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What is Hipsterism?
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. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively. Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer. The "effortless cool" urban bohemian look of a hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel ads which cater towards the hipster demographic. 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.
Hipsters shun mainstream societal conventions that apply to dating preferences and traditional "rules" of physical attraction. It is part of the hipster central dogma not to be influenced by mainsream advertising and media, which tends to only promote ethnocentric ideals of beauty. The concepts of androgyny and feminism have influenced hipster culture, where hipster men are often as thin as the women they date. The muscular and athletic all-American male ideal is not seen as attractive by confident and culturally-empowered hipster women who instead view them as symbols of male oppression, sexism, and misogyny. Likewise, culturally-vapid sorority-type girls with fake blond hair, overly tanned skin, and "Britney Spears tube-tops" are not seen as attractive by cultured hipster males who instead see them as symbols of female insecurity, low self-esteem, and lack of cultural intelligence and independent thinking. Hipsters are also very racially open-minded, and the greatest number of interracial couples in any urban environment are typically found within the hipster subculture.
Although hipsters are technically conformists within their own subculture, in comparison to the much larger mainstream mass, they are pioneers and leaders of the latest cultural trends and ideals. For example, the surge of jeans made to look old and worn (i.e. "distressed"), that have become prevalent at stores such as The Gap, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister, were originally paraded by hipsters who shopped in thrift stores years before such clothing items were mass produced and sold to the mainstream consumer. The true irony here is that many of the detractors of hipster culture are in fact unknowingly following a path that hipsters have carved out years before them. This phenomena also applies to music as well, as many bands have become successful and known to mainstream audiences only because hipsters first found and listened to them as early-adopters of new culture. Once certain concepts of fashion and music have reached mainstream audiences, hipsters move on to something new and improved.
Because of the rise of various online photo-blog and social networking sites, insights into urban hipster culture is reaching sheltered suburban audiences at an exponential rate. Cultural "norms" have been deconstructed by hipster culture as a whole. Hipsterism is often dismissed as just an image thing by some, but the culture as a whole is effecting changes in society, leading to feelings of insecurity and resentment in people who are no longer a part of the cultural ruling class. For example, a lot of anti-hipster sentiment evidently comes from culturally-clueless suburban frat boy types who feel that the more sensitive, intelligent, and culturally aware hipster ideal threatens their insecure sense of masculinity. Anti-hipster sentiment often comes from people who simply can't keep up with social change and are envious of those who can.
A conversation outside a hipster bar in downtown NYC:
Frat Boy #1: Dude, are you having any luck picking up chicks in there?
Frat Boy #2: Man...I haven't experienced anything like this before. These chicks are totally rejecting me and going for all these hipster guys in tight pants and shaggy hair instead.
Frat Boy #1: Maybe we should head back up to that bar in Murry Hill where you hooked up with that drunk b*tch from Alpha Sigma Phi last week?
Frat Boy #2: Yeah...I don't think we have what it takes to compete with these guys in here. These hipster chicks won't even give us the time of the day!
Hipsterism - meme gif
Hipsterism - video
Hipsterism - what is it?
"Hipster" refers to those who are adopting an exaggerated form of 'Indie' style purely for cultural acceptance, whereas the indie style consist of those who are genuinely just 'INDIEpendently' minded and it just happens to show through their image and outlook.
There needs to be a realization that 'Hipsters' and 'Indies' are two different cultures.
'Jack' likes a band called "Maps & Atlases", so he wears their T-shirts. Jack wears straight legged jeans because he doesn't like the way baggy jeans feel on him, and wears bigger glasses because he likes being able to see more. Jack genuinely thinks, listens to music, dresses, and acts outside of what is 'popular', because that is just who he is. Jack is an independent thinker, or "Indie"
'Nick' wears a "Maps & Atlases" shirt, straight legged jeans and bigger glasses because he saw it on Jack. Nick envy's people like Jack. Nick tries to copy their style of dressing so that he can feel more like Jack. Unfortunately, Nick can't realize that there IS NO style of 'independent thinkers', and that as a result of his trying to be 'indie', he has bastardized the entire culture. Nick is a hipster.
What does "Hipsterism" mean?
Hipsters are a subculture of American consumer for whom the idea behind the marketing holds more value than the product being marketed.
The attachment of certain words, phrases or ideas to a product (e.g.; counter-culture, independent or "indie", progressive, alternative or "alt", organic, holistic, "old-school", etc.) whether that product is music, fashion, technology, food, social media or real estate, is enough to connote to the hipster "authenticity" and value, regardless of whether there is any innate value to be found.
Ironically, the hipster perceives him/herself as the counterpoint to mass-culture and conformity when, in fact the ease with which hipster "culture" can be appropriated, repackaged and marketed makes them the ultimate conformists (e.g.; tattoos were once a sign of rebellion and a badge of one's outsider status, now over 40% of all Americans under 50 have a tattoo, essentially making them all members of the same tribe.)
Definition #1 was clearly written by a hipster.
Gay porn used to feature nothing but hairless meth-addled circuit queens, now we have to watch skinny, bearded hipsters get facials.
Befuddled observer: "It's 79 degrees out, why are you wearing a kitted wool cap?"
Hipster: "Because I reject the mainstream banality of weather in favor of an authentic expression of my inner self."
Befuddled observer: "Oh, I thought it was because you're a hipster douche-bag."
Hipsterism - what does it mean?
A middle class or rich kid who dresses like a hobo. They are plagued with Alanis Morissette syndrome which makes them misunderstand and fail at being "ironic". Hipsters claim to reject the mainstream and sadly have no idea just how mainsteam they really are.
Hipsters are so mainstream. Ironic, no?
Hipsterism - meaning
Hipsters are people that try too hard to be different (and genuinely do think that they're being different), by rejecting anything they deem to be too popular.
Ironically, so many other people also try too hard to be different that they all wind up being the exact same, so hipsters arent actually different at all, theyre just people that are snobbier and more annoying about their taste in "alternative" things, which are all popular now thanks to the other hipsters.
Hipsters pride themselves on liking things that no one else likes, and normally only really like them because they think no one else likes them and that theyre being unique. This is being delusional because all the other hipsters also like the same things.
Hipster: "I love Mumford and Sons because they're so different to popular music nowadays."
A Million Other Hipsters: "I love Mumford and Sons because they're so different to popular music nowadays."
Mumford and Sons consequently becom a popular band because of their large hipster following of people who think they're being different for listening to them.
(Note: this isn't a hate on Mumford and sons, it's just an example!)
Hipsterism - definition
Deciding to wear a dress shirt and fucking retardedly skinny jeans and probably Starbucks. Basically, the gender fluid valley girl.
"Bitch!!! Get me a macchiato!" "Did you convert to... HIPSTERISM?!"
Hipsterism - slang
A chronic imbalance in Noradrenaline hormones in the endocrine system, which results in mental retardation and lack of intelligence in the brain.
see also: Down Syndrome, Christianity
"I suffered from Hipsterism before anyone else"
Hipsterism
The belief that the world revolves around you and your elite group of friends.
The followers are known as "Hipsters".
Hipsterism Believer 1: "Who's that kid?"
Hipsterism Believer 2: "No one worth talking about."
Hipsterism Believer 1: "Did you hear that new MGMT song?"
Hipsterism
Ironic Nostalgia; the creed that "everything old and belonging to an era is cool (besides anything too old, like classical music), but only when worn/eaten/done in an ironic fashion." Basically: ironic nostalgia.
Kurt practiced extreme hipsterism on Tuesday; pairing some ancient converse all-stars with an 80's watch, an obscure 60's band tee, and acid-washed jeans, he glared at all of us "preps" through tortoiseshell lenseless glasses.
Hipsterism
Mass consumption in the eternal quest for what is cool, distinct, difficult to acquire, or just plain ugly. Hipsters engage in hipsterism by shopping at the most trendy places, always looking for the most unique items. Everything, from the type of clothes worn to what you eat is a status symbol to the hipsterist.
Darren's hipsterism had run rampant by the time he bought his 7th vintage BMW motorcycle.