New Level of Hipster, Unlocked

I go underground to unearth the truth about hipster culture, and how they may be our best chance at survival.

I spent the weekend at an event in Hudson, NY and wow, new level of hipster UNLOCKED! Hipsters fascinate me. The attitude is IDGAF, but sentiment towards art, music, food, and social issues are IGALOF (I give a lot of fucks). As I walked along the streets of Hudson, I was keenly aware of the phenomenon happening around me. The hipster look is distinct, unmissable. With peace and love, it’s almost purposely unflattering, signaling the “counter culture” vibe. The clothes are drab and shapeless, jewelry is no where to be found, the hair is messy and unkept, the denim is rolled to make legs look shorter, the shoes are clunky, and the beanies are a plenty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. Can we just refer to hipsters as what they are? Rich artsy, intellectually-superior white people? RAISWP? The acronym needs workshopping. Stay with me.

I’m not putting Hudson on blast. It was a lovely town with lovely people. Hipster culture is happening all over the US. Do other countries have an equivalent of the hipster? What kills me about places like Hudson and so many other similar towns, is the in-your-face, outward displays of “ALL ARE WELCOME HERE,” on every storefront and in every coffee shop, and yet… virtually no one else was there, save the hipsters themselves. I found that to be so wild. How is it that many of the most progressive and seemingly “accepting” places in the US are also some of the least diverse?

Do the hipsters believe they are walking their talk? Do they believe they are living the values they espouse? I had to find out.

As a sometimes-culture Substack, I decided I needed to dive deeper into the persona of the Hipster, to understand their culture, and their people.

I can feel your blood pressure rising. Don’t panic! This is not about to get political. This, dear reader, is a sociological examination and will only make reference so certain relevant socio-political traits of the group in question. Remember when we used to be able to do that without it descending into a labeling and demonization exercise? Let’s tow the line. No need for hysterics.

According to Google, a hipster is a person known for their unconventional style, progressive ideations, and interest in alternative lifestyles. They typically prefer the counter-culture and avoid mainstream music, art, and culture.

How’d we get to the modern day hipster who lives in such increasingly affluent places as the Hudson Valley region, East Nashville, East Austin, Brooklyn and Williamsburg? And let us never forget the mecca - Portland, Oregon.

From my limited “research,” here’s what I dug up.

In the 1950s the term came from Harlem jazz culture when white bohemians would frequent the jazz clubs in traditionally black neighborhoods to experience the hip new scenes and defy their parents. Young rebellion.

In the 1960s the term came to refer to low-slung, hip-hugging pants. Seems like a very narrow, literal definition but I’ll take it.

In the 1990s the term came to describe an urban subculture of young, educated bohemians living in gentrified neighborhoods. Ah ha….

Today, the term is often used to describe someone who is off the mainstream beat, artsy, intellectual, and would typically self-identify as “woke". Or, it’s a pejorative for someone who is pretentious, virtue signaling, and overly concerned with appearing different and non-conformist, aka too cool for school. Definitely too cool to like Taylor Swift.

Personally, I tend to blend the two definitions, as hipsters are multi-dimensional after all. Plus, we all have at least a couple of hipsters we know and love.

Urban dictionary had some savage and I’m afraid somewhat accurate definitions:

Hipsters: people who try too hard to be different (and genuinely think 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 aren’t actually different at all, they’re just people that are snobbier and more annoying about their taste in "alternative" things, which are all popular now thanks to the other hipsters.

Hipster: 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.

Hipster: A pretentious, self-indulgent, usually a 20-to-30 something that believes because they posses a college education, particularly within the Liberal Arts & Sciences, that they are somehow more "enlightened" than the rest of society. The hipster in most instances falls within the "talker" side of society as opposed to the "doer" side, as defined by economist Thomas Sowell. Hipsters are fond of using "progressive" or "enlightened" cultural marxist catch phrases meant to denote the feeling that "they care...YOU don't", "they are intelligent....YOU aren't."

Thems are fighting words

To understand this subculture further, I went deep underground to uncover what fuels a hipster, even going so far as to speak with a few, each of whom shall remain anonymous. We must protect the hipsters at all costs. If they’re as right as they say they are, they are our best chance of survival.

Here are my findings.

Dietary preferences

Hipsters prefer local, organic, fair-trade, small batch, free-range, grass fed, farm-to-table food. I love this for them, and for us. This should be the norm, the baseline standard. So to them I say, keep fighting the good fight.

Almost all hipsters have some form of a dietary restriction, be it gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, veganish, vegetarian, pescatarian, keto, or any other signifier of an intentionally delicate constitution.

Fun fact. One of my toxic traits? I will never ask you if you have dietary restrictions when I invite you to a party. If you’re that high maintenance, bring your own dish. Guess what, I’m allergic to avocados. Do you know how embarrassing that is? I almost got kicked out of California during the avocado toast boom. And yet, I will never, ever notify a host or expect them to ask me if I have special restrictions. That’s cringey and assumes they give a shit. The only people who should be notifying anyone of anything are the nut people. You allllllways want to know about the nut people. Those nut allergy people are a liability.

Style Preferences

Hipsters love their vintage shopping. A seasoned hipster can rummage through the most unassuming pile of slop and find the diamonds in the rough. Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They also love an upscale vintage experience, but you’ll never see a true hipster checking out a vintage Chanel or Bottega - at least they’d never tell anyone about it. Mainstream designers are a no-no. Anything that reads as classically sexy is also a no-no. The boxier the fit, the better. The wardrobe color story should match that of a swampy marsh. Brackish browns, olives, and mustards. While textile staples hit on wool, organic cotton, denim and corduroy. Thick and itchy.

All items must be vintage or sustainably made. Hipsters roll their eyes at Revolve, poopoo such celebrity brands as Skims or Helsa, and disdain fast fashion. You will never catch a hipster buying from Shein. That would be sacrilege and warrant an excommunication from the tribe. This is where I applaud them. Their dedication to sustainability is admirable. I wave goodbye as I watch one pull away in her Toyota 4-Runner. Just kidding. It was a Subaru.

Beauty

Hipsters have a complicated relationship to beauty. It is a delicate dance, a tango, if you will. As a hipster, the protocol is to refrain from applying makeup. A bare-faced look is the most respectable, with a delicate swipe of subtle color from a clean lip balm, perhaps by rms beauty. Being seen with a full beat of makeup would be preposterous, even looked down upon, as conforming to the patriarchal standards of Western beauty.

Religiosity / Spiritualism

Hipsters are curious, and tend to be more spiritual than traditionally religious. They are often educated and worldly, and their intellectualism has driven them to explore Eastern spiritual practices and wisdom. They may dabble with a psilocybin microdosing schedule, and they may have even taken an expensive trip to the jungle to receive mind and heart-opening medicine, but they stop short of their psychonaut and burning man neighbors.

They are voracious readers and although they don’t actually travel much, they have somehow developed an enlightened view of the world, and possess a knowing of what is right and wrong, shared only by those who have dedicated their life to the practices of Buddhism and the like.

Ideologies

They welcome all walks of life with open arms, although almost none oblige. They continue to try their hand at looking and feeling diverse from their affluent neighborhoods and small pool of friends who look and think exactly as they do. Perhaps they should try a more passive approach? Hipsters want to see contributions to the greater good. They just don’t necessarily want to be the ones to make them.

You know, I once knew a first responder who said something that really stuck with me. He said, “all of these highly resourced, highly educated people say we aren’t doing enough to help the homeless. Who is putting out fires in the camps and responding to domestic disputes late at night? Who is responding to overdoses, injecting them with Narcan to save their life, knowing damn well they will be right back at it tomorrow? It’s easy to sit in your castle and proclaim everyone else is failing or doing it wrong, when you’re as far away from it as can be.”

Physicality

Hipsters come in all shapes and sizes. Although you typically won’t catch a hipster smashing protein and pre workout and getting swole at Equinox, they do appreciate regular hot yoga and sound bath meditations. They may partake in a run club, but generally, hipsters don’t like to run because Vans don’t have adequate arch support.

Music

Father John Misty, Parcels, Saint Motel, My Morning Jacket, Jungle. This may be an outdated take but I got so bored researching music hipsters love I abandoned the mission. What would you add?

Hipsters keep their consumption of Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Sabrina Carpenter close to the vest, only allowing a few close confidants to bare witness to these embarrassingly mainstream guilty pleasures.

Approaching a hipster

Hipsters can be a little skittish when it comes to talking about topics outside of their comfort zone of spinning clay, art parties, craft beer, and the righteous facets of their moral high ground. So stick to safe topics like a recent article they read in the New Yorker, or where they get their farm fresh eggs.

To understand is to love

Hipsters are just like us. They have feelings and beliefs, hopes and dreams. They are contributing members of society, even though many of them would prefer not to participate in a capitalist society, I have yet to meet a hipster who is growing produce, sewing clothes and fashioning shoes for their fully bicycle-riding family. But farmer’s markets and vintage shopping are a start, and they are great at those!

Bohemians with upward mobility, champagne socialists, urban yuppies. Hipsters can get a bad rap. But to know one is to love one. The hipsters in my life wouldn’t hurt a fly. They care deeply about their local community, their mark on the world, and mostly importantly, their facial hair.

So next time you have the opportunity, hug a hipster.

We’re all just doing our best.

But let’s all do better.

Tough love,

Trish