Hipsters: All You Ever Need to Know

How would you define “hipster”? That’s the question I was asked today over my $2 Subway lupper. Yep, lupper. The time between lunch and supper – or more specifically, 3:30 pm in my case. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe modern. Or trendy.” Wrong. I guess I originally equated hipster with metro. Wrong again. Not only did I not know, my friends conversing with me had a difficult time coming up with examples as well. The only things that we concluded were associated with that term were skinny jeans and shoes that looked like they came from the early 20^th century. Not necessarily the information one can use to speak intelligibly on the subject.

So, being the learner that I naturally am, I decided to do some online research tonight. On my Dell. Therefore, I am decidedly not hipster. First place I looked was Urban Dictionary. Although a somewhat lengthy definition, it seems to cover much of what I learned later on in the research process. Read the first two “paragraphs” here to get an overview. Then I moved on to Wikipedia – the source of all knowledge that your college professor never let you use. Check out the first paragraph here. The rest of the article is not terribly helpful in clarifying the definition, but there are some sweet pictures you can browse if you need an idea of what hipsters look like.

Also, check out this pic. 

The following information was gleaned here and there, but mostly from this Wiki How. So without further ado, here are some of the interesting tidbits I dug up.

• Reject mainstream. It's all about supporting the local vendors or the mom and pop places. If it's a chain, or other people have heard of your favorite music group, or your favorite shoes are now part of a marketing campaign, it's not hipster. Spend more to look like you're paying less.
• Give the appearance of not caring or spending time on appearance, but actually spend time doing so to obtain the perfect “not-trying” look.
• Age: 20s-early 30s.
• Be racially white (the majority of hipsters are)
• Live in large urban cities such as NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Minneapolis or a liberal moderately-sized college town. If living internationally, chose London, Montreal, or Melbourne. The unofficial hipster capital of the world is the Brooklyn, NY suburb  Williamsburg,
• Have a distinct fashion.
• Thick-rimmed glasses. Or Ray Bans. Really anything that has a “quirky” vibe.
• Skinny jeans. The tighter the better.
• Fitted hoodies.
• Vintage or thift-shop apparel.
• Scarves. It doesn’t matter if it’s cold enough to wear one or not.
• Women – dresses, especially those that are lacy or have a floral print.
• Vests.
• Graphic tees. Sometimes layered with sports coats.
• Plaid shirts.
• Hair can blur gender lines. Preferably cut your own. “Bed head” is acceptable.
• Use Apple products – but not just any Apple product. Some products such as the iPod and iPhone are too mainstream now. It’s better to use an item such as an Apple TV or iPad.
• Embrace special interest group philosophies.
• Veganism/vegetarianism
• Eco-friendly. Environmentally conscious, reducing carbon footprint.
• Own and ride bikes. If possible, don’t own a car.
• Appreciate indie (independent) arts and entertainment
• Read indie magazines and blogs
• Explore hipster forums
• Watch indie movies
• Know the newest, up-and-coming, but not-up-and-come-yet, bands. As soon as a band becomes mainstream and your“non-hipster” friends have heard of the group, it’s time to move on to another undiscovered group.
• Own vinyl. In fact, it’s recommended to go buy most of your favorite songs that are currently on your iPod in vinyl. That way you’re a true hipster.
• Drink coffee. Spend all day at a coffee shop surfing hipster-related sites on your Mac. Never use Explorer or Firefox, but only use Google Chrome or Safari. And know everything there is to know about coffee beans. Don’t drink Starbucks though. Support local coffee shops. The more eco-friendly, the better. You probably should use your own thermal mug as well. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
• Never admit you’re a hipster. Doing so automatically labels you. And that’s not the hipster’s goal. Being unique and embracing your own style without regards to anybody else is of utmost importance.
• Know and admire obscure products, such as European cigarettes or Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer.
• Be educated. Most hipsters have at least a Bachelor’s degree, usually from a liberal arts school, and major in areas such as liberal arts, graphic arts, math, or science. Contrary to popular opinion, most hipsters are quite schooled and don’t live off their parents’ income.
• Play an instrument. Preferably play an instrument that’s not mainstream such as guitar. Chose the triangle or ukulele instead. Similarly, being in a band doesn’t hurt your hipster cred either. As I read somewhere online, you don’t have to be good – just enthusiastic.
• Accept the inherent contradictions that come with living a hipster lifestyle.
• Develop a hipster’s sense of humor. For instance, don’t take yourself seriously. Be willing to make ridicule yourself before someone finds it popular to do so. Use a somewhat satirical approach to life.

As far as entertainment goes, the following are reliable hipster-approved and frequented sources of information

• Magazines: Vice, Another Magazine, and Wallpaper
• Books:  any book, especially if you frequent the sociology, political science, and anthropology sections of your local library.
• Music: pitchforkmedia.com, Gorilla vs.Bear, indiehere, and Stereogum
• Films: anything by Ann Liv Young. Watch Wes Anderson, Hal Hartley, and Jim Jarmusch movies.

Those are the main points of living like a hipster. On that note, I’ll wrap up this entry by sharing a few more things.

For some hilarious hipster humor, check out these sites. (Disclaimer: there is some objectionable language posted in some of the examples. But if you have a sarcastic sense of humor, the others are worth reading.)

• Hipster edits
• Hipster memes

And, finally, these video clips summarize how to be a hipster or allow you to engage in hipster humor.

• How to Be a Hipster 

• The Hipster Song 

• Hipster Olympics 

Hopefully, you now know more about hipsters than you did before. I certainly do. Thanks for reading. Until next time…