According to one definition in the Urban Dictionary , “ Hipsters are people who strive to distinguish themselves from the rest of society by rejecting everything that makes them conform to the norms. Ironically, this joint effort by many (too many) people has resulted in a different, if not a failure, result compared to the initial intentions. Hipsters, in fact, have become totally identical to each other and not even that different from the rest of society .” Of course, this isn't the most objective explanation out there, but there is some truth in this somewhat judgmental and mocking description and it concerns precisely the result of that attempt at rebellion and distinctiveness.
The Origins of Hipster Subculture
Although the word “ Hipster ” saw an incredible surge in Google searches between the early 2000s and 2010, taking on an ironic connotation to define certain ways of dressing and behaving that were a bit fake and constructed, its origins actually date back to the 1930s. The etymology is unclear—in fact, it's not even known whether it derives from “ hip ” or “ hipi, ” meaning “ to open one's eyes, ” or from “ hop, ” which is slang for opium—but one thing is certain: New York hot jazz and pop musicians were the first to use “ hep ,” then “ Hepcats, ” and finally “ Hipster ” to identify their fans, thus differentiating them from fans of the now “outdated” swing. Beyond this twisted play on words, the crux of the matter is simple: it was precisely thanks to the innovative and experimental nature of bepop that the Hipster subculture managed to express its spirit of rebellion, demonstrating its desire to emerge from a complicated period like that of the 1940s, made up of war, uncertainty and racial segregation.
Desires for freedom
In fact , bepop , in addition to being a new musical language, represented at that precise historical moment a new style, as well as a new form of expression, used first by black hipsters to challenge the routine and norms of the upper, white social classes and then (in imitation) by white hipsters who frequented black clubs, as a sign of revolt against the dominant norms. The result was a winning one and, as often happens with spectacular subcultures, the clothing truly succeeded in conveying aspirations, the desire for freedom, self-determination, and the overturning of norms. With those sumptuous, elegant, and oversized clothes, goatee beards, and large hats, the hipsters defined an eccentric look , capable of clearly flaunting an upper and highly coveted social status in a difficult and contradictory period like the post-war period, where on the one hand everything seemed to have been lost due to violence, the Cold War, and the atomic bomb, and on the other everything seemed to be subject to the positive influence of the baby boom and the gradually emerging mass society. Unfortunately, at a certain point this success vanished completely, throwing the Hipsters into oblivion.
The modern hipster
This first wave of hipsterism never reached Europe, and indeed the subculture remained largely obscured until the early 2000s , when the word "hipster" began to be used frequently again to indicate the clothing style of certain young people who were more attentive to their appearance, which was, to say the least, unmistakable. Thick , black frames , thick beards and upturned moustaches , checked or patterned shirts , turn- ups and suspenders : these are some of the must-haves attributable to the now-familiar Neo Hipster style. To these elements must certainly be added a nostalgia for a mostly idealized past that can be translated into vintage objects always ready to show off, such as old Polaroid cameras, vinyl records, skateboards, and old-school tattoos. But also a passion for indie music, folk, art, cinema, social media, Vice, Pitchfork, fixed-gear bicycles, craft beers, and organic, locally sourced food or home-grown food grown in one's own urban garden.
Between nonconformism and homologation
But what has led Hipsters to self-exclude themselves and at the same time conform so much to the point of being ridiculed? Tiziano Bonini, in his text “ Hipster, ” interprets this drive toward the past and the values of their grandparents as the expression of a need for authenticity , a way to counter the feeling of uncertainty typical of a precarious, increasingly alienated, individualistic, and digital generation that, lacking other privileges and certainties, therefore believes it can only express itself through conspicuous consumption. A double-edged sword, as Hipsters, by subjecting themselves to the attention of the fashion industry, brands from the most diverse sectors, and the media in general, have made it easy for cultural reabsorption , becoming totally homogeneous, trendy, to the point of ridicule. This is demonstrated by the production of absurd accessories (such as Christmas light bulbs to hang from beards) created specifically to accentuate, and at the same time mock, any attempt at nonconformism, or by the mathematical formulas designed to scientifically explain their total conformity, or even by the creation of “ Hipster Hitler ”, a digital comic, which, in making fun of one of the most diabolical characters in history, makes use of a Hipster caricature because it is considered in itself unbearable.
Authenticity
And yet, as Bonini argues, no matter how much they mock each other and keep their distance, hipsters are a little bit in each of us. “ The hipster, by his very existence, is telling us that we're not nonconformist enough, innovative enough, underground enough. He makes us feel average. And so we despise the hipster. And even hipsters themselves despise him, because the hipster can't stand being assimilated with others like him. The hipster feels unique. Accepting that he's the same as thousands of other people in the world who dress like him and listen to the same records and talk the same way and have the same tastes means admitting that you belong to the crowd, that you're not authentic. It means being like everyone else. Healing from contemporary hipsterism also means accepting yourself for who you are: more or less good people whose tastes and ideas are socially structured and influenced by the family you were born into, the neighborhood you grew up in, your parents' financial resources, and the level of education you received .” The final judgment is yours.
Alice Porracchio
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" If there's not a rebellious youth culture, there's no culture at all. It's absolutely essential. It is the future ."
