#CommonWhiteGirl is Uncommonly Demeaning

Want to create your own stereotype? There’s an app for that.

If you are a college student, chances are you have seen, if not contributed to, the “#CommonWhiteGirl” trend taking over the social media world. If you are not familiar with this particular hashtag, you might be more familiar with its equally degrading counterparts “#WhiteGurlProbz” or “#TypicalWhiteGirl.”

This trend is becoming almost as frequent on college campuses as cheap beer and sleep-deprived students. These hashtags are coupled with almost 350,000 Instagram photos, an immeasurable number of tweets and even Twitter accounts named specifically after them.

Attached to endless photos of Ugg boots, shirtless men, and a disgusting array of Starbucks beverages, these hashtags are painting a picture of what today’s “common white girl” is all about.

So what’s the problem with this trend? It’s not inaccurate. The pictures clearly show that the makers of these hashtags are white and, in fact, girls. The numbers clearly show that this trend is pretty “common” after all.

The problem is the principle. By classifying themselves as “common white girls,” these women are claiming that their sole priorities in life are their non-fat vanilla lattes, their overpriced boots, and Zac Efron’s tanned muscles.

The use of the words “common” and “typical” implies that the majority of white females are bound by the same set of pretentious values.  After decades of fighting sexism, educated young women should not want to promote themselves as only that.

Students, by using these hashtags you are not only succumbing to an inaccurate stereotype, but you are promoting it! We are young females, we are smart college students, and we need to make a change.

As educated women, of any color, we should want to show the world how we see ourselves, what we stand for, and what we are capable of. It’s time to lose these hashtags. Or at least time to reinvent them. All of them.

Lose the word “white” from all the hashtags. As women we need to stand as one, regardless of race. We are women. We are equal.

Use these hashtags to share what the “common” female college student is really like. Share pictures of your paycheck or awesome test score and show the world what the ‘common girl’ is really all about.

I’m not saying tweeting a picture of your latte is a crime. All I’m saying is promote yourself as how you want the world to see you and all other “common” women.