Happy October! The season of all things good in the world – aka Halloween, picking apples, flannels, scary movies and pumpkin spice.
Hold on, I know what you’re thinking. “Pumpkin spice is so basic, it’s not even that good,” or “all of these girlies have to jump on the pumpkin spice train because everyone else likes it.”
My response to that – let people like what they like! In reality, I have my little iced pumpkin chai here and there, but if someone finds joy in a daily pumpkin spice latte, let them live.
This goes beyond the fall season, though. People are so quick to judge others who enjoy things that are mainstream just for the simple fact that they are popular. I see this a lot when it comes to music. Someone says they listen to Harry Styles and they are immediately seen as a crazy fangirl. Another person says they like pop punk music and that one guy has to be like, “Okay, but have you ever listened to Garbage Panda? They only have 200 monthly listeners on Spotify.” Okay, calm down, even if they mainly listen to Paramore or Green Day, it doesn’t mean they’re not an actual fan of pop punk music.
Also, did you ever think about the fact that these things are popular because they are actually good? Just because it is not for you (or you are too afraid to admit that it is) does not mean it is not for someone else. That is why there are so many different types of movies, music genres, clothing, or anything else we have the power to choose to express who we are.
Don’t get me wrong, it is great to be your own person and have different tastes and opinions, but if you listen to Taylor Swift or find joy in going on a Starbucks run, it does not mean you aren’t unique.
Play your liked songs on shuffle without the fear of judgment. Talk loud and proud about your coffee order. Wear a shirt with your favorite TV show on it. Who knows, maybe if you’re lucky, or your opinion is popular enough, you will find people to share your interests with and build lifelong connections.
To those who feel the need to bring others down for just being who they are, remind yourself that we’re all just humans trying to get through life and finding things that we enjoy make the journey just a little bit easier.
