Each and Every One of Us Is Now Less Than 10 Steps Away From Being Basic

Collage of girls boots, a girl drinking ice coffee, and a girl stretching her legs and back on a yog...
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It's 2016, and the term "basic" has basically lost its meaning. You know what it means. Your parents know what it means. Your grandparents probably know what it means, and they probably think you're basic. The term has reached cultural saturation, to the point that it's overreaching both "bae" and "Netflix and chill" in the ranking of things that make it seem like you are an old fogey desperately grasping for ways to connect with the youth. 

Aside from the unfortunate gendered implications of the term — when was the last time you saw it used to describe men? — "basic" has lost its power as an insult. Gone are the days when you could accuse that UGG-wearing girl in your econ class of being basic. Now, the definition of "basic" has become so broad that it describes everyone and everything, to the point that the only requirements for being basic are liking Sex and the City and iced coffee a lot. And really, who doesn't? It's delicious. 

So basically, we're all basic. But in case you're still spending your nights tossing and turning, terrified that someone will call you the dreaded b-word, we've devised a quiz that will offer you a definitive answer to the question. Take it, if you dare ...

Eve Peyser