In Defense of Being “Basic”
Photo: Urban Decay
In the past few months, the word “basic” has whipped the Internet into a violent frenzy. Needless to say, it’s gotten a bad rap. As in, no one wants to be called basic—except maybe for me.
I grew up in a small preppy town in Connecticut, but as the product of three generations of eccentric New Yorkers I was encouraged to stand out. I watched out-of-print indie movies, knew Talking Heads and Queen lyrics by heart at six years old, and dyed my hair hot pink when I was 15 (it didn’t go over as well as it might now). Sure, I loved those things. But you know what I loved even more? Mainstream stuff like shopping at the Gap, wearing the same Rum Raisin lipstick and Sunflowers perfume as all the girls in my class, and watching Friends. All the things you’d call basic now. I might have ended up back in New York, a city full of indie boutiques, but I still gravitate towards popular brands and yearn for trips to Target and Cheesecake Factory. I was and still am a lover of mainstream trends, no matter how suburban they are, as long as they suit me. Is that so bad?
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Even my makeup is basic. I like natural pink blush, sheer bronze shadows, a swipe of mascara, and barely-there lipstick. I’ll be a rag & bone jeans and Madewell t-shirt girl forever. The only basic beauty thing in which I don’t indulge is regular blowouts.
When Urban Decay’s new Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palettes ($29) came across my desk I couldn’t decide if the brand was cashing in on the “basic” movement, or helping ladies like me wade through the B.S. to find simple shades that truly flatter. Are the colors safe, generic, and maybe even boring? Yup! But they will become part of my regular routine, along with watching Scandal, going out for brunch, listening to Rihanna, and drinking Starbucks.
