College campuses and coffee bars across the U.S. have plenty of hipsters, but what is a “hipster” exactly? The word derives from the first half of the 20th century when “hip” young people began new, unexpected fashion trends and started listening to jazz music. A number of other trends emerged in decades proceeding, but the “hipster” movement really got its start in the the mid-2000s when people began recycling clothing styles and music genres from previous generations.
Today, the word “hipster” is thrown around mostly as a joke and even as an insult. If you wear a flannel shirt and listen to indie music, your peers are quick to label you as a hipster. While flannels and indie music are certainly trendy, “hipster” is often used derogatorily to describe someone who tries too hard to avoid trends, which is the hipster trend in and of itself.
While it seems so easy to pluck out a hipster from a crowd, many people dress this way now. Being hipster is mainstream (oh, the irony). Walk into any Urban Outfitters and the store will be filled with sorority girls, moms and 12-year-olds filling their dressing rooms with acid wash jeans and fringe crop tops. Yet, the guy listening to The National and wearing glasses because he legitimately has poor eyesight is the one who gets all the stereotypes thrown at him.
I say we get rid of the word “hipster” and start letting people wear what they want, listen to what they want and do what they want whenever they want. Because, really, hipsters are just people expressing their own sense of style and personality, whether it be trendy or not. In that sense, everyone has a little bit of a hipster inside them.