Hipsters

Today I started to do a little digging into the dreaded Hipster phenomenon, inspired by my roommates UNNECESSARY name calling the other night. First of all, no hipster self-identifies as one. Apparently, even hipsters hate hipsters.

Wikipedia gives a long entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture) that follows the Hipster lineage from the Beatniks and further to Whites Who Love Jazz. A general consensus is the “Alternative” movement that focuses on Black Culture.

Urban Dictionary gives an entry:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster in its usual user-pitted argumentative style that again defines it as an Alternative lifestyle choice.

There are many other attempts to define what a Hipster is, and all of them agree on these things: the appearance of a hipster is a major component; a liberal education and a focus on the arts, philosophy, and little-known music and its roots in the origins of rock and roll; a love of PBR; their birds-of-a-feather mentality; and all agree on the ever important appearance of the male hipster, with the greatest discrepancy in the haircut and whether it should be androgynous with bangs or angular (both should be unkempt and longer) (Basically the descriptions vary from Mr. Sailor to Daddy Hanover). There are even DIVISIONS amongst the hipster milieu – Natural Hipsters, Hip-Hop Hipsters, and hipsters in Chicago, NY and San Fran. Apparently, they are all, however, “Deck” (have you even HEARD this word before? And WHERE?).

The appearance of the female hipster, however, is widely disputed. Some places claim the female must have an equally androgynous haircut with wide-swept bangs while others say just long and unkempt. Some hipster girls must wear long vintage dresses, some tight jeans and leggings, some matching big-belts-and-heels, others cutoffs and converse, etc. Tattoos aren’t even mandatory on the females!!!! WHAT?!! But yes, scarves are. According to all of these descriptions the following of our female friends are hipsters: K the Roommate, L in Florida, Braines, Thompson Girl, Aurora, Ms. L. Wright, Everyone in Santa Fe, The Flemings, Nicholson, etc. and of course, myself. We can’t ALL be hipsters?! Some of you don’t even drink PBR! I rarely wear scarves anymore! And L’s hair is NEVER messy.


Here is a funny article dedicated to finding the Most Alternative Couple: http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2009/01/in-search-of-the-most-alternative-couple-on-earth.html

NYPD has even RENAMED hipsters: http://gothamist.com/2009/10/12/nypd_has_new_name_for_hipsters.php (Hint, the new name is Marshmallow).

A journalist must defend his love for McSweeneys against the hipster ID: http://archives.secretsofthecity.com/magazine/blogs/cracking-spine/2008/04/defense-hipster-literature

2003 saw the publishing of a Handbook: http://www.hipsterhandbook.com/clues.html