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I'd say that SF and NYC are probably the absolute worst hipster scenes in the US. LA isn't quite as bad as you'd think, just because LA culture in general tends to favor more ostenacious consumption. It's still got more of the hair-dyed-black/spooky-glam thing going on than the "I woke up in an alley wearing a vintage tee and put on my bifocals" thing that is all the rage elsewhere.
I lived in Seattle for a year and a half when the current early 90's-retro hipster thing was transitioning into popularity, and have to say that while they're as dumb-looking and acting as hipsters anywhere else, they lack the intensity (and perhaps the means) of NYC/SF hipsters, and are generally relegated to one specific neighborhood (Capitol Hill) so they're easy to avoid. In SF, they have a few areas, and they get around...
The thing that bugs me about the current crop of hipsters is the mock apathy, the over-the-top sarcasm, the general lameness they affect and can't even pull off correctly. They spray paint and write all over everything, even though they can't tag for the life of them. They try to be sardonic, but they're about as funny as Ben Stein. They try to be ironic, but they're only as ironic as American Apparel and MGMT will let them be. The most pathetically consumerist anti-consumer "counterculture" I've seen in my 27 years.
I recall around 1995, there was a movie called "Spad" released. I can't find any info on it online, but, it was released in the wake of Kurt Cobain's suicide by a major motion picture company (Paramount?), about a grunge rock antihero who becomes a celebrity but doesn't want the fame. It was the most contrived, myopic piece of crap, but it seems like it was made specifically to cater to the current crop of 1992-wannabe hipsters: its old, it's vapid, and the actors are dressed like them.
Totally know what you mean. There's that "nerd/geek" hipster and the "fashion/glamour/goth" styled hipster that has been overshadowed.
The "nerd" hipster with the oversized glasses...they've taken over, and yes, they are annoying. Basically nerds trying to be cool way out of high school, and they've finally found a group to identify with.
I drew up a "Seattle Hipster Bingo" when I lived there. One of the various things was "Obviously Repro Ironic Vintage Tee" and the illustration was of a skinny guy with greasy hair, smoking, wearing a shirt that said "WORLD'S BEST GRANDMA 1979."
The thing I'll give the 00's scenester crowd (again, black feathered hair/black skinny jeans/polka dots and pink affectations for gals, again: kind of a spooky-glam thing) was that they didn't have any illusions about being any more or less consumerist than anyone else. I got called a "capitalist" by a "grunge" hipster a few months back on account of the suit I wear for work. Yeah, because pre-distressed 501's, shirts from American Apparel, and vintage plaids from trendy "thrift" stores in the Mission are cheap.
I also take fault at the current crop of hipsters when it comes to Converse All-Stars:
1) They are not called "Chucks." They are "Cons" or "All-Stars." No one called them "Chucks" before 2005. 2) They come in black, red, white, blue, green, gray, pink, or possibly orange - they do not come in leather, they do not come in special editions made by "indie" artists, they do not come in weird designs that are supposed to look like you're wearing a Con, over a Con. 2b)Indie artists do not design special edition shoes for major shoe companies. 3) Grunge kids purchased them in the 90's because they were cheap and they lasted forever - which is ideal when you're flat broke. They were also made in the USA back then, and actually lasted for some time. I still have a pair of (red) US made Cons I picked up in '03 that are wearable (and people are always like, "DUDE! Those are some sweet Chucks!"). I have another pair of black ones I got a year ago made in China, the soles are already unglued and they're falling to pieces even though I wear them half as much as the OG ones. I paid $15 for the US-made at Ross, I paid $40 for the Chinese-made.
Sometimes, it's expensive to be "cool", other times, it's CHEAP!!! Seriously, just wear any old clothes that you haven't worn in years, and put them on, and go pose on the street somewhere. You'll be excepted in no time. You'll be a Glam/Goth/Punk/Grunge/Hipster also Scenster mover and shaker. It looks like they're starting to wear NBA jersey's so maybe the "Jock" style is in.
It's 2011. The word "Hipster" (as used in the 2000s) doesn't mean anything anymore. Not that the term ever really "meant" anything, but at least in the aughts you could single some people out as being hipsters and others as "normal."
Everyone who lives in a major city and is below 40 cares about being hip and fashionable and unique and up-to-date with culture. If you can call everyone a hipster, the word has lost its meaning.
Sorry, it's the truth. If you don't understand that, you're obviously not very hip.
This line somewhat holds truth. Alot of people get the Hipster label put on them, when in reality they're just trying to be trendy and fashionable. Everyone wants to be alternative, even us Normies(non-hipsters). But Hipsters seem to catch alot of unnecessary flack.
It's funny how history is repeating it's self. "You good for nothing young people with your mismatched clothes". Hipsters aren't that bad. Some may "look" pretentious, but if you talk to them, they're usually nice. And they have great music. Older people hate them, then the Hipsters of today will hate the "Cool kids" of the future, and the cycle continues. People hate things they don't get.
Totally know what you mean. There's that "nerd/geek" hipster and the "fashion/glamour/goth" styled hipster that has been overshadowed.
The "nerd" hipster with the oversized glasses...they've taken over, and yes, they are annoying. Basically nerds trying to be cool way out of high school, and they've finally found a group to identify with.
I was always under the impression they were more the kids who were in the "popular" crowd - not necessarily jocks, but still in the "cooler than thou" flavor-of-the-week clique at school, who just move from scene to scene. Most of the nerds seem to end up working for a tech company and becoming loaded these days...
It's funny how history is repeating it's self. "You good for nothing young people with your mismatched clothes". Hipsters aren't that bad. Some may "look" pretentious, but if you talk to them, they're usually nice. And they have great music. Older people hate them, then the Hipsters of today will hate the "Cool kids" of the future, and the cycle continues. People hate things they don't get.
Maybe in your area. Around here, they're generally snarky, sarcastic, holier-than-thou a-holes, and their music... well, that's open to interpretation.
I have seen hipsters well into their 30s. I resent them because they dress and play like they're poor when they've really been privileged their whole life. In Philadelphia they are often dirty and rarely friendly.
I'm not a bad person, but I deeply resent these people. I feel like they are wolves in sheep clothes. They want to live urban, again, act tough and poor, yet be snobby and pretentious. It would be one thing if they were friendly, but they're not. They are the ultimate "Posers."
Your attitude is the reason people think "hipsters" suck. Someone who pretends to be poor is not a "hipster". You're making a vast generalization that is a stupid assumption. You're just saying what you believe to be true. Sure, there are plenty of hip kids from the burbs that move to an urban neighborhood because that makes them seem cool, but those kids are copying the true "hipsters". The people that have lived in lower class neighborhoods for twenty years because they actually don't have money. They ride bikes because they are far less expensive and much better for the environment. They go to thrift stores and used clothing stores because they are much cheaper (well at least they were until the new "hipster" drove up the prices). I've lived in Northeast Minneapolis for almost my whole life (19 years) and I've seen it change. My household income was far under 50,000 dollars a year, yet I fall into a lot of your stereotypical views of a "hipster".
Does that make me a "hipster"? Who gives a ****, the word has completely lost it's meaning. I was a "hipster", but the rich suburban kids ruined it. Look around, you'd be surprised to see that many of these so-called "hipsters" you make fun are actually living this life because that's how they always have lived.
To get more on topic, come to Minneapolis. We are the true hipsters. Also, since I'm ranting, quit ripping on "hipster" music. Music is one of the most subjective forms of expression. You're bound to like what you like, and think less of other forms of music. Go ahead and make fun of Sonic Youth, I'm sure I hate almost all of the music you listen to.
In the 80s and 90s Minneapolis was a city that was steeped in Punk Rock, New Wave, Indie rock, underground Hip Hop and Rave which were all the forerunners of contemporary hipster culture. As a result of this a lot of kids here grew up hipster thinking it was normal. At the same time Minneapolis is not a hipster magnet, most of ours are from here, in many cases their parents were freaks back in the day. The hipster kids here seem more down to earth than in other parts of the country, probably because they didn't grow up thinking they were the coolest kid in their suburb/town.
I know that Nashville is more known for country music, but it has a huge hipster scene. Almost everyone I know from there either is a hipster or has gone through "hipster phase"
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