Mommy, Where Do Hipsters Come From? [Part I]
Sitting at the office desk today, there was nothing better to do than start typing into my address bar random dotcoms. First I tried Wankster.com, yielding a result telling me the URL was already registerws, but I could buy it if I wanted. I didn't want to. Then Wanker.com redirected me to some communications company. About then I gave up and decided Google was invented for a reason.
The first term I searched for was "Hipster", bringing me to The Hipster Handbook. The site has some interesting artwork but otherwise is just trying to sell a book, The Hipster Handbook.
The website held my attention for about 90 seconds. However, I was intrigued to learn more about the term "Hipster" for which I've been casually tossing around to described people I don't really like.
Simply searching for "Origin" and "hipster" brought me to yet another book, A Field Guide to the Urban Hipster. I was beginning to think the term Hipster simply meant "Another way to sell a novelty book".
Since google wasn't being very helpful, I turned to our old friend, The Urban Dictionary. The Top entry for hipster offers two definitions. The first definition claimed a Hipster was "the next step in evoluton from emo". Ok. That was a start.
The next part of the definition though said, "2. twenty-something stroketard whose style of clothing conflicts with their demeanor...resulting in a spicy psudeo-intellectualwith flavor-of-the-month conversations". Now it seems that whoever wrote this was just bitter they weren't a hipster.
Thinking perhaps some of the other difinitions offered by the Urban Dictionary would present some greater, or at least broader, insight, I kept reading. Before long I came to a direct qutoe from The Hipster Handbook. Yikes, talk about coming full circle.
Back to Google I went.
Several entries later I came to an article discussing Hipsters of the 1950s. It seems Hipsters were the precursers to Hippies and Beatniks.
Well now, everything was begining to make sense. This what we've learned so far:
Modern Hipsters reject consumerism, suburbia, and trendiness while embracing second hand clothing, urban lifestyles, and uniqueness. They are creative, artistic, independent thinkers. They tend to be liberal. There are numerous references to Hipsters "slumming it" while living off of "Daddy's Money [Parimony].
Everything that Hipsters are is contraictory to where they come from. They are for the most part former consumers from the suburbs. They are mimicking each other in their creativity. They increase the cost of living in the "slums" by brining with them a demand for high end retail stores.
Hipsters are good if you talk to a hipster. Hipsters are bad if you talk to a anyone who isn't.
But where do Hipsters come from?
Well, as I said, the term Hipster was used in the 1950's to reference people involved in the counter culture. Hipsters today are not very different. They are the counter culture. Modern Hipsters then do have their origins in Hipsters of the 1950's.
Before the modern hipster, there was the Indie movement of the late 1990s. The Indie movement [emo is a sub-group of Indie, or in some places synonymous with Indie] embraced many of the same mores and beliefs of Hipsters. It rejected consumerism, embracing individuality, and encouraged creativity. The same could be said of the Punk movement before that. And earlier, Hippies; Beatniks; and 1950's Hipsters.
That's one variation on the origin of the term "hipster". But I would also like to posit a more ironic origin for the term.
A few years back, The GAP, the icon of 80s and 90s prep, came out with a new marketing style name for their jeans. They were sold under the name 1969. The earliest of these were somewhat pre-worn in appearence [Though they were also the most comfortable GAP jeans I've ever owned]. Along with these jeans was a line of corduroy slacks; together they were part of the "Hipster" line. So as it turns out, one might conclude the Hipster model pants sold at The GAP circa 1999-2002 is the impetus behind the Hipster movement.
Interestingly enough, The GAP is featured in the "Indie" cult classic, Reality Bites; in the movie, The GAP is a symbol of the evil corporate America that young people should shun, at least of course, after adopting the name of their store brand jeans.
The first term I searched for was "Hipster", bringing me to The Hipster Handbook. The site has some interesting artwork but otherwise is just trying to sell a book, The Hipster Handbook.
The website held my attention for about 90 seconds. However, I was intrigued to learn more about the term "Hipster" for which I've been casually tossing around to described people I don't really like.
Simply searching for "Origin" and "hipster" brought me to yet another book, A Field Guide to the Urban Hipster. I was beginning to think the term Hipster simply meant "Another way to sell a novelty book".
Since google wasn't being very helpful, I turned to our old friend, The Urban Dictionary. The Top entry for hipster offers two definitions. The first definition claimed a Hipster was "the next step in evoluton from emo". Ok. That was a start.
The next part of the definition though said, "2. twenty-something stroketard whose style of clothing conflicts with their demeanor...resulting in a spicy psudeo-intellectualwith flavor-of-the-month conversations". Now it seems that whoever wrote this was just bitter they weren't a hipster.
Thinking perhaps some of the other difinitions offered by the Urban Dictionary would present some greater, or at least broader, insight, I kept reading. Before long I came to a direct qutoe from The Hipster Handbook. Yikes, talk about coming full circle.
Back to Google I went.
Several entries later I came to an article discussing Hipsters of the 1950s. It seems Hipsters were the precursers to Hippies and Beatniks.
Well now, everything was begining to make sense. This what we've learned so far:
Modern Hipsters reject consumerism, suburbia, and trendiness while embracing second hand clothing, urban lifestyles, and uniqueness. They are creative, artistic, independent thinkers. They tend to be liberal. There are numerous references to Hipsters "slumming it" while living off of "Daddy's Money [Parimony].
Everything that Hipsters are is contraictory to where they come from. They are for the most part former consumers from the suburbs. They are mimicking each other in their creativity. They increase the cost of living in the "slums" by brining with them a demand for high end retail stores.
Hipsters are good if you talk to a hipster. Hipsters are bad if you talk to a anyone who isn't.
But where do Hipsters come from?
Well, as I said, the term Hipster was used in the 1950's to reference people involved in the counter culture. Hipsters today are not very different. They are the counter culture. Modern Hipsters then do have their origins in Hipsters of the 1950's.
Before the modern hipster, there was the Indie movement of the late 1990s. The Indie movement [emo is a sub-group of Indie, or in some places synonymous with Indie] embraced many of the same mores and beliefs of Hipsters. It rejected consumerism, embracing individuality, and encouraged creativity. The same could be said of the Punk movement before that. And earlier, Hippies; Beatniks; and 1950's Hipsters.
That's one variation on the origin of the term "hipster". But I would also like to posit a more ironic origin for the term.
A few years back, The GAP, the icon of 80s and 90s prep, came out with a new marketing style name for their jeans. They were sold under the name 1969. The earliest of these were somewhat pre-worn in appearence [Though they were also the most comfortable GAP jeans I've ever owned]. Along with these jeans was a line of corduroy slacks; together they were part of the "Hipster" line. So as it turns out, one might conclude the Hipster model pants sold at The GAP circa 1999-2002 is the impetus behind the Hipster movement.
Interestingly enough, The GAP is featured in the "Indie" cult classic, Reality Bites; in the movie, The GAP is a symbol of the evil corporate America that young people should shun, at least of course, after adopting the name of their store brand jeans.
1 Comments:
>>Hipsters are good if you talk to a hipster. Hipsters are bad if you talk to a anyone who isn't.
Dude, it's not 'hip' to be a 'hipster.' A hipster is someone who hasn't figured out how to be cool on his own. Self-definition is stupid. Let's leave definition to the (far more prejudiced & realistic) professionals.
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