In Defense of Hipsters

The other day one of my friends administered to me the “Hipster Test.” The Hipster Test was only one question, and all I had to do was answer it truthfully. The questions was simply, “Are you a hipster?” I wasn’t sure how to answer because to me it wasn’t so cut and dry. My circle friends consider me to be the hipster of our bunch (because apparently it is required that every group of acquaintances has at least one), but I personally don’t think I’m very hipster-y by stereotypical standards. My answer for the Hipster Test went something like, “I don’t really want to label myself as anything….” so of course I might as well have had a flashing red sign above my head with an arrow pointing down at me that read, “HI, I’M A HIPSTER.”

I don’t mind being called a hipster, even if I do think the label is inaccurate. What I do mind is people hating on hipsters for having been “coolhunted.” Before modern hipsters were running rampant, hipsters had their own niche in society. They were considered a little eccentric, but they weren’t really bothering anybody. But then the hipster style (notice I did not say lifestyle) went mainstream. It suddenly became cool to wear thick-rimmed glasses and flannel and cardigans. The people who picked up the style without the lifestyle were considered poseurs. By definition, a poseur is someone who is advocating for a life that they don’t lead, which is exactly what these modern hipsters were doing. The “real” hipsters tried to prove that they were better by advertising their love for obscure music and other artsy things, and in response the modern hipsters vilified them for it, and it became a vicious cycle.

At the end of the day we need to think about how we are labeling others and whether these labels are accurate. We need to decide who we are really hating on: the hipsters or the poseurs? Better yet, try not to hate at all and realize that when something goes mainstream, it is largely out of the hands of that entity.