In case you missed it, Ed Sheeran and Joe Jonas were both on campus last week. In other words, my inner fangirl started to bubble with something reminiscent of preteen joy.
Despite the excitement of two relatively notable teen idols on campus, I’ve found that expressing interest in “mainstream” pop culture phenomena to some friends has led to me becoming a sort of trope. As in I’ve become the “Taylor Swift super fan, casual follower of Harry Styles on Twitter, and silent, but avid, supporter of Jelena rekindling their romance (Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez)” trope.
This trope is one I never thought I would have; or at least, one that I would be associated with rather frequently. The truth is I’ve always loved pop culture, but at UNC, sometimes I feel like discussing the latest addition to T-Swift’s squad will only garner me strange looks from my peers: the kind of looks that say, “Don’t you have something more intellectual to discuss?”
Some of my friends might be surprised that I listen to albums other than 1989. And no, that doesn’t mean the only other album on my iTunes is Ryan Adams’ cover of that album. I actually really love all sorts of music, from pop-punk to folk acoustic music. Just because I was devastated when I didn’t get a ticket to last week’s DNCE concert, aka Joe Jonas’ newest musical project, doesn’t mean I am basic.
There is no modern colloquial phrase I hate more than “basic.” It’s so demeaning — it devalues a person just because they like something that is commonly appreciated. I find those who are usually described as “basic” as anything but; these are people who, despite being ridiculed for liking popular things, are passionate about the things for which they take the most heat. So what if someone gets really excited about pumpkin spice lattes? UNC basketball is widely loved, but you don’t see Tar Heel fans getting called basic for loving a popular sport.
It’s OK to get on the bandwagon for things that others might call overrated, basic or uncool.
The atmosphere at UNC is intellectually stimulating, but it’s not cool when others make you feel like having interests in mainstream things makes you less intelligent. I find it so refreshing when a scholastically serious friend can openly admit they love a good jam to Mumford & Sons. Yes, I’m bummed I missed Girlpool in Durham Thursday, but I’m also really bummed that I didn’t get to have Joe Jonas serve me pizza at Italian Pizzeria III on Wednesday. Every person has dichotomies in their interests, but that doesn’t mean that makes the person less smart or less cultured or even less interesting.
So the next time Ed Sheeran decides to hit up He’s Not, let your inner fangirl, boy or person run wild enough to give you the courage to ask for a selfie with him. If not being basic means missing the chance to experience things you love, then I’ll be basic for the rest of my life.
