Hipster
What is a hipster? Is it someone who wears the latest clothes from Urban Outfitters and American Apparel? Is it someone who thinks about progression or have really progressive views? Or is it just a label for people who are different to the norm?
Why all the questions?
I wondered about this because during my time in Germany, I saw it how the hipster lifestyle move from one country to the next. In Mainz and even Frankfurt, the alternate life style seems relatively new compared to the states.
Social media seems to play a big part of defining hipster. On Instagram and Tumblr, hipster is more associated with fashion and sometimes lifestyle in a somewhat positive light. While on Buzzfeed, hipster is a bit more mocked due to it being so different and sometimes just a trend or being a snob. On other media platforms, hipster is a way of life.
Urban Dictionary defines Hipster as “a subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.”
According to this, Hipster seems more of a mindset and beliefs. This is reinforced by Urban Dictionary again as “ “hipster-ism” is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses.”
In terms of fashion, hipster styles can also become a main stream due to social media outlets. People can go on Instagram and Tumblr to see the latest fashion and when multiple people end up liking it, the style can become popular to imitate. The more popular it becomes, the quicker the trend will be out for the masses.
An example of this are the latest facial trend and glasses, around the early 2010s, the big black glasses and late 19th century curly circus-like mustaches appeared on the scene. The trend took storm in the U.S. among the alternate community. About a year or two later, the trend became main stream to the American masses being everywhere on T-shirts, buttons with the saying “I mustache you a question” and Ray Burns having the big black glasses from the eighties. People in there 20s until mid-30s support the Hipster fashion trend by buying and wearing the glasses, and mustaches.
From this, hipster becomes just some fashion statement. Something different from the norm that soon becomes the norm.
Since it can be a fashion statement, there are people who do it as a means to express themselves, while others just do it because it is a trend.
Originally, hipster was never a trend. As mentioned before, it is a mindset.
“Historically, proto-hipsters have been connoisseurs — people who deviate from the norm. Like hippies. Over the years, though, they inspired a new generation of young urban types who turned the notion of a hipster into a grossly commercial parody. These new hipsters want to appear a certain way, to be seen to be doing certain things, but without doing the research. So they appropriated the lifestyle and mindset of a proto-hipster” says Chris Sanderson from the Observer in the Guardian.
That is possibly how the negative meaning of hipster began. Due to social media, the problem slightly became who is genuinely lives this lifestyle for their beliefs or who just does it because it is cool. Which is why there are many posts on Buzzfeed mocking the hipsters.
Now, what is a hipster?
Simple answer-a label.
Wait! Wait! Here me out first.
Hipster is anything a person labels as well different. Now, this is very broad. It is independent-thinking in a way because one “reinvents” something that already existed into something unique. From that, there are people who copy because it is cool.
A hipster can be a progressive, counter-culture thinker or a fashion trend.
Here are the links below if you want to read more about it:
