Love Always, Basic White Girl

In the past couple of years, a label has emerged from popular culture to become the all-too-familiar stereotype: the basic white girl. Known by other psudeonyms such as “common white girl” or even “basic bitch,” the basic white girl typecast is all over social media, perpetuating a stereotype that white females who like certain restaurants, clothing, or even artists are “basic.” According to Urban Dictionary, an online “urban” website where users can submit definitions for slang or pop culture terms themselves, “basic” is: an adjective used to describe any person, place, activity involving obscenely obvious behavior, dress, action; unsophisticated; something that is uninteresting, vapid, boring, or uncool. Excuse me? I think I’m pretty cool.

This stereotype has gone on to prompt anonymous Twitter handles, such as Common White Girl (and other spinoffs), spoof videos- like Buzzfeed’s If Guys Acted like Basic White Girls [below], and articles on how to be a basic white girl or even ways to tell if you’re dating a basic bitch. That last article features things I enjoy too (and things I’d imagine people of any age, sex, and race might enjoy)- such as liking Paris, yoga pants, Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, scrapbooks, How I Met Your Mother and New Girl, inspirational quotes, having a wedding board on Pinterest, baking, brunch, and wanting to be Kate Middleton. Who doesn’t want to be Kate Middleton?! And who hates cupcakes and brunch? Does liking these things make me a “basic bitch” too, and who decides that wanting to wear yoga pants without actually going to yoga is “basic?” On another note, to people who judge me for wearing yoga pants: have you ever worn them? They are ridiculously comfortable!

I know that there are stereotypes for every kind of race, gender/sex, sexual orientation, religion, societal class, career, etc. I also know that, as a white, heterosexual woman from the middle class who’s attended private schools my entire life, I have a lot of privilege in our society. To some, the basic white girl stereotype might be funny and one of the fewer negative stereotypes about my intersectional identity. However, I like Chipotle because A) it’s delicious and B) it’s actually pretty healthy (plus I think guacamole is my spirit animal- or is using the term “spirit animal” basic?), not because I’m white and biologically female. My race and sex has nothing to do with the fact that I love baking either; I enjoy spontaneously going into the kitchen and whipping up treats to share with others (I actually had cupcakes baking in the oven while typing this post). I don’t like Taylor Swift at all, and I’ve never owned a pair of cowboy boots in my whole life. Yes, I occasionally straighten my hair, but I’ve never fake tanned and don’t idolize Marilyn Monroe. But you know what? It’d be okay if I did. My personal likes and dislikes, along with my values, beliefs, opinions, and ideologies, come from a combination of how I was raised and my personal preferences and personality. I know there are always people who say that stereotypes exist for a reason, but if other white girls like Chipotle or Starbucks too, then good for them! The point is, who cares? Men and women of every race and age can love to do things like scrapbook, pin things on Pinterest, and even eat Chipotle. Liking one thing doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to enjoy something else, and I think sometimes, people almost try too hard to break those stereotypes by denying themselves things that they might actually enjoy or rejecting aspects of popular culture because they come with labels like “basic,” “gay,” or “bitch.”

We’re the consumers of texts in our society- everything from Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus, to Snapchat and selfies, to grandé White Chocolate Mocha coffees at Starbucks (Does me naming those things make me a basic white girl? I’m not even a Miley fan, though I can enjoy the hell out of a White Chocolate Mocha). If we’re being targeted based on our race, ethnicity, age, gender, sex, class, religion, sexual orientation, etc. and then labeled and criticized for liking those things, how are we ever going to win? Victoria’s Secret releases advertisements and promotions aimed at individuals just like me to buy things, but me liking and buying their products makes me a “basic bitch?” How is that fair in the slightest? I’d love to live in a world where people can like and dislike what they want without being constantly judged or attacked. A masculine, heterosexual man who enjoys a fruity alcoholic drink complete with an umbrella at the bar, an upper-class gay man who actually hates shopping and prefers watching football, or an Asian woman who is a terrific driver but not so good at math- people are individuals, and denying them that right by making stereotypical and ignorant comments or jokes about how women can’t drive or men need to “be a man” is only detrimental. Who are we actually hurting with stereotypes like that, if popular culture promotes typecasting and one privileged side’s (usually white men) opinions, beliefs, and values?

I think my main problem with the basic white bitch stereotype is that it puts me in a box and makes assumptions that I’m like everyone else who’s similar to me intersectionally, which admittedly I don’t like. I can understand that human brains like to organize and categorize things in order to make sense of the world and reduce uncertainty in unfamiliar situations. However, I am an individual. I have never owned a cat before but am a huge “dog person,” and you’ll find more thrift store clothing in my closet than designer. I’m a woman and am pretty feminine, but I love buying sweaters from the men’s department in stores and wearing them with yoga pants in cooler weather. Don’t assume based on your observation that I’m white and a female that I like Taylor Swift and would fit in your little pigeonholed stereotype. Sure, some of the tweets under the Common White Girl accounts make me laugh because I can or have friends who can relate to them, but I can also relate to people who are different from me too. Does that still make me a basic white girl, or is my white girl card revoked because I said I don’t like Taylor Swift?

The Blind Side: It’s Not All Black and White

I’m going to start this post by saying that I love film, and I own a growing collection of movies that I regularly turn to for every type of mood. I have films that bring me out of bad moods, make me laugh, make me think, and just provide general feelings of hope and happiness.

One movie that I love is the popular The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock as the tough mom Leigh Ann Touhy. The film won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Bullock for best actress, and even grossed about $255 million total. It’s one of those “faith and family first” films that shows the struggle of a black teen named Michael Oher, who grew up with a drug-addicted mother in the projects. Leigh Ann Touhy notices him walking home alone one night, offers him a warm place to sleep, and the story goes from there.

 

Let me just say that I love this movie, and I love Leigh Ann Touhy in real life. I’m a sister of Kappa Delta Sorority, as is she, and I think that she’s a blessed, strong-willed Southern woman who tries to do the right thing. The story is beautiful, and in the end, Michael Oher is adopted by the Tuohy family and successfully goes on to Ole Miss University on a football scholarship and now plays for the NFL. It’s heart-warming, really.

 

In our pop culture class last week, we discussed race and ethnicity in popular culture; we learned that racially, white people are primarily shown in the media, and those of other races or non-white actors are often stereotyped or given the burden of representation (being the only person having to represent their entire racial group). My critique of the film is intersectionally from a white, heterosexual, female’s perspective, and I’ve attempted to see this film from a point-of-view unlike my own. What I’ve come to understand from this movie is the idea of a “white savior” like we discussed in class; based on a true story or not, The Blind Side depicts white woman Leigh Ann Touhy “saving” black Michael Oher from his broken family, fake friends, and desperate situation by giving him a home, sending him to a [primarily white] private school, and giving him “opportunities.” While it’s a noble effort, the way the situation is portrayed in the film shows white people as being higher than blacks; the entire Touhy family, students and teachers at the private school, his tutor, etc. are all white, while the “bad” situation where Michael came from- with drugs, alcohol abuse, and poverty- was shown as including only black people. Does that mean that whites can’t be poor and addicted to drugs? Absolutely not. However, this movie is constantly shown on TV networks like ABC Family since it promotes “family values,” which could give children watching it a false idea of what it means to be black and white.

I also understand that this film is based on a true story, and like I mentioned earlier, I think that Leigh Ann Touhy and her family are amazing in real life. I truly admire her and even keep up with her on social media. However, I think it’s crucial that we take a step back from this stereotype of a white person “saving” a person of another race or minority, even if they throw in the cheesy “I’m saving his life, but he’s also saving mine” quote (which does make for a sweet moment in the movie).

 

In class, we discussed an article entitled What Does Race Have to Do With ‘Ugly Betty?’: An Analysis of Privilege and Postracial (?) Representations on a Television Sitcom by Jennifer Esposito. In the article, Esposito discusses the white character Daniel as a “great white hope,” because he heroically swoops in to save Betty with a great recommendation of her character after she is accused of only getting a prestigious internship because of her race (affirmative action). Similarly, The Blind Side shows Leigh Ann Tuohy swooping in to save Michael Oher; and while some may argue that she was just doing so because it was her Christian duty or the right thing to do, we have to view the premise of this situation in the film from an object point of view. What messages are being sent when a black boy is removed from a negative situation (only surrounded by other poor black people) and taken to a positive situation (surrounded by successful, wealthy white people), where he succeeds? In the movie, race is even talked about; when taking a photo for a Christmas card, Leigh Ann invites Michael to join her beautiful, perfectly groomed family for another picture. After being questioned by her family, she responds with, “What? It’s not like I’m going to put it on the Christmas card.” But in fact, the photo is used, which prompts a phone call from a relative: “This is Bobby, Happy New Years. Listen I’ve had about five cold ones and, uh, I’m just going to go ahead and ask — did you all know there’s a colored boy on your Christmas card?”

The Christmas card photo in the film

I totally understand that this film takes place in the South, and racism is still alive in the United States. However, the entire story of this film depends on race, showing the wealthy, successful white people as having it all- as soon as a socially shy, large, young, black man is pushed into this world, it’s immediately questioned. He’s first seen by others as a potential threat or alien in this privileged world, but his potential is soon drawn out thanks to the efforts of a white family, friends, and private school. I still think this is a great film and that the acting is done well, but my point is that racially, we as a society need to move away from this stereotype of the “white savior,” especially when depicting “true stories” to solidify this stereotype and showing it on TV channels under the guise of promoting the values of family.

The Tuohy family

Because A Family’s a Family, No Matter How Small

I was raised Catholic and only attended Catholic schools before Queens University just over three years ago. Although my mom is pretty tolerant and fair on a variety of issues, the church always taught me that sex before marriage and homosexuality were horrible sins worthy of eternity in hell. I distinctly remember our priest explaining to the congregation that a “proper family” was a married mother and father with children born within wedlock and raised in the church. He declared that all other families were “wrong” and “sinful,” and that not abiding by God’s law meant that those families were living in sin. This infuriated me, even as a young girl, because my parents are divorced, and I have a half-sister; I didn’t see what was wrong with my family. I know that not every Catholic or religious person feels this way, but it helped me to recognize at an early age that families came in every shape and size.

I was very sheltered growing up, so a lot of what I learned about the world in middle and high school was through popular culture, including music, TV shows, movies, celebrities, etc. I think that in the most recent decade, popular culture has shifted to show gay and mixed families more favorably. Of course, I am a white, heterosexual woman living in the United States, so I’m sure that I don’t always recognize bias in the media because I constantly see people who look like me. However, I love seeing a variety of families portrayed in popular culture, especially homosexual couples and parents with children. I distinctly remember when JC Penney came out with advertisements showing gay families on TV and in magazines, and the 1 Million Moms organization directly came out against it. Thankfully, JC Penney took a stand and kept the families in their advertisements, which I truly admired.

How cute is this?!

I believe that showing homosexual couples and gay families positively has increased in popular culture and media, which could be directly correlated to states legalizing gay marriage (including North Carolina- yay!) and young people supporting equal love. Pride parades are popular in states across the nation, and even celebrities and musicians like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are coming out in support of equal love.

Support for same-sex families is not a new concept, but I believe that our generation is really fueling the push for equality. To me, people can fall in love with anyone regardless of sex, especially because, as we discussed in class, gender is socially-constructed and is not something that people are born with. Girls aren’t born liking the color pink or dolls, and boys don’t automatically like the color blue or trucks just because of their sex. By opening up our constricted and judgmental view of people- taking them out of their stereotypical boxes that we use to classify people and reduce uncertainty- we can view equality of everyone more positively. The audiences determine what TV shows or movies are popular; in the same way, we Americans, as consumers in this economically-driven society, can choose what to consume based on the values that are being sold to us. Disney channeled made waves last year when one of its TV shows, Good Luck Charlie, featured a lesbian couple. I absolutely love Honey Maid’s recent advertisements featuring divorced, interracial, and same-sex families.

Their “wholesome family” campaign used hashtags such as #thisiswholesome and #notbroken to describe and support families that come in every shape and size. I think that this is the exact kind of advertising that we need to promote, because values such as equality, acceptance, tolerance, and love are things that will never go out of style.

Suit Up: Masculinity on Television

The example that I chose for masculinity in popular culture is a character from a TV show that I loved a lot during its 8-season run (except for the last season and finale, but that’s a different conversation altogether). Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother is a hilarious character with the best quotes and songs throughout the series. I personally love the actor, Neil Patrick Harris, and admire his talent and beautiful family. Fortunately, the character he plays on the show is the complete opposite of him in real life, and he does a great job bringing the outrageous Barney Stinson to life.

Barney Stinson is a character of hyper-masculinity on this show who is a rich, suit-wearing womanizer. In every episode, Barney tries to sleep with as many women as possible; he even keeps a list and in one episode, he hits number 200.

Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) is such a detailed character who infamously only wears suits and specifically targets women with “daddy issues.” After a particularly rough breakup as a young, sensitive man with a girl named Shannon, Barney, feeling devastated and vulnerable, receives advice from the man who stole his girlfriend to wear suits and be a man. As Barney himself states, the purpose of wearing suits is “to distinguish ourselves from the millions of T-shirt and jeans lemmings out there.” He has a closet full only of suits and even sings an entertaining song in an episode entitled Girls versus Suits about choosing his suits over women. Barney popularized the saying, “Suit up!” during the entirety of the show, constantly pressuring his friends- especially Ted- to wear suits, look good, and get laid. Not only does his seemingly unlimited amount of money (though we never actually learn what his job is, though it’s apparently extremely important and high-up in status) supply the best suits custom-made by guest star Tim Gunn, but he lives in the ultimate “bachelor pad,” fit with an entire TV wall, gray and black tones, a fake kitchen, an entire wall featuring his porn collection, and a Stormtrooper from Star Wars. In fact, his New York apartment is so “manly” and sterile, that when Lily (Alyson Hannigan), his friend and wife of Marshall (Jason Segel), stays with Barney for a few days, she tries to make it more homey to “seem like a girl would actually live here.” Barney explains that the main purpose for his apartment is to be so manly as to tell a one-night-stand to leave after she wakes up in the morning. Because apparently, this is every man’s “dream.”

Barney was raised by a single mom and doesn’t meet his father until late adulthood, and he has a gay, black brother named James (Wayne Brady). He lives by The Playbook, a book in which he includes “every scam, con, gambit, flimflam, stratagem, and bamboozle” to pick up women and get them to sleep with him. The “plays” range from clever, thought-out scenarios and schemes, as well as more stupid, simpler lies to get a woman into bed. Barney also popularizes what is called The Bro Code, which instructs men on how to be “bros.” Because these books became so popular on the show, real editions were created and sold to fans; anyone can pick up a copy of The Bro Code on Amazon and learn how to “be a bro.”

 

 

Despite Barney having some very unique personality quirks and talents, such as his ability to do magic (based on Neil Patrick Harris’s real passion for magic) and his constant need to sing a lot, he is hyper-masculine on the show. Not only does he lie to and sleep with as many women as possible, but he also has an amazing body and is extremely patriotic. In his article Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity, Jackson Katz discusses how masculinity in popular culture and advertising “help support the equation of white masculinity and violence: the angry, aggressive, white working-class male as anti-authority rebel; violence as genetically programmed male behavior; the use of military and sports symbolism to enhance the masculine appeal and identification of products; and the association of muscularity with ideal masculinity.” I believe that all four of these characteristics can be applied to Barney Stinson’s character, though perhaps in ways that slightly differ from other pop culture texts.

1. The Angry, Aggressive, White Working-Class Male as Anti-Authority Rebel (21^st Century Version)

For the first theme of masculinity according to Katz, Barney is a wealthy, white man in an important executive position at work. Although most viewers would probably say that Barney isn’t always angry and is rarely aggressive (in many instances, he’s the opposite and merely uses the confident “tough guy” routine as an act), there have been instances on the show when he aggressively lashes out. In one episode, Ted (Josh Radnor) and Marshall break up Lily and Robin (Cobie Smulders) when they’re fighting, and Barney becomes so enraged that they broke up a “girl fight” that he punches a hole in the apartment wall. He also gets into a fight with Ted and Marshall in another episode, though he ends up running away instead of fighting. Barney does resist authority, but does it in a way that is more manipulative and scheming; instead of outright resisting or demeaning authority, he plays certain situations to his advantage and discredits individuals above him. He does this at work to get what he wants, and rejects men in important roles because of his issues with his absent father. We as viewers do see a sensitive side to Barney when it comes to his relationships with his mother and father, but for the most part, he remain aggressive and angry with his dad for walking out on them. This feeling continues, despite him primarily being a very happy, positive character.

2. Violence as Genetically Programmed Male Behavior

While I did mention in the last theme of masculinity that Barney shows some examples of aggressiveness, for the most part his character is very passive. He tends to be more of a fire-starter in creating aggressive situations rather than directly participating in them. As a child and young adult, Barney was an awkward person who was often picked on and taken advantage of; his suit-wearing, women-conquering adult persona is a rejection of his past to “be awesome” (a phrase commonly said by Barney- “When I feel sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.”).

3. The Use of Military and Sports Symbolism to Enhance the Masculine Appeal and Identification of Products

While Barney doesn’t necessarily play sports, he creates an entire resume video depicting him doing amazing things- without actually having to do them. He tries to create the allusion that he is a “guys’ guy” who is masculine and take-charge without needing to exhibit all of these qualities. He frequently dresses up in costumes for his Playbook plays and Halloween parties, including a pilot, a solider, and an American boxer. He prefers wearing suits and performing the “executive role” over an athletic one, but in How I Met Your Mother, he does use military and sports symbolism in his acts.

4. The Association of Muscularity with Ideal Masculinity

Looking at Barney Stinson, viewers might not necessarily think that he is particularly muscular. In fact, sometimes he appears thin and even weak. However, his body is shown multiple times on the show- in costumes and when he’s in bed with women- and his muscles are in full view. He’s not over-muscular or “built,” but he represents a pretty regular white guy with money who lives an incredible life of constantly having sex (his “workout”), drinking, and being young. Especially compared to Marshall, who is taller and much bigger, and Ted, who is a regular architecture professor, Barney is the ultimate “catch.”

True story.

 Using Kidd’s cultural diamond, I think it’s important to analyze Barney Stinson’s character as a text. His character is hilarious and highly quotable, but he is also marketable to both men and women. Not only are The Playbook, The Bro Code, and many of his clothing items and quotes for sale online, but his persona is being sold by the creators (the directors, writers, and producers of the show) with each episode. The TV show often makes fun of his hyper-masculinity but never actually addresses it as being a negative thing, and in the finale, he loses all character development in marrying Robin (which took up the entire final season) when they divorce five minutes later. He reverts back to his previous womanizing personality and never actually changes at all, proving to male and female viewers (the receivers of this text) that not only is this type of behavior acceptable, but it gets you what you want- respect… and sex. I think this is only promoting the modern “hookup culture” we have in society today, where it’s totally okay to “be a man” by sleeping with women, lying consistently, and being both aggressive and manipulative. Is this really the message we want to send about what it means to be masculine?

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Three Week Mark: Course Reflection

So we’ve officially been in class for a few weeks now, and though I’m busier than ever, my schedule is finally starting to settle into a routine. Our Communication and Pop Culture class has met twice a week, and I’m really enjoying the class so far! This seems to be the perfect subject for me since I’m very opinionated and get to talk about the pop culture that I see and watch every day. I think I’m most looking forward to conversations amongst our class and professor about celebrities and popular TV/movies, especially since these are topics that we’re very familiar with in the United States.

In one of our most recent classes, we discussed the music video of Taylor Swift’s new single “Shake it Off” after reading a few articles about it. I’m definitely not a TSwift fan and didn’t particularly enjoy the video, but it was fun to discuss it from a Communication perspective with people who both agreed and disagreed with my point of view. It was really enjoyable to notice subtle differences between the cultural groups she presented, and the discussion that followed sparked my interest. I’m really looking forward to discussing these types of topics- everything from celebrities, to TV shows, to the latest popular trends- and like how the fluidity of the class depends on what’s “hot” at the time. The most difficult thing about this class will probably be the level of work involved, not only with the reading and blog, but also being familiar with popular topics in order to be able to talk about them with others. It’ll also be challenging for me to understand and recognize other people’s opinions if they differ from mine! I think the best way to do this is to be patient and open-minded during our discussions, which I hope to have many of in this class.

WHY

I’m really looking forward to being able to read or watch a piece of pop culture and see beyond what the text is actually showing to understand the message behind it. Similar to Kidd’s Cultural Diamond that I talked about in my previous post, as someone who is interested in marketing and advertising, I love recognizing who created a text and whom the text is marketed for. This is true even of pop culture icons like celebrities, because they are marketed in a way that keeps them popular to “sell” to the public. If you need an example of this, just check out the Kardashians (who now have a store, clothing line, TV show, video game, front cover of Vogue and more). How did they even get so famous? Oh wait…

#worldsmosttalkedaboutcouple???

I can’t wait to learn more in this class and talk about these popular topics that I come into contact with almost every day! It’s going to be a very interesting semester.

The Duchess of Cambridge and her Fairytale Family

So as most of us probably know, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is pregnant with the second royal baby. I have so many friends who are in love with Prince William and Catherine (and I mean in love– like, printing out photos of the couple and displaying them on their walls like a celebrity crush hanging up in a high school locker), despite being red, white, and blue-wearing, freedom-loving Americans. To us in the United States, the British royal family is more of a popular culture icon than royalty, but that won’t stop the tabloids from running articles about Kate ranging from her pregnancy to the more ridiculous Duchess diet tricks and tips. I personally think that Kate Middleton is the perfect “Disney princess”; she’s gorgeous of course, down-to-earth yet still confident, and classy in a way that blends modern style with royal flair. Her pregnancy has thrown her back into the spotlight, and the gossip surrounding the gender of baby #2 (boy, like baby Prince George, or girl?) has become a hot topic. One of my friends is praying that it’s a girl, because “oh my gosh, how cute would it be if she named it Diana?!,” after the late Princess Diana of Wales.

Aren’t they the cutest?

What’s interesting to me is how popular Will and Kate are in the United States; they’re a modern celebrity couple with a twist, since their royal status keeps them in a league above regular celebrities like Miley Cyrus or Rihanna (maybe even above Queen Beyoncé, although she seems our own American music royalty). Kate’s image, from her perfect hair to classy outfits and beautiful smile, is completely marketable. Of course she’s a great Duchess, I’m sure, but here in the United States, Kate Middleton sells. I can guarantee you that the Duke and Duchess [plus little George] on any magazine cover will sell- at least a few copies to some of my friends- and collectible items with her face or name on it will also be more popular and more marketable. Despite the United States breaking away from the English monarchy with the whole Boston Tea Party thing and the American Revolution, we still have some sort of fascination with the British royal family.

Using Kidd’s Cultural Diamond, it’s interesting to study Kate Middleton and her family as a sort of text that can be analyzed. Who’s “creating” her though? I think everyone from the British monarchy to the country as a whole are responsible as the creators of this text, even down to her stylists, makeup artists, and wardrobe team. However, I also think we have to take Disney into account, because its really created and popularized the princess stereotype here in the United States. We- the general public (of all classes, I’d say), especially in the United States- are the receivers, because we’re the ones buying into the royal family enough to keep them popular in the media. What’s interesting to me is the historical context of the family and our society today, because despite them being royal and us not having a monarchy here in the U.S., we still see Kate Middleton as a celebrity. Our society today is so focused on “what’s hot” and what sells, that anything a celebrity or famous person wears, says, does, etc. is recorded and reposted on social media and news sites around the world. I think that, to an extent, us Americans form ideas of our own selves, such as what social class is, in comparison to that of famous people like Duchess Catherine “Kate” of Cambridge. We may not be as privileged as her, but almost every girl wants to be her and dreams of the day we go off to college to meet and fall in love with our own Prince William. Kate is a media symbol and pop culture icon, and her beautiful and growing family is exactly the real-life fairytale that Disney has sold us since childhood.

That dress! Gorgeous.

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