our little hipsters

Our Little Hipster

                Ever since we were able to pick out our own clothes we have been creating our own personal style. What makes us interested in certain colors, styles, and fabrics? Our interests change as we get older and are influenced by seeing others’ examples around us.  Have you ever heard of a hipster? Even though you think you have not or you are unsure of what that even means. most likely, you have seen them on your way to work, at the grocery store or even in your neighborhood.   A hipster can be defined a number of ways because it’s a very loose term.

The original hipster came out of the Jazz era in the early 1900’s. The subculture was brought out by the middle class, young adults who were mostly all Caucasian that found the black culture that surrounded Jazz intriguing. Jazz was brought into existence when it was ok for dark skinned musicians to have classical training in the New Orleans. When things began to heat up in America with racial issues, New Orleans stayed in its own world for a while. Soon enough, people with non Caucasian ethnicity where not allowed to do normal things as they once had. Life was rough for them in 1910, but it caused many classically trained musicians of that time to mesh with the musicians of the streets. They would not  fully understand the impact they would have on the music  industry . They loved their music and kept playing even in frustrating conditions. There would be no stopping the flame once it ignited. The Caucasian interest spread when the Black culture dressed the part. The black influences are the ones responsible for our Contemporary Hipster. It’s the vintage subculture that stemmed from the very roots of Jazz from the brothels and intriguing look on life that apparently hooked the modern stream.

Times have changed since 1910. The word hipster is becoming main stream. You can find people of many ages wearing the typical outfit, skinny jeans, logo tees and thick-brimmed glasses. The question that comes to mind when I see them, are they a true hipster or a generic stereo type they are stamping themselves with?

                With so many questions and not many of them fully answered. After interviewing many people I came out with the same answer. A hipster in their definition was to be a person who dressed like they have never seen TV in the life or a person who wears the typical outfit.  A boy named Jake from Northwestern College said He feels like hipsters are shallower because they’re chasing after something that’s always changing, but he found that people who live in the Phillips district of Minneapolis are deeper because they are trying to get out of the rough. I wonder why we go right into thinking that the people who have the hipster vibe are not considered as worthy of our time to have deep conversations with?

                There are three kinds of hipsters out there right now. The first kind of hipster is the stereo typical hipster with colored skinny jeans that would be worn with a thicker pair of glasses and who are considered to be a step down from an emo who by definition is their own person trying to make sense of the world.  They have potential to be in the next music video of the Jonas Brothers, and they all own a skateboard. The skater industry has changed their style to become more tailored to the typical young teen to early adult who has the need to fit in to their peers and strive to get attention from anyone.  To me it seems like it’s a stereo typical poser, but who am I to judge.

                The second kind of hipster has been seen in their bland patterned colored clothing. They are our earth muffins of this era. You see eating organic, vegan, and incredibly healthy foods in our fast food culture.  They seek to rub against the grain and bring their own food to venues in their own reusable cloth bag.  I am not saying that going green should be looked down upon because that is not what I am getting at. The point is our second kind of hipster, are people of the earth. They see things in different colors than the rest of the world, and seek richer potential in mainstream things.  They’re influenced by the ever expanding interest of thrifting.  In a sense almost similar to our idea of a gypsy, but more generically excepted.

                Style still lingers to drone the mind of the wearer to become interested in something they feel is right. The third kind of hipster is the free thinker. They are people who have grabbed the idea and concept around the stereo type but they found their ideas “first” they aren’t as brightly decorated as the first definition of a hipster, but they lock on to the unique tendencies that has been past down from the hipster subculture made in the early 1900’s. It’s easy to want to agree with Jake when he suggested that by definition they are shallow. What would they say to you when you got to know each individual who claimed the hipster role? The third category involves fuzzy lines because they might seem like the second kind of hipster, but there is something about them that’s different.  We can never figure out what it is because they are looking for the once organic means of style that become main stream at the end of the day.

Some might consider shinning the light on the not so beautiful a hurtful matter, but truthfully many have found that the average hipster has gotten a bad rep. Drugs have fallowed them like a plague. It goes hand in hand with understanding its subculture because they seem to live mediocre lives with a focus on style. It’s not pretty, but for some it’s how they grew up, who their friends are and what they do in their free time. Hipsters can be caught up in a lifestyle that they think is brilliant, but many fade with the exhale of the joint they puff. 

Will the trend of the mod color people stand to exist in on this planet or will they die like the weeds around my garden or will the popularity of wearing every generation in one outfit continue with peoples urge to be recognizably different stand strong.  The line that threads a hipster to its subculture has shown it’s self to live on for a while longer. Because the hipster is so unique and very broad our culture is bracing itself for its future. Time will only tell how long this phase in style will last.