I'm Done Trying Not to Be Basic

I've decided I don't care anymore.

And honestly?

It's incredibly freeing.

For a huge chunk of my twenties, I cared far too much about what other people thought of me.

Was I being too much?

Was I embarrassing myself?

Was something I liked considered basic?

Would people judge me?

I spent so much time valuing other people's opinions that, somewhere along the way, I forgot to value my own.

And now I'm in my thirties, and I've finally reached the point of thinking…

Actually, fuck it. I like what I like.

So yes, I'm basic. ☕

I like Starbucks.

I like Starbucks coffee.

I like Starbucks seasonal drinks.

And, apparently, I have developed a small obsession with collecting Starbucks cups.

Do I need another one?

Absolutely not.

Will that stop me?

Absolutely not.

And you know what?

I'm done feeling like I need to pretend I don't enjoy something because it's considered basic.

If something makes me happy, why should I care whether someone else thinks it's predictable, mainstream or boring?

I'm not hurting anyone.

I'm enjoying my bloody coffee.

I love fantasy books 📚✨

I also love fantasy books.

Dragons.

Magic.

Ridiculous fictional worlds.

Characters I become far too emotionally invested in.

Books that are hundreds of pages long that somehow leave me wanting more.

And yes, some of the books I love are wildly popular.

I don't care.

I don't need to have discovered some obscure author that three people have heard of to prove that I'm a "real" reader.

I can enjoy the popular books.

I can enjoy BookTok.

I can buy the pretty editions.

I can make bookmarks inspired by the things I love.

And I can be ridiculously excited about fictional characters who quite literally do not exist.

Because I enjoy it.

That's enough of a reason.

I spent too long worrying about being judged

Looking back, I think I spent far too much of my twenties trying to make myself palatable to everyone else.

Trying not to be too loud.

Trying not to be too weird.

Trying not to like the "wrong" things.

Trying to fit into whatever version of myself I thought other people would approve of.

And honestly, it was exhausting.

Because the funny thing about trying to make everyone else happy is that you end up making yourself miserable.

Eventually, you have to ask yourself:

What do I actually like?

What makes me happy?

Who am I when I'm not worrying about someone else's opinion?

And I think I'm finally figuring that out.

I'm quirky in my own way

I don't need to pretend I'm some perfectly curated, effortlessly cool person.

I'm not.

I talk far too much shit.

I overshare.

I laugh at inappropriate things.

I get ridiculously excited about random things.

I'll probably tell you my entire life story if you give me enough time.

I can go from discussing a serious life decision to talking about a fictional dragon within approximately thirty seconds.

And that's just me.

I'm not everyone's cup of tea.

And that's okay.

Because I'm finally realising that I don't need to be.

Being "basic" doesn't mean being boring

Maybe we need to stop using "basic" like it's an insult.

Maybe enjoying popular things doesn't make you boring.

Maybe liking Starbucks, Uggs, pumpkin drinks, fantasy books, cute cups, candles, Christmas, Taylor Swift, whatever the current trend is…

doesn't make you less interesting.

You can love the things everyone else loves and still be completely unique.

Because the things you enjoy aren't the entirety of your personality.

They're just little pieces of you.

And nobody else experiences them in quite the same way you do.

So here's to being unapologetically me

I'm done trying to convince people that my interests are cool enough.

I'm done pretending I don't love something because someone might call it basic.

I'm done giving other people's opinions more weight than my own.

I like what I like.

I make what I want to make.

I drink my Starbucks.

I collect the cups.

I read fantasy books.

I get excited about stupid little things.

I laugh at inappropriate moments.

I talk absolute nonsense.

And I'm actually really happy being me.

Maybe that's one of the best things about getting older.

You stop trying so hard to be the person you think you're supposed to be.

And you start becoming the person you actually are.

So yes…

I'm basic.

But I'm also weird.

I'm quirky.

I'm creative.

I'm loud.

I'm probably talking too much.

And I'm completely, unapologetically me.

And after spending so many years worrying about what everyone else thought…

I think that's pretty fucking brilliant. ❤️

Lauren x