Hipster | Styles Matter

Hipsters…whether you love them or hate them or are one of them. I have seen many different types of hipsters. Heard many different definitions. Many people use hipster as a swearing word, it is often used as an insult. People think of hipsters as mainstream wannabes who do nothing, cries their eyes out when there is no WiFi, wear weird clothes and have no values. They sit in the computer all day long and are macaroni faces who can’t even succeed doing 3 sit-ups.

Chart written by Amaya Perea, Designed by Randall Maynard.

(Picture describing how people think hipsters think)

The article from Guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/14/hate-hipsters-blogs) reveals that there are hipsters hate blogs; saying “if there’s one thing more fashionable than being a hipster, it’s laughing at hipsters,” and belief that hipsters are self-possessing know-it-all’s.

Critic Armond White accuses hipsterism of adhering to cynicism, nihilism, and associated amorality.

But…in reality it’s a little bit different…actually quite a lot different.

Yes, hipsters are different from the majority. They don’t listen to Lady Gaga or Pitbull. They don’t follow the latest celebrity fashion trends and don’t have the latest Samsung Galaxy phone. And they definitely are not also the people who do everything to make others noticing them by being loud. Hipsters are different, though they don’t fight for the attention. According to Wikipedia, hipster is a subculture of young from urban middle class adults and teenagers.

Hipsters are people who have:

independent music taste
non-mainstream fashion style
liberal or independent political views
alternative spirituality/atheism/agnosticism
alternative lifestyle
independent film choices
independent magazine and website choices (http://www.clashmusic.com / http://pitchfork.com/)

Hipsters subculture is developed from beat, hippie, punk and grunge. The term itself was coined during the jazz age, when “hip” emerged as an adjective to describe aficionados of the growing scene. Although the adjective’s exact origins are disputed, some say it was a derivative of “hop,” a slang term for opium, while others believe it comes from the West African word “hipi,” meaning “to open one’s eyes.” The essence of the definition of “hip”, attested as early as 1902, is “aware” or “in the know”. Conversely, the antonym unhip connotes those who are unaware of their surroundings, also including those who are opposed to hipness.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture)

Matt Granfield in his book HipsterMattic described hipsters this way: “While mainstream society of the 2000s (decade) had been busying itself with reality television, dance music, and locating the whereabouts of Britney Spears’s underpants, an uprising was quietly and conscientiously taking place behind the scenes. Long-forgotten styles of clothing, beer, cigarettes and music were becoming popular again. Retro was cool, the environment was precious and old was the new ‘new’. Kids wanted to wear Sylvia Plath’s cardigans and Buddy Holly’s glasses — they revelled in the irony of making something so nerdy so cool. They wanted to live sustainably and eat organic gluten-free grains. Above all, they wanted to be recognised for being different — to diverge from the mainstream and carve a cultural niche all for themselves. For this new generation, style wasn’t something you could buy in a department store, it became something you found in a thrift shop, or, ideally, made yourself. The way to be cool wasn’t to look like a television star: it was to look like as though you’d never seen television.

(Buddy Holly’s glasses) (Sylvia Plath)

Both mail and female hipsters are usually thin. Muscular all-American male ideals and curvy women – Marilyn Monroe type sex symbols don’t appeal attractive to hipsters. Overly tanned skin and fake blond hair are big no-no’s for hipsters.

MUSIC & FILM TASTE
Hipsters have “elitist” music taste. They don’t listen to main-stream bands that everyone knows, more like artists who no ones heard of. They listen to nu-rave (i.e. The Klaxons, Cut Copy, Hercules and Love Affair), minimalist techno, independent rap (i.e. Spank Rock, Talib Kweli, Aesop Rock), nerdcore (i.e. YT Cracker, MC Lars, MC Chris), Elephant 6 (i.e. of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo), garage rock, and punk rock in addition to all manners of independent rock. Favorite band is very likely Bright Eyes, The Arcade Fire, The Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, The Strokes, or something of that nature. Also watches independent and foreign films and reads independent books, magazines, and periodicals. Is a fan of modern art and may also be an amateur artist.

Bright Eyes The Arcade Fire The Artic Monkeys

FASHION STYLE Like previously mentioned, hipsters wear their grandparents clothes and do shopping mostly in the thrift or vintage shops, but also at Urban Outfitters, American Apparel. They dress in a progressive but retro fashion that is often changing. Popular items include leggings, mini-skirts, leg warmers, ’60s dresses, headbands, chunky jewellery, and large shirts and sweaters for girls. For boys the clothing choice is skinny suits and ties, tight jeans and cords, t-shirts with ironic sayings and images, cardigans, plaid and buffalo check shirts, colourful hoodies, and tight windbreakers. Both genders frequently wear dirty Vans and Converses, flamboyant Nikes, large plastic frame glasses, and neon wayfarer sunglasses and are sometimes pierced and tattooed.

hipster route 2 The HIPSTER route (22 photos)

LIFESTYLE Hipsters hang out at fashionable coffee shops, indie rock shows, and hipster dance clubs. They do their grocery shopping at the Whole Food Stores and are often vegans or vegetarians. Often eat ethnic and organic food.
MINDSET Despite misconceptions based on their aesthetic tastes, hipsters tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities. Consequently many hipsters tend to have jobs in the music, art, and fashion industries. It is a myth that most hipsters are unemployed and live off of their parent’s trust funds.

What do I think of hipsters? I absolutely approve hipsters mindset. I think they are stylish. I love the fact that they know about music and films that aren’t well-known and that they aren’t impressed of overrated Hollywood action and sci-fi films. I love that they want to be different and are independent thinkers. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about them.