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Hipsters: the undefined subculture

Mainstream opinion of
an Ironic definition

tet uk

=) Stof Writer
y

    

 

he definition of a hipster

according to the Merriam-
Webster dictionary is “a person
who follows the latest styles,
fashions, etc.” A typical person’s
mental picture of a hipster
will probably be something
quite different, since hipster
stereotypes suggest that they
despise contemporary fashion
and other mainstream things.
Still, an exact definition is
hard to come by. Everyone
would probably say something
different, so the question
remains: what is a hipster?

The history of the word is
just as different as its current
meaning. It dates back to the
1940s and was used to describe
white youths who wanted to

be like the black jazz musicians
they were fans of. The slang
“hip” meant “in the know,” and
was later used for the hippies
of the 1960s. Although hipsters
may share some traits with the
flower children, they’re clearly
a different type of people. In the
1990s, the modern hipster as we
know it today began to evolve.
Elaine on Seinfeld called quirky
yuppie Kramer a “hipster
doofus” more than once. Finally,
in the 2000s, popular media
began to recognize a hipster in
the sense most would think of it.
General hipster qualities
agreed upon include a love for
indie music, anything retro,
irony, big glasses, fedoras, Apple
products, and skinny jeans, as
well as disdain for anything
mainstream. However, one
must be careful when labelling
someone a hipster based solely
on these traits. If wearing skinny
jeans and carrying an iPhone
alone make you a hipster, over
half the students at any school
would be considered hipsters
Another distinction comes

from the hipster community
itself. A common stereotype is
that hipsters resent being called
hipsters—probably to preserve
their belief that their interests
aren’t influenced by a social
image. Of course, those who
aren’t hipsters would probably
resent being called one too. Then
there’s the question of whether
self-identifying as a hipster
would make one more or less

of a hipster. Is it an always true
fact that one would never admit
to being a true hipster? Or have
some chosen to embrace the
identity?

The general textbook and
ageless definition for a hipster
is someone who embraces very
new cultural fads, becoming

a trendsetter. However, this is
quite unsatisfactory for those
who wish to know more about
hipster culture. Would a true
hipster never wear the same
clothes people in mainstream
culture wear, even if the hipsters
wore it before they did? It seems
the definition debate will rage
on.

 

Hipster Dog was cute before it was cool | Photo courtesy of lovine (Flickr)

 

Parents know best

The ones who raised
you are the cool ones
Aidan

Mowellic
Staff Writer

 

 

Gens up, I shared a
sentiment that a lot of

people my age have held onto:
that we in generation Y are way
cooler than our baby booming
parents. Now that I’ve aged into
an immature 23-year-old, I’ve
realized that I was wrong. Our
parents are actually way cooler
than us.

I came to this dreary
realization last week when my
parents asked me if I wanted
to watch a movie with them.
Typically, the films my parents
are into are lame: weird foreign
films, depressing dramas, or
unbelievably inspiring movies
based on true stories. But this
time was different. This time I
watched the foreign film and
loved it. Our parents aren't
supposed to introduce us to
things we like—we’re supposed
to introduce them to things that
are cool, so my notion that I was
the coolest in the household
melted away that evening. I
realized that my favourite films,

14

some of my favourite musicians,
the foods I adore, and the values
I hold dear were introduced
to me by my parents, the

iginators of cool.

I’m not sure if this sudden

alization of my lack of

olness is anything to be

ncerned about, but realizing
that your parents are cooler than
you can be worrisome. For the
longest time I thought my father
was one of the least cool people
out there, mainly because he
doesn’t care much about how he
dresses. But I recently realized
that the coolest way to be is to
not give a fuck about how you
look or what people think of
you. It also helps that he rides
an Italian motorcycle, bought
his childhood dream car, and
retired.

It dawned on me that

my father, who I had long
considered incurably uncool,
was actually one of the
coolest people I know. My
whole definition of cool has
changed. I no longer think the
moustachioed Main Streeters
are the coolest cats on the
block—it’s our old and perhaps
retired parents who we should
admire. Think about it for a
moment: everything that we
consider cutting edge right now
originated in our parents’ era.
Computers, cellphones, cars,

vinyl records, and hip hop—it
was all born when our parents
were our age.

The people we all think
are the coolest are the hipsters,
that breed of urbanite no one
can really describe. But I can: a
hipster is your mom and dad
30 or 40 years ago. That's right,
your parents were the original
hipsters. They smoked weed
while listening to vinyl records
before you, and they wore
the clothing from the
thrift shop when it
was available in the
department store.

Earlier I
mentioned how
retirement added to my
father’s coolness.
This sounds odd
since we usually
think of retirees
as weird old
people who tell
kids to get off
their lawn, but
there isn’t a cooler
demographic.
Retirees
worked hard
the majority of
their lives, so
it’s only fair
that they get
to relax and

pretty
much

do anything they want. My

dad sleeps in, gets dressed, and
rides his motorcycle or drives a
classic car all day—much cooler
than most of the stuff I do. If
you stop and think about it, you
too will realize that your folks
don’t need to wear leather to be
cooler than you.

e a a

el il

ae

  
 
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
  
 
  

Photo illustration by Joel McCarthy