Evolution of the "Hipster"

[Miigwech]

If you are older like me and want to know about what is referred to as the "Hipster" lifestyle, I suggest watching the series, "Girls." It got me thinking, this group of young folks are the newest version of what has been around for decades. I am glad they are still out there. The name has changed but they share the same qualities - briefly- they are real free thinking individuals, often artistic and highly intelligent, rebelling against the BS so they break societal norms of dress and lifestyle. They don't care what others think. It's a risky choice that can easily have unhappy endings but they aren't aware of this - they can't live any other way. But you know, they really get a chance to live life and to find out who they really are. This is a far better choice then being some brainless follower. Here is my Evolution of the Hipster. What do you think? What have I missed?
Flapper - Zoot Suiter - Beatnik - Hippie - Slacker - Hipster .............

[ForgoTheConsequence]

1. I think you're mistaken.

They do care what others think. In fact their entire style is carefully planned out to give the appearance that they don't care, but they do. It's complicated. Most "hipsters" I know were into punk and then moved on when that became uncool.

[Miigwech]

2. Maybe not quite mistaken

Punk, that's one evolutionary step I missed. What you say is very interesting. The Hipster maybe only cares what other Hipsters think, but still not what the greater society thinks.

[MattBaggins]

5. You also forgot Goths

who also fit that same archtype.. SOOOOOOO much time and effort spent to perfect a look and attitude of being different and not fitting it, except of course with the group of friends who copied the exact same look and attitude just to be different from everyone else.

[Shandris]

14. Sounds like you met the ScaryKids and not actual Goths. (n/t)

[Orrex]

33. "No true Scotsman"

[MattBaggins]

38. Back in the day, I spent an hour and an entire can of hairspray on Saturday to look like this guy.

I know about trying way to hard to not fit in and in the end realizing you were doing everything possible to fit in with your particular group of friends.

[pipi_k]

39. Whatever

they care about who thinks what of them, I think they do it in a smug, assholish-ly pretentious manner.


I always get the impression that they think they're smarter, cooler, and better than everyone else.

And, to put it another way, I wouldn't even insult the Hippies by assigning them as ancestors, in a way, of the "Hipsters".

Hippies...the ones I knew, anyway...were cool because they thought everything outside themselves was cool.


"Hipsters" think THEY are cool. They are not.


Hipsters suck.

[Orrex]

32. Years ago a friend coined the term "deliberate nonconformists."

They expended far more energy in affecting an air of non-confirmity than the "confirmists" expended to fit in.

[loyalsister]

45. That's exactly what I was thinking

They may not care what their friends think. But, they do care what some people think. It's the flip side. They make an effort to ensure that they are not liked.

[TransitJohn]

3. No they're not.

They're wanton consumers and pseudo-intellectuals following trends. I see very little creative output from them, unless you count tweeting about themselves, I guess.

[Warpy]

4. Oh, they all care a great deal what others think, which is why they adopt the particular

"uniform" the current youth movement has adopted for greater visibility. None of these movements flowed from one to the other, they were all dissimilar as the successive ones sought to break all ties with the last, as in "that's what our parents did, ugh!"

Their elders, of course, get a big laugh out of the whole thing unless they are Republicans, in which case they are horribly offended.

Here's my favorite hipster site: http://unhappyhipsters.com/

[KoKo]

31. That is an incredible site....thanks!

[Warpy]

40. I've found it a great antidote to too much HGTV

That channel makes my dump look all the worse and I really need an antidote sometimes when it's the only thing on.

[KoKo]

42. If you've ever had a cat....you would understand this one...

That post modern look is so OTT... I couldn't live in those sterile surrounding and so much enjoyed the comments poking fun. Know what you mean about HGTV..

Anyway... on this one.

[Warpy]

43. Yes, all the warmth and comfort of a company cafeteria for laborers

My own interior desecration is the antithesis of that "clean lines, hard edges" stuff my mother fell prey to in the early 60s. The living room felt like a dentist's office waiting room and it was never used. Even guests would get up and walk to the kitchen to find some relief. I live with an overstuffed thrift store loveseat hidden under a slip cover and a leather club chair and a comfy computer chair.

The only comfortable seat in that room you posted is the one the cat is on.

[KoKo]

49. So true...thanks....

as you say:

Yes, all the warmth and comfort of a company cafeteria for laborers--

That's what I think, too. Used to be that stuff was at Goodwill because people wanted to get rid of it. Now it seems that everyone wants it and China supplies it New!

Oh well...trends come and go.

[KoKo]

41. wrong thread.

[JaneyVee]

6. You forgot irony. Irony is super important.

[Malone]

7. portlandia

Portlandia is a better show that mocks the whole thing.

I also think people should separate the recent trend of "hipsters", from the people who do some of those things honestlyi. Because I also like that there are intellectuals into art or socially/environmentally conscious, into bicycling and indie movies/music whatever. I've known people like that for 30+ years but they don't dress like the modern hipsters. On the bad side there have also always been the negative hipster attributes like being a know-it-all elitist type.

[lunasun]

8. did many outside minority areas adopt zoot suits?

if they are included seems Dashiki crowd should be in there ( or are you including Dashiki wear as a subset of hippie?)
what about grunge and goth?
they fit your definition imo as real free thinking individuals, often artistic and highly intelligent, rebelling against the BS so they break societal norms of dress and lifestyle.

[Ex Lurker]

9. If you watch movies from the late thirties/early forties

you see elements of zoot suit culture creeping into the mainstream, eg, wide, loud ties, high waisted trousers, etc. Then WWII came along and derailed all that. Not much room for sartorial diversity in GI olive drab.

[NuclearDem]

10. I posted in this thread before it was cool.

[Jesus Malverde]

22. I'd trash this thread but I'm too busy waxing my mustache..nt

[Brickbat]

11. You've got it completely backwards. Hipsters fetishize the authentic, without either living it or

earning it.

[Democracyinkind]

12. I see them as fake nerds.

This will sound highly ironic - but I can't help but think that hipsterism is about plagiarizing 90's era nerds... Looking like nerds without really being socially ostracized. It seems fake and superficial.

For me, being a geek wasn't a choice.

Yeah, this is kind of a "I was a nerd before it was cool to look like one" post....

[Scootaloo]

28. I have a video for you, my friend

[Democracyinkind]

29. You totally made my day ;) Thanks for that!

[Wise Child]

13. I think hipster used to imply a generic cool kid,

Not in terms of a public high school's "big man on campus", or anything preppy, but also someone who didn't wear the "slacker" (grunge look) or punk uniform, either. Sort of like Thrift Shop chic.

The term originally came into use to mean jazz enthusiast, right between "Zoot Suiter" and "Beatnik", and then it became synonymous with Beatnik and Hepcat. Then a little more than ten years ago a humorist wrote The Hipster Handbook, which was not to be taken seriously. However, pop culture and the media acquired a solid point of reference for contemporary youth culture.

[JI7]

16. it might have meant something in the old days but these days it's just a common trend

[JI7]

15. nope, these people certainly do care what others think and like to think they are some individualist

free thinking shit. but it's mostly about appearance.

they give themselves away much more easily these days because of the attention whoring with the selfies and facebook and shit.

and just about every major chain store sells the stuff they wear.

the republican that owns ourban outfitters get wealthy from these types.

[Jesus Malverde]

21. Get off my lawn...eh.

[JI7]

23. yes, THEY are actually the "get off my lawn" types

[hughee99]

48. Dammit, i'm an individualist! Just like all my friends.

We get our clothes from the same places, listen to the same bands (you've probably never heard of them), drink the same beer, read the same books, can recite the same lectures on "consumerism" and "selling out" and are largely in agreement on most social issues. It's remarkable that we've all ended up with the same tastes and lifestyle since we're all individuals who don't care what others think.

[Skittles]

17. of course they care what othesr think of them

much more than what others care what THEY think.......that's what you missed

[Luminous Animal]

18. Hahaha! Good one!

[Warren DeMontague]

19. C'mon, who doesn't want to drink Pabst Blue Ribbon out of a tall boy can?

...I mean, besides me.

[Jesus Malverde]

20. There is also a lot of conformity.

So while they are different from the mainstream there is a lot of sameness within the tribe.

It's more a reflection on the poor economy and people being in part time or marginal jobs where looks don't matter so getting all tatted up, plugged ears and growing massive beards aren't career limiting because you don't have a career to begin with.

It is nice there is variety but if you look a little deeper there is a lot of sameness if that makes sense. Enough sameness they can make a TV show with those memes.

Consider it an economic indicator.

[JI7]

24. no, many of these have money and are trust fund types

[Jesus Malverde]

26. Sure, the city is overrun with trustafarians...

This is a nationwide phenomena, and the trust fund babies represent a tiny minority. Most hipsters are struggling millenials living the post industrial economy dream.

[JI7]

25. and the right wing versions of this would be the duck dynasty assholes

[Scootaloo]

27. Interesting take... there's just one issue...

Flapper - Zoot Suiter - Beatnik - Hippie - Slacker - Hipster

For every one person who fits the measure, there are ten more who simply wear the styles and buy the albums and label themselves so. And they wear it as a uniform. It's not self-identity, it's herd identity.

Also, you left out punk. We're still out there, you know.

[Proud Public Servant]

30. So many differences

Last edited Mon Apr 21, 2014, 11:03 AM - Edit history (2)

First, though, I'd note that this list

Flapper - Zoot Suiter - Beatnik - Hippie - Slacker - Hipster .............

Is itself apples and oranges. Flappers tended to be free-spirited, hedonistic daughters of the elite; their spiritual descendant is Paris Hilton. Zoot suiters were an ethnic subculture for the most part. Beatniks, hippies and slackers were all social dropouts to some extent, but for very different reasons.

But they're all different from hipsters, it seems to me, in these ways:

1) Hipsters ar not group-oriented; the whole point of hipsterism is to possess a secret knowledge that makes you better than other people. They're more individualist, even Randian, than collectivist.

2) Hipsterism is not just about flaunting affectation but about consumption. It's not just about looking different (like hippies or -- another group you could have mentioned -- punks), it's about knowing where to acquire the accouterments -- the right beer, the right glasses, etc.

3) Far from being social dropouts, hipsters -- being special-little-snowflake millennials -- actually believe they deserve to be at the center of things.

Every group cited in the OP is leftish. But I would argue that, given its emphasis on individuality, exclusion, entitlement, and consumption, hipsterism is actually a right wing inclination/affectation.

[NCTraveler]

34. Their first and most important concern seems to be....

how they are viewed by others. Their whole world seems to revolve around fitting into a stereotype while acting as if they shun stereotypes. Thanks for letting me borrow your broad brush to paint with. Seems to have done the job. You can have it back now.

[Tom Ripley]

35. Miles Davis says that they are all pikers...motherfucking pikers.

[PasadenaTrudy]

36. Portlandia

is what you need to see, not Girls

[Tikki]

37. PUNK...

So many people think PUNK was all anger, ripped up clothing and puking.

It was everything you have noted in your OP.
'THE SCREAM' 1978
…the Screamers..

"I've gotta go
Through the motions
Real sharp
Wish me luck
Rev it up
My emotions
Gotta make myself a buck

Just forget about the fancy words
Don't waste 'em on a dream
Let's make sure it really hurts
Tear up our lungs and scream

This is a song 'bout a scream that turned sour
They took it away : the happiest hour
I was screaming out for you and me
They snatched my voice for all to see
And I told them, "Hey, let me scream "
Help me...Help me
Please let me scream
Help me
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me,
me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me!

Life is a scream
Man is an engine
Blowin' off steam
An engine
With a vengeance
So they said "Hey, kid, we don't know what you mean"
"But you sure are a riot, you sure are a scream."
Yeah, a riot! Yeah, a scream!

Just forget about the fancy words
Don't waste 'em on a dream
Let's make sure it really hurts
Tear up our lungs and scream

They said hey, kid, we don't know what you mean
You sure are a riot, you sure are a scream
But you are the riot, and I am the scream
You are the riot, and I am the screeeaaaam
eeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmm!!!!!!!!!!….."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Screamers

Tikki

[Throd]

44. Hipsters are the ultimate lemmings.

[DirkGently]

46. I was at a thing a while back ...

... full of outstanding, progressive types, getting local awards for various good deeds. Good souls all, I'm sure, and plenty I knew for sure to be. Drinks were flowing, clouds of smoke and e-cig vapor swirling in equal measure.

But the new look of "cool" did kind of blow my hair back, not having seen mass groupings of deliberate hip stylings for a little while.

It's hard not to chuckle just a little at the ubiquity of styles that are calculated sooo precisely to look uncalculated, and conform sooo carefully to a particular brand of nonconformity. The dark eyeglasses frames, waxed mustaches, skinny jeans, madras shirts (when did those come back?). Hair mussed over the part just so.

God bless anyone with a sense of style. But seeing three or four 20-something guys with the same beard, same glasses, same shirt (sleeves rolled the same way) and the same jeans, all standing around sharing beers just reminded me I was never "cool." Not that kind of cool, anyway. It was always way too much work to look like you don't care what you're wearing in exactly the same way as your friends.

The person I was with noticed it all too, but pointed out that at least someone trying really hard to lay down a specific aesthetic groove is giving it some thought. They want to project something that underlines their approach to things and advertises their attitude one way or the other. Hard to argue with that, except maybe to the extent it becomes a rote thing or overly rigid. As long as no one starts lecturing on microbrews or their vinyl collection, or looking funny at my non-skinny jeans and non-ironic T-shirt, hipsters are cool with me.

Wax on, cool people.

[closeupready]

47. I'm not sure what most of them are aiming for - they all

seem so suburban - cutsey couples holding hands, and talking googly-googoo to each other, even though they have pierced appendages galore, smoke pot and dress laughably. ??

Whatever. I don't socialize with any of them, so I really don't care about them.