# So what is a hipster exactly? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2011, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226 "2011-10-20T07:28:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/61 "2011-10-21T05:39:24Z")
If you have to ask, then it’s a hipster. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/62 "2011-10-21T09:07:17Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > At this point, I think the definition of “hipster” is “Anyone who complains about hipsters.” A point to you, sir. Or ma’am. Or beverage. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/63 "2011-10-21T11:19:24Z")
> [@GovernmentMan](#): > > **So what is a hipster exactly?** A small rodent that likes running about in wheels, drugs, and free love. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/64 "2011-10-21T11:34:00Z")
I clicked on the thread because I’m curious about “hipsters”, whatever they are. I honestly have never seen one, probably due to spending most of my time in the 'burbs. But I’m now more confused than ever. A few phrases from the thread: — emos and weaboos — In other words a hipster wears a keyffiya just because other hipsters do. It has nothing to do with the PLA. — Naruto headband-wearing Japanophiles — not something that looks like a W hotel I honestly have no idea what any of this is, other than the word “emo”. I guess I’ll be googling for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/65 "2011-10-21T11:39:15Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > I clicked on the thread because I’m curious about “hipsters”, whatever they are. I honestly have never seen one, probably due to spending most of my time in the 'burbs. You will see plenty of them [here](http://www.latfh.com/). (Link is to a site called Look at this Fucking Hipster) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/66 "2011-10-21T13:16:26Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > “Hipster” is a pretty old word that regularly changes meanings; the definitions are invariably nebulous, and ad hoc, as in this thread. It should probably be avoided. It undoubtedly won’t be. Aren’t “hipster” and “hippie” essentially the same word? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/67 "2011-10-21T13:36:38Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Aren’t “hipster” and “hippie” essentially the same word? Time for another etymology lesson! The root of both words is\* hip\* or _hep_; once thought to come from an African word but definitely first used in the African-American community. In the 40’s, there were [hipsters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(1940s_subculture)). Then there were [hippies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie). Actually, they ran concurrently; as a young hippie I would have considered certain older guys without hippie hair–but who still did drugs & liked weird music/art/writing to be hipsters. The ones without the artsy tendencies were usually narcs. (See also[beat & beatnik](http://forums.thefashionspot.com/showpost.php?p=735503&postcount=47).) Now there are [hipsters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture)) again. All these words are generally used by people outside the groups–often derisively, sometimes with a trace of affection. I think some of the young hipsters are cute–much better than the douchebags. The ones in Austin prefer Lone Star to PBR! The only people who take this stuff seriously are the squares. Those utterly without humor. Those who dress just like their parents & always did… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/68 "2011-10-21T13:47:51Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > The only people who take this stuff seriously are the squares. Those utterly without humor. Those who dress just like their parents & always did… What if their parents were hippies or hipsters? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/69 "2011-10-21T13:59:47Z")
I think the central characteristic that defines hipsterdom is the slavish attention to style and consumerism while desperately pretending that they hate fashion and consumerism. Their defining characteristic is pretentiousness. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/70 "2011-10-21T14:00:35Z")
I’d much rather hang out in Wicker Park at a bar full of hipsters than a bar in Wrigleyville full of [Chads](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_%28slang%29)and [Trixies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trixie_%28slang%29). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/71 "2011-10-21T14:31:55Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > I’d much rather hang out in Wicker Park at a bar full of hipsters than a bar in Wrigleyville full of [Chads](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_%28slang%29)and [Trixies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trixie_%28slang%29). Chads and Trixies (this seems to be a Chicago term, but I get what you mean) are typically people who are part of the conventional social elite. The high school jocks and cheerleaders. Fraternity and sorority folk. The kids who come from affluent upper middle class families and basically act the part. They go to the right schools and take the right classes that will let them enter the upper middle class in jobs in law, finance, PR, marketing and sales. The thing is, those people, while somewhat generic, seem more genuine than your typical “hipster” who tries desperately to separate themselves from those “conformists” by dressing and acting exactly like their friends. It’s like a freakin costume they put on in the morning so they can pretend they aren’t from the same middle class neighborhoods as and act as if they are somehow superior too all the “Chads and Trixies”. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/72 "2011-10-21T14:50:47Z")
Slight Hijack - Emo kids, what are they, and do they have anything to do with Emo Philips, the comedian? I saw him last weekend (he is one of the best stand ups ever) and he said they stole his name, but he could of been joking. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/73 "2011-10-21T15:10:11Z")
> [@Mikemike2](#): > > Slight Hijack - Emo kids, what are they, and do they have anything to do with Emo Philips, the comedian? I saw him last weekend (he is one of the best stand ups ever) and he said they stole his name, but he could of been joking. No relation whatsoever - “emo” comes from “emotional” - it was a way to characterize indie music that was heavier, but unlike metal, was not about fantasy, horror, etc. (way too small a box to fit metal in, but there you go…) and instead more about emotional topics. You can rock out and talk about your inner demons, man! Nirvana might be seen as the bellweather for emo bands… ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/74 "2011-10-21T15:57:13Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > At this point it doesn’t mean much beyond “youngish person whom I find annoying for some reason.” Or, to point a finer point on it: “youngish person whom I find annoying because they’re young and I’m not.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/75 "2011-10-21T16:04:40Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > Or, to point a finer point on it: “youngish person whom I find annoying because they’re young and I’m not.” Meh - more like “youngish person who has their youth - and I hate them for that 😉 - but they think that their special uniqueness is best expressed in their superficial consumer choices - which are in no way unique to begin with…” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lovely_Margo_Lane)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/76 "2011-10-21T16:30:15Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > — In other words a hipster wears a keyffiya just because other hipsters do. It has nothing to do with the PLA. Kinda. I think that for the most part it took hold due to a preexisting predilection for clahing colors/patterns. What clashes worse that [plaid and horizontal stripes?\*](http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llgxzto6KQ1qghs4io1_500.jpg) Plaid, horizontal stripes and a keyffiya! The political implications are secondary but not irrelevant. I think the ambiguity is alluring to a lot of the wearers: Am I wearing this ironically, “reclaiming it” from the PLA? Maybe. Am I actually wearing it in solidarity with those poor oppressed Palestinians? Maybe. Will my answer change depending on who is so un-hip as to actually ask? Probably! \*please note I think this is a really cute look, I’m not criticizing it at all, but it does clash in the traditional sense. > [@madmonk28](#): > > I think the central characteristic that defines hipsterdom is the slavish attention to style and consumerism while desperately pretending that they hate fashion and consumerism. Their defining characteristic is pretentiousness. > [@msmith537](#): > > [snip] > > The thing is, those people, while somewhat generic, seem more genuine than your typical “hipster” who tries desperately to separate themselves from those “conformists” by dressing and acting exactly like their friends. It’s like a freakin costume they put on in the morning so they can pretend they aren’t from the same middle class neighborhoods as and act as if they are somehow superior too all the “Chads and Trixies”. And here we get to the pretty well justified IMO root of hipster hatred. Especially once you get onto the “authenticity” merry-go-round with or about one of them. Anyone with the least bit of self awareness recoils at possibly being considered a hipster. This leads to the upthread observation that hipsters tend to bitch loudest about hipsters which is definitely true in my experience. I used to experience this recoil once in a while in my early twenties, as I came to understand the “hipster” implications of my vinyl collection, thrift store shopping habits and art student status. I had a wake-up call when a friend matter-of-factly referred to me as “too cool for school” in the context of me being a bit aloof, distancing and cynical about [del]something[/del]everything. I realized that this was the trait that made me afraid I was a hipster, not any of the particular fashions or interests. I almost immediately embarked on a self-improvement project (still ongoing) to try to be enthusiastic about things that I enjoy and at peace with my choices in life. I had a nice moment a few years later with a former roommate who was herself most definitely not a hipster but was finishing her studies at a hive of hipster scum (Hampshire College) and therefore an expert. I was joking around about being a hipster, ticking off my attributes and she sort of looked at me, cocked her head and said “Margo, you don’t take yourself seriously enough to be a hipster.” Now she may have just been being nice, as she’s a very nice girl, but I appreciated it 🙂 > [@WordMan](#): > > Meh - more like “youngish person who has their youth - and I hate them for that - but they think that their special uniqueness is best expressed in their superficial consumer choices - which are in no way unique to begin with…” So you hate them for not using their youth right? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/77 "2011-10-21T16:43:46Z")
> [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](#): > > So you hate them for not using their youth right? 😛 Exactly! I made perfect use of mine!! (not) ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/78 "2011-10-21T16:45:00Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Chads and Trixies (this seems to be a Chicago term, but I get what you mean) are typically people who are part of the conventional social elite. The high school jocks and cheerleaders. Fraternity and sorority folk. The kids who come from affluent upper middle class families and basically act the part. They go to the right schools and take the right classes that will let them enter the upper middle class in jobs in law, finance, PR, marketing and sales. > > The thing is, those people, while somewhat generic, seem more genuine than your typical “hipster” who tries desperately to separate themselves from those “conformists” by dressing and acting exactly like their friends. It’s like a freakin costume they put on in the morning so they can pretend they aren’t from the same middle class neighborhoods as and act as if they are somehow superior too all the “Chads and Trixies”. Eh, whatever, could be true. I was more thinking about the overall vibe. In my experience, the ratio of roided up douchebags to chill people hanging out is much better in Wicker Park (hipsterville, Chicago) than in Lincoln Park (Chadville, Chicago). Never have I entered a hipster bar and seen a hipster threaten to kick some ass because somebody looked at his bro the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/79 "2011-10-21T16:49:58Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Meh - more like “youngish person who has their youth - and I hate them for that 😉 - but they think that their special uniqueness is best expressed in their superficial consumer choices - which are in no way unique to begin with…” But how do you _know_ they consider themselves “specially unique”? Don’t be bitter. We all grow old. Unless we die young… ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226/80 "2011-10-21T16:53:58Z")
As has been said hipsters never want to be identified as hipster, but I recently had a sighting of a person hoping to be identified as a hipster: I was talking with a friend of mine on the street and his friend. I’m 44 and the friend of the friend is probably 50. We were talking about an incident that involved the cops on my street that I had witnessed, but they had not. I said “it happened up on that corner by where the hipsters live.” The friend of a friend said, “well, don’t you consider yourself a hipster, I know I’m one.” I laughed and said, “dude, we’re both way too old for anyone to consider us hipsters,” I was joking but I could see I had accidentally chipped away at an important part of his identity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-a-hipster-exactly/600226.md?page=5)