How ‘basic b***h’ became a badge of pride, why ‘Karen’ had a year to forget, and why the internet thinks Stanley Tucci is the ultimate ‘zaddy’

One of the silver linings of the pandemic this year was the elevation of the celebrity zaddy, and we can thank actor Stanley Tucci and his negroni for that

Forget everything you know about the average ‘basic b***h’ – in recent times, basic-ness has been reclaimed by women wearing their basic tastes with pride

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Idris Elba during the 68th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin in Berlin, Germany. Like Stanley Tucci, he is considered to be a zaddy. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:30am, 24 Dec 2020Updated: 2:53am, 24 Dec 2020

Of all the phrases to enter common parlance in recent years there are few as polarising, instantly evocative and delicious as “basic b***h”, “zaddy” and “Karen”. Indeed, one of the silver linings of the global pandemic this year was the elevation of the celebrity zaddy – it turns out an internet boyfriend is quite the balm in times of uncertainty.

This year was also the one in which Karen became the go-to insult for a certain kind of woman (we all know one!). Oh, and with all that banana bread baking in 2020, we’re probably all basic b***hes. Not sure where you fit? Read on.

Basic b***h

It used to be easy to spot a basic b***h. The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, Ugg boots, Lululemon leggings and “Live, Laugh, Love” emblazoned upon a throw cushion were a dead giveaway. She was Lauren Conrad in American television show The Hills, or a contestant on reality series The Bachelor saying she wasn’t on the show to make friends.

But that was back in simpler times (circa 2014 when Google Trends data suggests the term reached peak popularity). The term originated in the black community and hip-hop culture, and was popularised by the comedians Lil Duval and Spoken Reasons, with Lil Duval’s song Basic B***h as well as Kreayshawn’s 2011 song Gucci Gucci .

The term entered Urban Dictionary, an online source, in 2009 and it soon became shorthand for a mainstream, pleasantly unoriginal and mostly white woman who never met a sunset she didn’t Instagram. With copious hashtags.