When Hipsters Aren’t Hipsters Anymore
Fort Collins is a brewing pot of uniqueness. There are the business people, the classic college students, the family folk, and everything in between. With 150,000 people, there’s a place where everyone can find their fit. The hipster, however, is an enigma that we may never understand but always see around the streets of Old Town. But maybe these hipsters aren’t really hipsters after all.
Hipster is defined as “a person who is trendy, stylish, or progressive in an unconventional way.” A trendsetter for the non-trendy, a realist for the unreal. Now-a-days hipsters have become so present in Old Town it’s difficult to call them “progressive.” The Coloradoan is adamant on the fact that there’s no such thing as a hipster, rather the term is purely a “construction of what people want to call something.”
Here’s a look at a “classic” hipster. They are very proud of their veganism and outreach to protect the environment, all while holding a cigarette in hand and sporting heavy leather boots on their feet. They pride themselves for finding the underground bands that you’ve probably never heard of, even if it means giving up that Taylor Swift song they probably love. They shop at local thrift stores for their clothes, never support big businesses, and are oftentimes known for minimal hygiene and maximum facial hair. Put these factors together, and you’ve got some people in the community that aren’t very supportive of the all-powerful hipsters.
I believe we should give hipsters a chance, even though they aren’t hipsters anymore. Rather they are a group that have found their niche and enjoy being there; we shouldn’t be upset by that. Sure, sometimes they can be pretentious, and feel as if they’re on a higher level because of their mannerisms, but they are just another subset of Fort Collins locals that we should appreciate just as much as the rest. Not to mention the fact that they are willing to break boundaries, stray from the norm, and live just for the sake of living. They’re misunderstood, and that’s exactly what they want to be. They become more and more mainstream everyday, and Fort Collins is the perfect all-accepting community for them to thrive in.
So power to you, non-hipster hipsters. I may never appreciate your secondhand smoke, but I will always appreciate your unending love for the little things in this world.
