The Misconceptions about Hipsters and Hippies

As someone who considers herself both a hipster and hippie, I find it rather inconsiderate when people make general assumptions about either of these groups. Believe it or not, hipsters don’t always wear ragged clothing, scarves, or drink seven dollar coffees. Hippies did more than grow ratty hair and sing about citrus fruit. (See below)

When we think of a hippie today, we probably think of a beer-bellied old man wearing a grimy tie-dye t-shirt with Dumbledore-like hair and bloodshot eyes lounging on a beach chair outside of a rusty 1953 Volkswagen RV. Sure, maybe some hippies take after this stereotype, but the name “hippie” was given to almost any unruly young person in the 1960’s.

 Unfortunately, unlawful activities are often associated with the clan, due to some disagreeable choices revolutionized in the 60’s. And no one revolutionized anything better than the masses of the Great Unwashed. Despite certain questionable choices, the same people who brought us The Summer of Love brought us new and innovative ideas, like gender equality, that have resonated for generations. During the 1960’s and 70’s, people took action in their government, like the Vietnam War protests. In America, we’re told we’re ruled by the people, and in this time period especially, citizens stood up and ruled. This subculture explored their inner and outer surroundings with an idealistic attitude in a never-before-seen way, something most people could use a bit of today. Anyone who’s got an open mind to new insights and ideas is a hippie to me, even if their hair has been washed in the past two months.

“If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal.” 

-John Lennon

While hipsters don’t hand out flowers on street corners (yet), they have caught a fair share of attention through the world wide web. As one of the innumerable laughingstocks of the internet, the signature, “I liked it before it was cool,” statement has blossomed to a fiery e-inferno. It’s rare to find a Tumblr feed that doesn't have a single reference to the travesty. If you think a hipster is someone who considers themselves too cool for school, the word you’re looking for is egomaniac. A hipster is someone who makes their own trends - someone who thinks outside of the box and defies the status quo. Sound familiar? Hipster are essentially just new-age hippies who have more jealous people making fun of them. 

Really, the moral of the story/ blog post is that stereotypes are deceitful, hurtful, and generally untrue. I am proud to call myself a hippie and a hipster, and I'm fed up with all the connotations that come with those names. It's time that 2014 took some time to reflect on itself (and maybe hand out a couple flowers of it's own.)

Image courtesy of America Blog News