Nobody Wants to Be a Hipster?
"People compulsively complain about hipsters out of a sense of insecurity, when really, like bees, or sharks, the hipster is more scared of you than you are of them." -Luke O'Neill
The negative stereotypes that I've heard about American hipsters have made me want to understand the history of the subculture, and what it means to be a hipster in the present day. I started off my research by asking my younger sister what she thinks of when I say the word "hipster". She immediately responded with: "Someone who thinks that they discovered everything before everyone else did; everything that's not mainstream- as soon as something becomes mainstream they get pissed." To me, non-mainstream is what I think of when I hear the word subculture, though I know that's often not the case. In order to get a more specific definition of what a hipster is, I explored a variety of websites- from the more technical Wikipedia to primarily opinionated blogs. In the case of the contemporary hipster, I think it's the negative stereotypes that have actually become the dominant definition. The widely recognized depiction of a hipster is characteristic of a hipster minority but is being used to describe the majority.
I've concluded that present-day hipsters are looked down upon principally because of consumerism. Jeff Wise of the website psychology today explains that generally the people of the subculture have become "represented as an uberconsumer of trends and as a new, and rather gullible, target market that consumes cool rather than creating it." The idea that the hipster subculture has become a mere marketing ploy would explain why the perceived negative norm of hipsters is so different than what their essence encompasses in a textbook definition. The delusional hipster as presented by Mr. Wise contributes a strikingly different illustration of the subculture when contrasted with the Urban Dictionary description. Urban Dictionary provides a clean phrase, claiming that "Hipsters are 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." This divergence of the uberconsumer hipster niche and the fundamental hipster is what has caused the hipster to be seen as only the former- as I was pointing out in the introduction with the minority vs. majority argument. Based on personal experience, there are still an abundance of original-esque hipsters out there whose lifestyles revolve around conserving rather than consuming. Most of them wouldn't admit that they might technically be hipsters because of the discussion.
There are certain traits that are at the "core" of hipster beliefs, and have been seen in all versions: the original 1940s hipsters, the beat generation, hippies, and the contemporary hipsters. In all decades, hipsters are not satisfied with American mainstream society and are philosophical with existentialist tendencies. Norman Mailer described a hipster's attitude very well in a fragment of his 1957 pamphlet on 1940's hipsters, stating that the subculture's members were people "with a middle-class background [who]...adopt what they believe is the carefree, spontaneous, cool lifestyle." The adoption involves self-imposed poverty as a way to contrast materialism. Exploration of new and non-mainstream politics, music, fashion, drugs, sexuality, and overall alternative lifestyles is very important to hipsters. There is a resistance to identifying oneself as a hipster since the labeling of a subculture seems too mainstream to the group. I agree with the Clark Historical Society that sometimes "Modern hipsters pride themselves above all else as being 'original', but today’s hipsters are actually very similar to the hipsters of the 1940s".
Music has been an eminent interest for hipsters, especially considering that the culture began because of jazz rhythms. Independent and inventive music that doesn't enforce mainstream music rules is something that hipsters can believe in and take pride in. I love how straightforward Luke O'Neil, an admitted hipster, was about the hipster music scene when he blogged: "We mock the hipsters when we should be thanking them, because like it or not, many of these trends we're so quick to dismiss now are going to filter down into the mainstream sooner or later. Do you have any idea where your entertainment even comes from? How many truly horrible indie rock shows and DJs and art openings and readings and bars and fashion shows people like me have to suffer through on a nightly basis so we can sift through the cultural slush pile and report back to the rest of the world? We ate foam for a year there! And we did it so you wouldn't have to." Indie music allows for creative music that may not have gained any following otherwise, and I do agree that it's an important thing.
"Thrift store chic" has become the ubiquitous fashion movement of hipsters. The style started gaining popularity in the 90's within the indie rock and emo music scenes. A lousy economy, the environmental movement, and the do-it-yourself mentality all contributed to thrift store chic becoming increasingly utilized throughout the 2000's. Shopping at thrift stores allows for more individuality, less impact on the planet, and an association with indie music. A hipster's thrift store garments of choice are usually cardigans, flowery dresses, vintage t-shirts, and flannel "lumberjack" shirts. These pieces are then mixed with dark skinny jeans or leggings and trendy accessories in order to chic things up. Hipster fashion has become very broad and commercialized, often leading to non-hipsters wearing supposedly hipster styles. Journalist Luke O'Neil contemplates this phenomenon in saying"...almost everything can be woven into the hipster fabric now; it's a choose-your-own-ending story where every option leads to the same page, you standing there in some silly hat or other. White guy with a beard? Hipster. Black dude on a skateboard? Hipster. Just a sort-of-skinny cop? Hipster. Woman riding a bike? Hipster. You can play either a mandolin or a turntable and somehow still be a hipster. No rules!"
Sophy Bot has coined the occurrence of the word hipster being thrown at a growing count of people and things as "the hipster effect". The hipster effect describes how Americans are quick to qualify anyone who possesses any of the qualities as a hipster. Stereotypes, misinterpretation, and the popularity of the hipster designation contribute to this "hipster trap" in which a growing number of people are classified as hipster against their intention. Bot points out that the focus when speculating the subculture should not be the alleged negative aspects but instead the innovative "freedom of choice". When it comes down to it, it is not a hipster subculture that makes a person a stuckup know-it-all- it's the person themselves. It is important to recognize how much individuality there is within the United States and to become more acquainted with genuinely getting to know a person rather than simply placing them into a category hollow of fair judgement.
Works Cited:
Parasuco, Tray. "Hipster." Urban Dictionary. 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2007. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster&defid=2705928>.
Wikipedia contributors. "Thrift store chic." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 Jul. 2012. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Wikipedia contributors. "Hipster (1940s subculture)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Wikipedia contributors. "Hipster (contemporary subculture)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Wise, Jeff. "The Sad Science of Hipsterism." Psychology Today. 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 Sept. 2010. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/extreme-fear/201009/the-sad-science-hipsterism>.
Bot, Sophy. The Hipster Effect. 5 Feb. 2014. Web. <http://thehipstereffect.com>.
'On the Offbeat': The Original Hipsters. Clark Historical Society. 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 March 2011. <http://clarknews.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/%E2%80%9Con-the-offbeat%E2%80%9D-the-original-hipsters/>.
O'Neil, Luke. "It's Hip to Be Hip, Too". Slate. 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <5 Feb. 2014. Web. <http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/09/proud_of_being_a_hipster_one_bearded_indie_rock_loving_contrarian_article.html
Image via Create Awards
No comments:
Post a Comment