More Wisdom on Crowds:
Has Hipsterism Gone Mainstream?
October 29, 2009
Adbusters and Time Out New York have unleashed verbose diatribes in which they gleefully dissect and marvel at the seemingly materialistic motivations behind the hipster social movement. Described as “The Dead End of Western Civilization,” hipsters are the fashion-conscious young people, the faux-artists, and the indie-culture-mavens that we love to hate.
But what precisely are the elements of a hipster and on what basis do we define the hipster aesthetic? Is hipsterism based mostly on clothes; is it all about skinny jeans and vintage flannel? Is it based on particular mannerisms or tastes in music? Is it based on where one frequents or resides—underground clubs and dive bars or grungy, pre-gentrified urban neighborhoods? Pop culture aficionados will say they can easily detect and point out a hipster when they see one, yet ask them to describe a hipster and often the conversation will devolve into an exercise in generalizations.
In reality, a hipster can come in many forms. Yet, what sets this specimen apart is a desire to comb the world and cling to esoteric knowledge. This passion fuels a perpetual search for undiscovered cultural artifacts, and this anthropological exercise usually begins with a Google homepage. The hipster phenomenon is particular to Generation Y—the under-30 crowd who have come of age during the dawn of the digital era. It’s a generation that knows that the infinite catalog called the Internet leaves much to be surfed, found and embraced. For the hipster, a blinking cursor in an empty search box is like a taunt. It dares them to find what others have not.
Mainstream society’s apparent disdain for hipsters is built on the belief that their cultural interests and personal appearances are driven purely by narcissism. The hipsters’ ravenous consumption of unclaimed coolness is thought to be a shallow pursuit of cultural capital—all for the sake of appearing elite. While some social commentators have gone so far as to declare a war against hipsters, it’s useless to direct our animosity at a group that hardly exists. At this point, hipster tendencies reside in most members of Generation Y. The hipster trend has evolved and merged into a mainstream aesthetic. Aren’t we all growing more accustomed to and fond of the notion of being hipster, even if only casually?
With acceptance of hipsterism comes liberation: Now, you can pull that pair of Converses or that V-neck T-shirt from the back of your closet without feeling like you’re stomping on authentic cool.
While most wouldn’t want to admit it, being a hipster does require some savvy. The cultural spelunking and Internet excavation of hipsters may be more of a craft than an art, but sometimes they do get it right. When you attend a hipster venue, you may be exposed to unhealthy levels of snobbery, but you’re also likely to discover a musician, artist, film, or trend that the mass media have yet to commandeer. You might even feel a fleeting sense of intimacy with the hipsters around you at your underground nightspot knowing that mainstream society is blithely and obliviously floating by overhead.
Sources:
“Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization,” adbusters.org;
“Why the hipster must die,” newyork.timeout.com.
Photo courtesy of: dabagirls.wordpress.com.
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