Comedian Ashley Hesseltine, the brains behind the Instagram account 'Bros Being Basic' is well aware of the irony that has grown around the concept of being 'basic.' What began as a snooty insult that poked fun at middle-class, basic white girls who blindly follow mainstream trends, it took on a life of its own as more people became familiar with it.
Over time, girls who love pumpkin lattes, pouty selfies in Instagram photos, leggings and all the other things associated with being mainstream decided simply not to care and started to celebrate their basicness instead. And because one of the main characteristics of being basic is not knowing that you are basic, this self-awareness took the sting out of the insult completely. Because why should anyone be looked down upon for the things they choose to like?
“The reaction has been nothing but positive,” Ashley told Bored Panda. “It almost feels more like paying homage to women instead of mocking them. I'm a female and a feminist, so I'm naturally able to create content that's not going to be offensive to women, and on top of that, our awesome female followers can laugh at themselves and their own "basic" tendencies.”
“Parodies done in the right way are always funny, and the content is just so relatable to both sexes. And at the end of the day, a lot of the content isn't even guys mocking girls or reversing the gender roles -- it's them being themselves. Guys can be JUST as basic and thirsty as girls on Insta!”
Ashley got the idea for the page back in 2014, when the 'basic' trend started to take off. “I had an idea for a post on my blog, What If Guys Acted Like Girls on Instagram?” she told us. “I recruited all my guy friends to create the Basic Bros photos for me, and when the blog started going viral, the idea for the funny Instagram account was born. I (with the help of my friend Travis May) launched the account on Thanksgiving Eve, and it blew up immediately.”
Such is the popularity of our Basic Bros (865k followers on Insta and counting), we have previously featured them here and here. But now we've decided that it is high time for some more! Scroll down below to check the funny photos out for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
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There's one guys that's kind of falling backwards, and I couldn't relate more.
that one guy in the middle without sunglasses or a hat looks like he's trying super hard not to drown in 2 inches of water.
I live how he's bending backwards in a very ridiculous pose. It's the perfect touch.
Literally the first thing that came to my mind was "is this a Jojo reference" and I'm legit sobbing
Is he iimitating Freddy Mercury? because women, not even Pin Ups were so exagerated.
If a girl has a ponytail in the gym, it will just hang behind the head making the face look huge and like she has no hair. The more hair is visible, the smaller appears the face. This logic may be sick but this is what I could possibly have in mind holding hair in gym 🤣
Load More Replies...Pointing the toes is to make their calves look better. The hair thing? No idea. I always look sweaty and incredibly angry when I take gym selfies
I never take post-workout selfies. I look terrible 😂
Load More Replies...The "might delete later" part is so accurate! I can't stand when people do that. Lol
That is Joakim Ingversen. Danish tv host. Find him at Instagram as Joakimi.
I bet someone of them said ”hey these feel kind of nice” during photoshoot.
Hubby, but with a book. He discovered the pleasure of long, hot baths after he quit smoking.
I don't think so, the Unicorn has steam breath from the cold.
Load More Replies...I don’t think a girl would take this photo. But it’s definitely interesting
This is sort of off topic, but whoever took these photos is an amazing photographer!
OMG the ghuy iun white is totally hot in trhis dress! Guys need to start using dressess, defo!
Go to a music festival... there are more than a few to be seen there:-)
Load More Replies...I spent the last 15 mins laughing non stop because I can only imagine the horse yanking off the wig...lmfao.. I think I pee'd myself a little...
I wish guys were this supportive of their bro getting engaged/married instead of doing a bunch of ball-and-chain jokes!
Agreed. Why even get married if you think it's that bad 🤷🏼♀️
Load More Replies...Is it wrong that I get a little turned on by looking at this? Can we say metrosexual?
I'm gay so I know what I'm talking about .... Calling them "girls" is a sign of respect in a kitchy sort of way.
Not only do they have better butts than I do, they also have better legs. Arrrgghhhh! 😆
Instagram great pics. Guys posing as girls do on Instagram, very funny, but so true.
I am literally just upvoting all of these because they look amazing haha
Load More Replies...Ok. these guys are really great posing the way they´re doing!! super hot!
Please don't delete!!! For the mind, soul and eyes of us single women, don't!!!!
Best one xF after dance.. I mean like picture is actually cute and shouldn't be deleted :D
This isn't a girl thing. This is a human thing. Who doesn't want to carry a puppy around everywhere with the greatest of ease??
Guys are not as likely to wear this for babies or puppies, and a lot less likely to take photos of themselves wearing it.
Load More Replies...Lovin the santa skirts And that guy in the corner in front of the lamp...
I'm glad someone is mocking this. Those pictures are always terrible.
This is the most accurate... when girls fart in the bath, flowers appear! Flowers everywhere!!
still wondering why one would want to go gluten free (without being celiac)
All he needed was a tiara, saying, "Birthday Girl" or "Princess"! Lol
Guy in the blue seems the only one comfortable grabbing another guys a*s.
I don't know, the one in the middle is checking his guy's prostate by the look of it.
Load More Replies...Wait, do (straight) girls do this - take off their tops for with each other?
Yep occasionally! Not that I'm straight but my straight friends do it
Load More Replies...you guys cant know how liberating it is to pull off a bra, but thanks for the send up
the guy in blue is the one person we all have who never gets the memo
Do platonic friends really grab each other's asses like this? If I was out with a friend and they grabbed my a*s, I would react the same way if it was a man or a woman. Violently.
Friends should be respectful of each other's boundaries, but if they don't mind having their a*s grabbed then go for it!
Load More Replies...A couple of them forgot sunscreen. That's gonna be painful in a couple of hours. But, they all look FAB!
That dude in the end of the pool in da background stole the second person from the front's sunglasses CX
the pensive pose, contemplating the universe, when really thinking about dinner tonight
If i got invited on a boat, I'd be hands full with bait, lure and hook boxes, carrying my fishing pole, in my shorts, a T-shirt and ready to freaking party (with the fish)
Careful with those kinds of boots. They're super comfortable and warm, but fungus is painful.
All of these "#notallgirls" posts are kind of a bummer. Ladies...they are kidding. Lighten the hell up, it is good-hearted fun and I am sure they are smart enough to know that not all 3.8 billion females on Earth act this way.
True. Only the BASIC girls. Stop being offended. Unless you are basic?
Load More Replies...I actually think that this girls balls are sticking to her leg... explains her leg tilt.
And there it is, the #NotAllGirls crowd who cant just take as light-hearted humor.
Drives me nuts! People just don’t have a sense of humor these days.
Load More Replies...I’m a hard core liberal feminist, and if I d these photos hysterical and fun! I’m not offended by this. I do t feel these guys are being disrespectful at all. Just having some fun. We need to have fun and laugh more. Good going, guys!!!
There's women getting offended left and right but probably don't realize it's a joke and honestly if you look at the featured page on Instagram you'll see a lot of photos like this.
You think we aren't smart enough to know not all females do this? It's generalized humor. Its not that serious. Any guy who applies this post to every woman is a fool.
Load More Replies...Didn't you see the one with the guy and a tiny puppy in a facing front holder? Very cute.
Load More Replies...The boy with white t-shirt is wondering if he is not updated about the last trend. He looks so confused 😅😅
I thought the guy in the back was checking him out until I looked farther down
Looks like fresh mozzarella rather than a blanket of the processed stuff.
Load More Replies...Don't remember eating in bed with my besties. Floor, sofa sure. Bed? Nah.
Almost missed the dude at the bottom cuz he blends in with Santa's pants. Or is he covering up Santa's shorts?
I do wonder how much all the santa impersonators have to put up with, with all the shenanigan photos people come up with.
I don't get it. Grown women take sexy photos with Santa on a regular basis?
Envious -The guy in the pink looks way better in it than I ever would - Lol
That's like $1,000 in coolers they are sitting on. First thing I noticed.
That's atleast a $1,000 worth of coolers they are sitting on...how ASSY of them..I mean..Classy
God I hate those shorts, so happy that they are equally ugly on them. Cut the pockets or wear longer shorts, do something!
how women THINK they look on the left, how they ACTUALLY look on the right...
I thought it was ice cream at first 😂 Couldn't understand what you meant about candles 😂
Load More Replies...Pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks? Check. Fluffy dog? Check. Uggs? Check. Basic? Check! (;
Love the extra uggs in the shot (also typing this while wearing the exact same scarf -___-)
I am very confused by all these top-off photos. Are women doing this and I live under a rock? Are my friends of many decades not really friends since we haven't seen each other's boobs?
Load More Replies...Oh my gosh it started playing in my head immediately lol
Load More Replies...All I can think about is how much the guys on the bottom's knees must hurt from the sand ....
It can do quite alot actually - depending on your actual weight to begin with.
Load More Replies...What's with the no-pants thing? Pose is good, lack of pants never happens.
Actually, I often wonder why girls don't wear pants, just like that! http://thechive.com/2017/08/18/girls-in-itty-bitty-short-shorts-are-a-magical-thing-40-photos/
Load More Replies...That's me. Pay hundreds of Francs to give up the whole thing after 3 sessions
Load More Replies...Oh this one gets me, how often have I seen this pout, who smiles anymore.
I actually have done this with couple of my classmates at the same time in massage's class 😂 other's were looking at us like wtf
Honestly Belle and Snow White are slaying! All the other ones are too! We need a gender bent version of Disney movies ASAP.
I know omg, also imagine how awesome the female versions of the male characters would be?
Load More Replies...I'll just leave this here: https://www.facebook.com/beardyPrincesses 41595832_7...7189b7.jpg
i have no friends-i lost the very few i had many turns ago...but it's fine; so used to it now
I'm guessing that swimsuit is like a cheap hotel.... no ballroom. (old joke)
Ahhh..... it hit me slowly. Scrolled back up to give you up vote.
Load More Replies...What sort of advice is that? Pretty sure I can't make money off of eating food and looking at pictures of cats
No but you could open a restaurant if you love food and you could start a pet photography business or a pet supply store with cute photo booth.
Load More Replies...@Scott: It's the same picture in three different posts is what she's saying!
Load More Replies...I'm taking votes: Who wants to see a parody of the pics men post on dating websites and probably instagram and bombard women with via private message? Smooching my did-i-just-get-out-of-jail biceps, trying to look slightly clueless in the hope someone will take care of me, or maybe a more menacing expression to try and look 'hard', an in-car selfie to show that I have a car, selfie lifting a big weight at the gym, now i'm wearing a vest that shows of my tats, i paid for them myself you see, now in this one i'm wearing a suit to imply I should command respect, now sucking in my beer belly or maybe on my expensive bicycle wearing excessive amounts of lycra for the distance travelled, cuddling a dog that isn't actually mine in order to seem more approachable, pretending to play a guitar because I only know 3 cords, and last but not least, here's a grotesque closeup of my hairy flaps that you definitely did not ask for!
Great idea, would that be parody including woman dressed up and posing for that? I'm up to take a part in it. Also I had an idea of doing "tinder rates" like for a trip advisor rating this types of guys.
Load More Replies...I think they're adorable. While clearly they're parodying a certain female stereotype, most of them look to me like a bunch of guys having fun with their friends, breaking down gender roles.
Load More Replies...I like it. But to be fair, I can as well imagine a collection of photos "women acting like men" ;)
I'd be interested to see that too. But I don't think they'd have as much material to work with since guys generally don't take as many photos. At least no one in my group do. I can't speak for others.
Load More Replies...To those saying "not all girls do this" or "this isn't parody, it's an insult" - please go back and read the article. These are a parody of a SPECIFIC BEHAVIOUR, not all women.
Slow down.. You're applying far too much logic for some people lol
Load More Replies...Its ment as a joke, and actually some of the pictures are quite funny. But I am so tired of seing women always being portrayed as shallow and seeking attention. Some women wear fancy clothes and post in IG, some have a phd or prefer reading poetry. One is not better than the other but it tires me to see how they represent us....
Well yeah but those women aren’t on Instagram. Instagram women just copy each other in a desperate plea to be acknowledged as having the best body, best life, best vacations and friends, with money and all the things men want in a woman. It’s so blatantly a plea for attention. Yeah there are women on Instagram who have degrees but so what? They’re doing the same s**t as the ones who don’t have degrees: begging for praise via picture.
Load More Replies...I'm probably gonna get down voted, but women mock themselves without even knowing it. Instagram itself has become very basic. The poses aren't new, the filters aren't new , neither is the content.
They look like they're having fun, being happy... So why would they not do such stuff? Most of pics look cute, guys don't be scared to have fun just bcos girls do this stuff
I love this pics and wish they were real. Come on, dudes, you had fun making them-- just like "the girls on instagramm". 😊
I'm taking votes: Who wants to see a parody of the pics men post on dating websites and probably instagram and bombard women with via private message? Smooching my did-i-just-get-out-of-jail biceps, trying to look slightly clueless in the hope someone will take care of me, or maybe a more menacing expression to try and look 'hard', an in-car selfie to show that I have a car, selfie lifting a big weight at the gym, now i'm wearing a vest that shows of my tats, i paid for them myself you see, now in this one i'm wearing a suit to imply I should command respect, now sucking in my beer belly or maybe on my expensive bicycle wearing excessive amounts of lycra for the distance travelled, cuddling a dog that isn't actually mine in order to seem more approachable, pretending to play a guitar because I only know 3 cords, and last but not least, here's a grotesque closeup of my hairy flaps that you definitely did not ask for!
Great idea, would that be parody including woman dressed up and posing for that? I'm up to take a part in it. Also I had an idea of doing "tinder rates" like for a trip advisor rating this types of guys.
Load More Replies...I think they're adorable. While clearly they're parodying a certain female stereotype, most of them look to me like a bunch of guys having fun with their friends, breaking down gender roles.
Load More Replies...I like it. But to be fair, I can as well imagine a collection of photos "women acting like men" ;)
I'd be interested to see that too. But I don't think they'd have as much material to work with since guys generally don't take as many photos. At least no one in my group do. I can't speak for others.
Load More Replies...To those saying "not all girls do this" or "this isn't parody, it's an insult" - please go back and read the article. These are a parody of a SPECIFIC BEHAVIOUR, not all women.
Slow down.. You're applying far too much logic for some people lol
Load More Replies...Its ment as a joke, and actually some of the pictures are quite funny. But I am so tired of seing women always being portrayed as shallow and seeking attention. Some women wear fancy clothes and post in IG, some have a phd or prefer reading poetry. One is not better than the other but it tires me to see how they represent us....
Well yeah but those women aren’t on Instagram. Instagram women just copy each other in a desperate plea to be acknowledged as having the best body, best life, best vacations and friends, with money and all the things men want in a woman. It’s so blatantly a plea for attention. Yeah there are women on Instagram who have degrees but so what? They’re doing the same s**t as the ones who don’t have degrees: begging for praise via picture.
Load More Replies...I'm probably gonna get down voted, but women mock themselves without even knowing it. Instagram itself has become very basic. The poses aren't new, the filters aren't new , neither is the content.
They look like they're having fun, being happy... So why would they not do such stuff? Most of pics look cute, guys don't be scared to have fun just bcos girls do this stuff
I love this pics and wish they were real. Come on, dudes, you had fun making them-- just like "the girls on instagramm". 😊
