Bring On The Pumpkin Spice Everything
Every year, I look forward to the beginning of September, not because it’s back-to-school season, but because that means it’s the return of pumpkin spice everything. Over the last five years, we have evolved past just the Pumpkin Spice Latte to a whole slew of pumpkin-flavored deliciousness.
Even though the PSL is still my favorite, I am a sucker for most things pumpkin spice flavored. My love for pumpkin spice knows very wide limits; it turns me into the most basic white girl for two months every year. And you know what? IDGAF. I embrace that shit.
The arrival of the PSL pretty much makes it feel like fall is coming, even if it isn’t. Once I drink my first PSL of the season, it’s only a hop, skip, and a jump to Ugg boots with leggings and my black North Face fleece jacket. There’s a reason Taylor Swift releases her albums in the fall — because it’s the most basic time of year. So I crank that shit up and dance while I eat my pumpkin doughnuts. There is just something about fall that brings it out in me. And you know what? I could be ashamed, but I’m not, not even a little bit.
Because there’s nothing wrong with being basic during pumpkin spice season, even if you’re a black woman, like me.
When it comes to the PSL, I have been known to stalk Starbucks on social media for a release date. Once I tweeted to Starbucks because it was September 4 and the PSL was still not available. And then as soon as they dropped, I was at my local Starbucks, posting pictures of my PSL on Instagram, filtered to the hilt and hashtagged. I mean, you might as well call me Becky, you guys.
I will go out of my way for some pumpkin spice-flavored goodness. Currently, I’m on a quest to find Ben & Jerry’s Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream someplace closer to me than is listed on their website. I have already gone on a pilgrimage to Dunkin Donuts to get my favorite pumpkin spice iced coffee (in 100-plus degree weather) and pumpkin doughnuts for my kid and me. Yes, even my preschooler is living that pumpkin spice life.
You can find me slurping down PSLs like they’re going out of style, which let’s face it, they never will because they’re awesome. The drink is really a gateway drug to all of the other pumpkin spice-flavored stuff. Coffee creamer, breakfast cereals, snack cakes, candy (OMG you haven’t lived until you’ve tried pumpkin spice candy corn), and of course, the old standbys like doughnuts and muffins.
Sprinkles Cupcakes (my favorite cupcake shop in the entire world) shared on social media that their pumpkin cupcake is back, and I actually squealed with excitement. Since I live in Los Angeles, it’s a little hot to rock my Uggs, but I’m wearing them in my mind as I sip my delicious orange-tinted coffee and head to the bakery.
My love for all things pumpkin spice has taught me to just accept the fact that part of me is totally basic. As my girl Taylor says, “the haters gonna hate, hate, hate.” My best friend teases me about being the most basic black girl she knows, and I’m over here like, “damn straight!” Because guess what? I just own the shit out of it. Sure, I Instagram pics of my PSLs and love to go apple picking while wearing my Uggs and LuLaRoe leggings. Yes, I can quote Mean Girls like it’s my job. I use way too many exclamation points in my texts, and I can create whole sentences in emojis. Like, I said, just call me Becky and make sure you spell it right on my Starbucks cup. I love pumpkin spice, and I love doing basic white girl shit in the fall, even though I’m a proud black woman. I literally do not care what you think.
Now pass me that PSL.
