Infinity signs, feathers, dream catchers, arrows and anchors. What do all of these things have in common? They are all considered tattoos that “basic” girls get. Why do these objects have to be considered basic?

I think that every tattoo that you get should have a meaning since it will be embedded on your skin for the rest of your life. That is the reason why I think that these objects aren’t basic. They are symbols of memories that people have in their lives.

One of the problems of labeling these different objects is that many people are skeptical about getting them. Most girls don’t want to be considered “basic”. It is not a compliment to many people and some people believe that these objects are simply symbols of basicness.

I have definitely thought about what people might think if I was to get the particular tattoo that I want, a compass with an arrow going through the middle as one of the needles. This is not what everybody would consider basic but it has “basic” elements. The arrow, for example, is something that people see as basic, but nobody really knows the deeper meaning behind it. An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward, so to me this means that when life is pulling you back with difficulties, it will launch you into something great.

Everybody has a different reason for getting tattoos and they all have their own meanings for them. Also, every tattoo is different so they are never “basic.”

Tattoos aren’t the only thing that are associated with the word “basic.” There are actions that girls do that are considered basic. A girl could just be going in and getting her favorite drink from Starbucks and decides to take a picture of it. Guess what people call her? Basic.

Another thing, why should people actually care if they are called basic? Being basic isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Why can’t being basic be considered taking a screenshot of the small moments in our lives that symbolize something bigger? Why can’t basic just mean things that you like to do or things that you just like in general? Why label things as basic? Why label at all?

Social media has a lot to do with all of this. Many people post photos on Instagram and Facebook and people will comment saying, “that’s so basic” or something similar to that. What is even worse than this is when people include in their own caption “#Basicwhitegirl.” This brings more attention and meaning to the label.

Have you ever looked up the word basic before? I decided to actually look up on Google “What do basic girls do?” A lot of the articles that came up were about what “basic white girls do.” Urban Dictionary came up with having different objects and actions that people do every day. There are common and random things like Starbucks, Uggs and selfies, yet if you see a girl doing them they can be called basic. And yes, I said girl, because if you really think about it, guys don’t really get called basic. The “basic” label is sexist and the label itself should just be removed from society.

Honestly, go and call me basic because a majority of the descriptions for being basic apply to me. But at least I know there is more to me than this “basic” label, and others should think that as well.