Hipsters - Jenks Public Schools

Hipsters
Who are they? How do we
define them? Who is their
voice? How do we market
products to them?
Sunday, February 26, 12
“My Generation: 90s Nostalgia and Irony”
Aug.13, 2010 Originally published in Brittany Julious' "Antic" literary magazine -by Colleen Claes (Salon.com)
“It’s a generational thing. In my eyes, ‘hipster’ is so
vague a term it doesn’t really matter what it means.
But I tried looking it up on Urban Dictionary
anyway. One definition told me, “You, for reading
ironic, pseudo-intellectual dictionary entries on the
word ‘hipster.’” And that’s why it’s hard to define. It
is irony. Generational irony.”
Sunday, February 26, 12
“Think about it: We buy and wear t-shirts with
Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Strawberry Shortcake, Spiderman, and
Rainbow Brite on them. Or, we suddenly start
listening to the music of our grade school days,
like Biggie, New Kids on the Block, Brandy and
Monica, Boyz II Men, or Robyn. And then we
actually contemplate buying tickets to the
Spice Girls reunion tour when they come to
town, almost ten years after they were last
relevant. We play video games – not that new
violent car chase stuff, but the simple old
school ones, like Super Mario Bros. We wear
backpacks again, with Lisa Frank designs. Or
we wear bright neons and pastels and sparkly,
shiny things. The things your 7-year-old self
would’ve picked out for your now 20-something
self.”
Sunday, February 26, 12
Lisa Frank Art
Hipster: Hipsters are a subculture of men and
women typically in their 20's and 30's that value
independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive
politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock,
creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.
Sunday, February 26, 12
Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often
intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the
culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are
often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions,
tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick
rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar
androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy
shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are
often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons,
and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream
consumer. The "effortless cool" urban bohemian look of a
hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel
ads which cater towards the hipster demographic.
Sunday, February 26, 12
Don’t recommend
the tattoo, but
knitting is hipster
as is making your
own jewelry and
clothing.
...hipsters tend to be well educated and often have
liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and
sciences, which also require certain creative
analytical thinking abilities. Consequently many
hipsters tend to have jobs in the music, art, and
fashion industries. It is a myth that most hipsters are
unemployed and live off of their parent's trust funds.
Sunday, February 26, 12
It is part of the hipster central dogma not to be influenced by
mainstream advertising and media, which tends to only promote
ethnocentric ideals of beauty. The concepts of androgyny and feminism
have influenced hipster culture, where hipster men are often as thin as the
women they date. The muscular and athletic all-American male ideal is
not seen as attractive by confident and culturally-empowered hipster
women who instead view them as symbols of male oppression, sexism,
and misogyny. Likewise, culturally-vapid sorority-type girls with fake
blond hair, overly tanned skin, and "Britney Spears tube-tops" are not
seen as attractive by cultured hipster males who instead see them as
symbols of female insecurity, low self-esteem, and lack of cultural
intelligence and independent thinking. Hipsters are also very racially
open-minded, and the greatest number of interracial couples in any urban
environment are typically found within the hipster subculture.
Sunday, February 26, 12
Although hipsters are technically conformists within their own
subculture, in comparison to the much larger mainstream mass,
they are pioneers and leaders of the latest cultural trends and
ideals. For example, the surge of jeans made to look old and worn
(i.e. "distressed"), that have become prevalent at stores such as
The Gap, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister,
were originally paraded by hipsters who shopped in thrift stores
years before such clothing items were mass produced and sold to
the mainstream consumer. The true irony here is that many of
the detractors of hipster culture are in fact unknowingly
following a path that hipsters have carved out years before
them.
Sunday, February 26, 12
You can get the
MP3's of the
album directly
from Tearjerker,
for your price
(Yes, even for
free).
Chairlift-“Met
Before”
(actually I
liked them)
This phenomena also applies to music as well, as
many bands have become successful and known to
mainstream audiences only because hipsters first
found and listened to them as early-adopters of new
culture. Once certain concepts of fashion and
music have reached mainstream audiences,
hipsters move on to something new and improved.
Now that Adele has Grammy notoriety...hipsters will move on to Rumor.
Sunday, February 26, 12
Hipsterism is often dismissed as just an image thing by some,
but the culture as a whole is effecting changes in society,
leading to feelings of insecurity and resentment in people
who are no longer a part of the cultural ruling class. For
example, a lot of anti-hipster sentiment evidently comes from
culturally-clueless suburban frat boy types who feel that the
more sensitive, intelligent, and culturally aware hipster ideal
threatens their insecure sense of masculinity. Anti-hipster
sentiment often comes from people who simply can't keep up
with social change and are envious of those who can.
Sunday, February 26, 12
Hipster Chicks
Sunday, February 26, 12
Hipster
Dudes
Sunday, February 26, 12
Hipster magazines
Sunday, February 26, 12
Causes...
Sunday, February 26, 12