used to mock others, or accessed through Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites, the white girl stereotype is one of the most, let’s say, “basic” pillars of youth culture today.
According to Urban Dictionary, the term can be defined as: “Any white girl in America who is obsessed with any of the following: leggings, Uggs, Starbucks, Autumn, iPhones, Instagram, Twitter, selfies, or the movie Mean Girls.” Of course, these stereotypes are not limited to America but include Canada, Britain, and many parts of the English-speaking world. It makes sense to shift these cultural references into the present: including the above but omitting Ugg boots (better left in 2013) and adding, from my cultural observations, use of the snapchat “dog filter”, TV series The Bachelor, and choker necklaces—as some examples more fitting for 2017.
Back in 2014, a Harvard student published a thought-provoking blog entitled “Where the Words Intersect: How ‘White girls’ became ‘basic.’” I had not considered the difference between the two terms before, and the blog provided a crucial discussion of existing stereotypes and their problematic connotations. Fundamentally, we need to address that “white girl” and “basic” do mean different things, though they have come to be understood as interchangeable in society today. However, whilst ‘common white girl’ is racially problematic in a more obvious way, ‘basic’ might be too.
The blogger shows how the term basic, in the sense we know it today, actually originated from African American culture. It first appeared on the internet in YouTube user LilDuval’s video “Basic B*tch” in 2009. As she notes, “’basic bitch’ was originally in the African American community an extension of the term ‘ratchet,’ a ‘stereotypical lower class African American woman— someone who wore Rainbow clothing, lace front wigs, and drew on her eyebrows.’” The term the gradually entered into mainstream culture, appearing in Kreayshawn’s hit song “Gucci Gucci” in 2011—at which point was appropriated by a white singer to describe a more exclusive group, who could presumably afford the designer clothes and lifestyle described in the lyrics.
Yet, are we being over-sensitive by claiming that this stereotype is offensive? Is it just a harmless way to criticize our peers’ lack of imagination for their preferred choice of Netflix show, coffee house or clothing? Am I ruining the fun by over-analysing what is little more than a light-hearted stereotype?
Regardless of whether the term is meant derogatorily or light-heartedly, it is used to group people based on the type of products they consume, and these products are inherently linked to a middle-class market. Ugg boots, originally essential to the basic/ white girl image, cost upwards of around $195 a pair. North Face jackets, often grouped as another emblem of the common white girl, will set you back around $200-300. And to fuel the daily Starbucks addiction? A Grande specialty latte costs around $4.95, adding up to a whopping $34.65 per week.
Needless to say, when dissecting this stereotype we cannot help but see its links to middle-class consumerism. However, when class is additionally being bundled up with race, can we ever claim that the term is deracialized? Is it culturally acceptable to call a non-white girl a white girl? It seems that either a yes or no answer to this question could prove problematic. If yes, suggesting that the word white is de-racialized so that it no longer denotes race, but class, brings its own problems; fundamentally we cannot fully escape the obvious meaning of the word “white.” And if no, we are excluding any non-white females from associating with, or even enjoying, many of the popular and relatable emblems of common white girl (and middle-class) culture.
Even if we can relate to some of these common white girl things, we need to strive for more than the basic. The brands enjoyed by so-called common white girls are usually mid-market, mainstream, large corporations like Starbucks, the North Face and Victoria’s Secret. Maybe it is time we developed a little imagination in the trends we adopt—how we dress, spend our leisure time, and the food and drinks we consume—and whilst we’re there, stop being so “basic” in our labelling of each other.