American Woman or Basic Bitch?

It's necessary to have labels. Or so thats what society seems to tell us. Labels like, "woman in power", "career woman", "stay-at-home-mom", "it-girl", "guys girl", and so on and so on. These labels are powerful. They are filled with connotations that imply we know who the woman is and are able to reduce her to a brief description and all which the label implies.

Becoming a champion for changing the culture of being a woman doesn't mean that the culture of those not defining themselves as a woman needs to be devalued. Devaluing someone does not make you a better person. In a time where gender identities go vastly beyond the simplistic view of male or female, it becomes even more necessary to reevaluate labels. It is time to step back and stop thinking in male vs. female terms. Perhaps, its time to begin thinking about people as people instead of categories. 

Rather than focusing on labels, perhaps its time to consider choices. Women, and all persons identifying as such, should not become a slave to the outdated, stereotypical assumptions associated with the choices she makes in life. As a society, why do so many people waste their time trying to sort people into categories only then insult or belittle them?

The energy it takes to inflict such negativity could easily be spent focusing on the multitude of other things in life that leave us so perpetually busy and drained, yes? I write this not from a holier-than-thou perspective but as someone who has been a part of this perpetuation of negativity. This is my small way of sharing that I don't want to contribute to such negativity anymore. 

You don't have to spend a lot of time on the internet before you stumble upon links to stories about the "basic bitch" who drinks pumpkin spice lattes, gets excited about going shopping, listens to pop music and loves a good wine night. The term basic bitch implies that these girls are subservient. Uninteresting, unoriginal, unimaginative--mindless trend following drones who deserve to be ridiculed. 

It's sad when choosing to indulge in something enjoyable for yourself results in belittlement. To say that drinking pumpkin spice lattes makes someone weak and boring is to imply that drinking black coffee makes someone strong, powerful, and interesting. As someone who has drank pumpkin spice lattes and chooses to drink black coffee 9 times out of 10, I can politely state that my coffee choices have never made me more interesting or powerful. 

Listening to various types of music has never left me more or less a successful person. Attending a football game or choosing to go shopping has not changed my life one way or another. As someone who has enjoyed following college sports, I have often been applauded by men for being "interesting" and told that it is hot that I like sports. Hardly. My interest in sports isn't to woo men or earn me some ego stroking. Nor is my affinity for Gossip Girl or my love of a good Sephora trip indicative of my lack of intelligence. 

The personal choices that any person makes in their life shouldn't make them subject to a peer review panel of judgement, but rather a necessary means of transporting you to a place in life where you are happy. I would rather do what makes me happy than choose to take part in things just to create an image for people who will find reasons to have contempt for you regardless. 

So people of the world, isn't it time we examined one another with acceptance than with a hot desire to tear one another apart?