PARK: Do not be afraid to be 'basic'
Column: The Queue
Let me begin by acknowledging that I am mainstream. I like the color pink, my favorite artists are at the top of the pop charts and I have watched "Friends" one too many times. I tend not to deviate too far from the crowd, but it is not intentional.
In the mid-2010s, being called "basic" was the biggest insult.
The term has since trickled its way into the common vernacular we use today. When I look at myself in the morning, wearing Lululemon leggings, a Rutgers sweatshirt and Hoka sneakers on my way to pick up the newest fall drink at the Yardbucks, I cannot help but sigh in disgust.
But why should I feel ashamed when I am just being me? There is a difference between enjoying popular things and conforming to fit in, liking something that is well-liked and simply following trends.
As young adults, we want a sense of belonging. In college, we take comfort in finding common interests with the people around us and not pressuring ourselves to stand out too much. Of course, individuality is important, and college is an ideal time to find yourself and your identity, but something I think most of us can relate to is liking something because someone else does, too.
For example, I have played sports my whole life. I love the idea of school spirit and have attended my fair share of Rutgers football games. I do not necessarily enjoy watching the game unless the Knights are winning, but the idea of getting dressed in scarlet and standing in SHI Stadium on Busch campus among other Rutgers students is prideful.
We like to fit in with our peers and with the image of our school. After two full years here, I have gotten to learn a thing or two about football, too.
Regarding trend following, it is important to note that trends have always existed in a vicious cycle. They come and go and only exist if people embrace them and interact with them regularly. Driven by time and popularity and grown through people’s social instinct to follow others, trends serve the purpose of keeping things fresh and new in our minds. Obsessing over specific clothing styles or fads is what starts the pattern, but without the people who make the trends basic, they would not get to live or die.
I was recently asked to choose three artists that describe my music taste. I was tempted to lie and say something cool and underground. But when I think about it, it is not a true reflection of me, and I should not be embarrassed by that.
My favorite artists are Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. Like many other college-aged girls, my rotation of music is happily satisfied by one of the two artists and has been since I was 7 years old.
Before you roll your eyes and say that neither of these two artists is basic or well-liked, both are performers with two of the highest-grossing tours of the past year. Styles' Love On Tour wrapped in August 2023 as the fifth highest-grossing tour of all time. On average, more than 70,000 people attended Swift's Eras Tour on any given night. She had 68 shows in North America and is gearing up for her tour in Europe next year.
The scale at which these artists have performed and released music is extremely impressive, even to a non-fan. After being seen at a Kansas City Chiefs game in support of her new alleged beau Travis Kelce this past week, Kelce’s jersey saw approximately a 400 percent spike in sales, so Swift is even taking football to a new level.
Artists like Styles and Swift have undergone such exponential growth for a reason. They are talented and fit a demeanor that is well-received. Styles got his start in One Direction, a boy band whose following was mostly teen girls. It should not be surprising that the fan base has grown up with them, even following them into the five solo careers the bandmates have established. You could call it basic, or you could call it loyalty.
I feared being basic for far too long. But when I thought about changing my demeanor and personality, it just did not seem right. I do not want to change to fit in, and it just so happens that the things that spark joy for me are common for other people, too.
In college, I think it is hard to admit to liking certain things out of the fear of being judged. The groans when I walk into class with yet another pumpkin spice latte can be heard even before I step through the door. When I turn my car on and a song from Styles immediately starts playing, my cheeks turn flush in embarrassment because the entire parking lot can hear me.
I do not seek to fit in a box, but it just so happens that I do, and that is something we should not feel compelled to change.
Sure, I will actively find ways to make myself unique and appealing in times when I need to stand out as a job candidate or a star student in the classroom. But liking something mainstream is not something to be ashamed of.
Annabel Park is a junior at Rutgers Business School, majoring in supply chain management and minoring in economics. Her column, "The Queue," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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