I am perhaps the least hip person I
have ever met. I have never really been able to identify with hipsters, but my
new roommate opened my eyes to who they really are for the first time. His name is James Dunlevy, and he is truly the
epitome of the movement. From his skinny jeans to his vinyl records, James
quickly gave me an inside look into the social subculture sweeping the nation.
What I
have learned about hipsters is that it is very hard to differentiate between
them and their evil, elitist imposters who knew all about that band before you
did. For the purpose of this blog, they shall be called the “anti-hipsters”. The
distinction between these two groups is particularly difficult because they are
almost completely identical. It appears that the only thing that sets them
apart is the reason for their actions. Real hipsters, such as my dear friend
James, act the way they do because they really don’t care what people think of
them. They genuinely like indie rock bands (which is a feat in itself), and
they buy their clothes from thrift stores because it is actually a ridiculously
good value. 
For most of my life, I thought I was condemning my progressive pioneering brethren, but James made me realize that I was really criticizing the anti-hipsters. I was completely unaware of this sub-subculture (It’s pretty underground stuff, you probably wouldn’t know about it), mainly because it makes absolutely no sense. At the essence of every real hipster is the ability to not care. That means they can wear cut-off jean shorts and not shave or cut their hair for five years without any personal strife. Anti-hipsters do not have this impressive quality. They buy clothes that look like hand-me-downs at high prices in order to feign some sort of apathy towards the world, and they also tend to put all their Instagram photos of the sky in sepia tone. You are hopefully experiencing an extreme sense of confusion due to that horrifyingly inept logic, and I apologize for having to expose you to it. But that’s what this blog is about: uncovering the truth, and now I have done that. Mission accomplished.
- Eric Richard
You hit the nail on the head with characterizing "anti-hipsters", and I think the title fits well. I personally find that being a "hipster" still an elitist mind set. That may just be my experience with people who do go to thrift stores, listen to vinyl, and the like. They are a more agreeable lot of elitists than the "anti-hipster" aspirants who are aggressive with their views on music at least. Great job describing both movements in a nutshell! - Daniel
ReplyDeleteI too shop from thrift stores, listen to music others don't tend to like, and frankly don't really care what others think. The only thing is I wouldn't consider myself as a hipster. I think theres more too them then just the way they dress and act. There is something deep down inside of each hipster that makes them different than other hipsters, which therefore makes them a hipster. I don't think you can classify them as one group of people because they all are so independent that they all differ from one another.
ReplyDeleteTim C.
I agree with you that all true hipsters are very unique in their own way, but the thing that I think makes them a group is their similarities. Being unique doesn't always qualify you as a hipster, because the group has their own sort of style that can't really be put into words very well. The tell-tale sign is usually (for guys at least) wearing skinny jeans. The irony is that they all are very unique and strive to be that way, but they consistently fall into the same habits, thus making them a sort of group. It's definitely not a clear cut issue and I thank you for bringing that up!
DeleteIf anybody were to classified a hipster, it would definitely be James. However, like you, I'm not too fond of the "anti-hipster". Most tend, in my opinion, to be too aggressive about their records and music choices, and tend to have far too much money for their own good. I don't believe there should even be the label of "hipster". Not everyone is going to like what everyone else likes. We're all going to have our differences in stylistic and musical choices, so why label it at all?
ReplyDeleteOne reason why I love the hipster movement is for some it's finally given them a chance to stop caring about everything they do and just be completely themselves. It seems like many are jumping on the bandwagon of the "anti-hipster" but I think at the same time theirs a large portion of people realizing that's just the person they are and they haven't been able to be open about it till now. You were right with your characteristics about their shopping habits and their musical tastes but I also agree with the comment from Tim above, there's just something inside of a hipster that makes them one, something that can't always be generalized.
ReplyDeleteThank you for speaking the truth about hipster and anti-hipster alike. It's honestly become a chore to tell them apart at times and now it's truly become even the slightest bit clearer. However you forgot to mention the "anti-hipster" borderline obsessive brand loyalty to anything Apple makes and their need to basically mainline caffeine, preferably through coffee or some other caffeinated drink that they discovered before anyone else.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! And you're right, their are so many things that can be used to classify someone as a hipster. It's like they're taking all the cool things from past generations and combining them with new things into their own kind of style. It seems incredibly contradictory to see a 20 year old sitting on a bench smoking an old-fashioned pipe and listening to a new iPod, but that's the way of the hipster I suppose.
DeleteI never would have known there was an "Anti-Hipster" movement. Being a 'hipster' at my old school is slowly becoming a phenomena but after reading this, it makes me question all the so-called 'hipsters.' We certainly have a few hardcore ones but all the others are Anti-Hipsters. While I don't see too much of a difference I get that there is one there but I don't know enough about it to make a concrete statement like that.
ReplyDeleteThis described the modern hipster perfectly. The usual image and thought of a hipster has changed for the worse. Instead of focusing on the persons independent thinking and their outstanding individualism. A ear for music that nobody has ever heard of before, a pair of jeans that their older sister cant fit anymore, and some crazy inside jokes are what makes a hipster today.
ReplyDeleteIt is refreshing for one to give such a positive spin on a group that is put down so often. People tend to group the hipster and anti-hipsters together. I am one that loves indie music and thinks shopping at thrift stores is just a smart choice for one on a low budget. I think you should make choices if it will make you happy and not to impress people. Props to you for exposing the contrast in the the two groups.
ReplyDelete-Shannon Fowler
Eric your blog posts are so funny! They are extremely intelligent and well written and they ooze wit. I love how much "research" you did when finding out the in's and out's of the hipster ways. And I must say that I agree with you. There are some true hipsters in the world who wear what they wear or act the way that they do because the genuinely do not care. Then there are the "anti-hipsters", as you call them, who work extremely hard to be a hipster, which in turn is a contradiction. I look forward to more posts and to the interesting facts that you plan to share with us readers.
ReplyDelete