by Natalie Murray ‘18

Now that it’s autumn, pumpkin spice flavors everything from lattes to Cheerios. But with this pumpkin-spice phenomenon comes the pumpkin-spice-shaming phenomenon: a girl orders a PSL in her local Starbucks and she becomes “basic.”

It seems that girls can do nothing without receiving criticism. If a girl dates too much, she’s “slutty;” if she doesn’t date, she’s “prude.” If a girl says she likes the way she looks, she’s “conceited;” if she says she doesn’t, she’s “looking for attention.” If a girl knows how to cook, clean, or sew, she “knows her place;” if she doesn’t, she’s “bad wife material.” No matter what, girls can’t win: they’re either “basic” or they’re “trying too hard to be different.”

People need to let girls wear Uggs, combat boots, or soccer cleats. Let them watch “The Bachelor,” “Doctor Who,” or football games. Let them enjoy what makes them happy, rather than tell them what they should like. And while there are bigger problems than girls being mocked for their coffee, it’s still unfair that women face such high standards that they can’t even do something as simple as drink a latte without being criticized.