Hipsters are people who like clothes, music, food, and activities that are not mainstream or liked by the average person. If you want to live a lifestyle with independent music labels, vintage clothing, and artful coffee, check out the guide below.
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Method 1 of 5: Hipster Fashion
Step 1. Dress like a hipster
Fashion is just as important as your taste in music. While shopping at classic clothing stores remains a favorite with many hipsters, it's not a must, nor should it be part of a hipster's wardrobe.
- Know the label. Some labels specialize in hipsters; well-known labels include American Apparel, H&M, ASOS, CobraSnake, and Urban Outfitters
- Avoid buying items from the label's branch stores (very bad consumerism!). Look for an independent shop as supporting a shop that is so rarely heard is "very cool". For example, buy clothes from a local fashion store in your area.
Step 2. Wear skinny jeans
The classic "skinny jeans" make any boy or girl look hipster. Hipster men wear jeans that are as skinny as women's jeans.
- Note that men actually wear skinny jeans more often than women (women prefer leggings/jeggings/treggings)
- Girls can also wear waist-high pants (or "mom jeans").
Step 3. Put on the glasses
Hipsters love ironic eyeglasses like shutter shades, oversized plastic frame glasses, Buddy Holly glasses, nerdy glasses, and – for those who can afford them – the original Ray Ban Wayfarers in all the colors of the rainbow.
Some hipsters wear glasses even though their eyesight is perfect! In this case, remove the lenses or make sure they are just stylish glasses
Step 4. Wear an ironic top
For tops, these are pretty good choices: ironic t-shirts, plaid shirts, cowboy shirts, and anything with vintage plaid, paisley, or floral prints.
- Many hipsters love tops with appliqués, images of animals or forests, and images of characters from children's TV shows, as well as ironic phrases or even book covers.
- A tight hoodie jacket is also a good choice.
Step 5. Wear vintage clothes
Dresses are a good choice for women, and even better if they have a classic floral or lacy motif. Grandma's wardrobe is the perfect place to look for your clothes; however, you should be able to sew and redesign those classic outfits to suit your style.
Step 6. Find suitable footwear
Hipster shoes include cowboy shoes, Converse, and flats.
- Converse is no longer a universal brand. Their shoes look great and you can wear them anywhere, but since everyone wears them, Doc Martens or other vintage shoes are a better choice.
- If you're looking for sneakers, take a look at the Reebok Classic.
- For girls, high heels aren't the most popular choice, but just wear them if you like. Cute sandals, Keds, boots, and granny boots are not only more practical but show how little effort you need to put them on (even though it will take you a very long time to find the right choice).
Step 7. Use accessories
There is a wide selection of accessories, including large floral headbands, neon nail polish, pins, flashy belts, necklaces, colored and patterned leggings, etc.
- Don't forget piercings and minor cuts that look as if you got them through woodworking or the like.
- The right ironic accessories are a must, like the things kids love to bring to school, like the pictures of animals on the lunchbox.
- Other essential accessories include a sling bag (not a backpack), preferably from Freitag, which can fit a MacBook, iPhone, and vinyl (never ever bring a CD) of your favorite band.
Step 8. Wear clothes that don't match
Using things that don't fit is really hipster. It gives off an "I don't care" impression which actually takes some planning until you get used to this kind of habit.
Remember that hipster outfits never require tweaking when you're about to hit the beach – stick to your city outfits to play in the sand and surf to stand out ironically
Method 2 of 5: Hipster Health
Step 1. Ignore comments about your hygiene
Some people associate hipsters with hippies and assume that they rarely shower or don't pay attention to their personal hygiene. This is a misunderstanding. While some hipsters follow a shampoo-free lifestyle (which is still very clean), many clean themselves normally (with artsy, eco-friendly soaps!)
- Although hipsters bathe regularly and clean their teeth, they are not interested in spending money on hair styling, spas, pedicures/manicures, and make-up equipment because these are signs that someone is submissive to the generally accepted concept of beauty.
- Arguably, hipsters aren't particularly interested in "highlighting their assets," because they've seen the whole of them as an asset; from a self-confidence point of view, this is a pretty healthy mindset.
Step 2. Keep the hairstyle casual
Messy hairstyles are good enough. Hairstyles that just woke up, long unkempt hair, and hair that can't be straightened without chemicals are all acceptable styles.
- Blurring gender boundaries with haircuts and styling is part of hipster culture.
- Wearing hair oil is considered good in some hipster cultures. This doesn't mean you have to agree. An uncombed but clean hairstyle might suit you better.
- Some hipsters like to dye their hair very flashy.
Step 3. Live a "green" food lifestyle
Grow your own food or go vegetarian. Use compost whenever possible. Eating meat has not always been popular with hipster culture, and many hipsters tend to be vegetarian or vegan. If you decide to eat meat, you should choose that option as a cynical view of vegetarianism's futile attempts to save the world.
- Fruit, coffee, Asian food, etc. everything is hipster food.
- If you really don't have the space to grow your own food (even on a balcony or window pane), buy your food at an all-natural grocery store.
- Oftentimes, hipsters are also foodies and enjoy making great tasting food. If you can't cook, think about buying a cookbook.
Method 3 of 5: The Hipster Lifestyle
Step 1. Reuse your belongings
This requires a combination of frugality, respect for the past, and a desire to show that something new doesn't define you. Of course, you'll have to deal with inconsistencies at this point because the latest Apple products and new clothes from multiple labels are also the side of a true hipster. However, because we are inherently contradictory persons, the sooner we accept these contradictions and the sooner we will become whole persons.
The old stuff that hipsters often associate with is vintage clothing, fixie bikes (often worn to nightclubs), analog cameras, and reuse and recycling of pretty much anything (this will take a mix of wits, common sense, and fun)
Step 2. Reject blind consumerism
Hipsters love "specialized consumerism." If your purchases help local grocery, neighborhood, and craft vendors down the street, then you're a hipster.
Step 3. Note that most hipsters are in a certain age group
Hipsters are typically between their teens and 30s. This is part of an era of "extension of adolescence," which consists of existential rage, seeking life's purpose and self-worth, and questioning the meaning of everything.
Of course, this doesn't mean you can't be a hipster at a later age, but the fact that the older you get the less concerned and angry you become about the way the world works, or doesn't work, means that you a) don't really want to be labeled anything, b) don't need to be in a certain sub-culture, and/or c) not as easily angered as when you were younger. It's very likely that you're also very discreetly directing your teens through the teenage phases and you don't really like adopting the same for yourself
Step 4. Go to your favorite hipster places
Hipsters love to congregate in highly urban areas and they are globally connected via the internet. In Indonesia, it's easy to find hipsters in the metropolitan center, where "anything can happen". Go to places where there are art exhibitions, film shows, bands, and independent people.
- Think of places like Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, and try to find a place like Brooklyn, N. Y. suburb of Williamsburg (known unofficially as the hipster capital of the world)
- For places that are less urban, look for cities with fairly large universities.
- In the UK, London is where you go. In Canada, try Montreal, and in Australia, try Melbourne.
- Don't force yourself to live or go to certain places or countries just to be a hipster. Apart from economic reasons (especially if you live in another part of the world), you can actually start being a hipster in your place. One of the advantages of having a place where you don't know much about hipsters is that fewer people will discriminate against or criticize you. Note that the Internet will always be your best friend.
Step 5. Be an educated person
Plan to study at university, as hipsters are usually people who are educated in a particular field, such as the humanities, printmaking, or math and science.
- Read a lot, even if it means sitting in the local bookstore without buying the book you are studying. Plan to get a higher education if you are in college.
- Hipster is a sub-culture that is more right-brained in society, therefore, many hipsters choose a career in music, art, or fashion. While these areas are not mandatory, they may be natural places to channel hipster creativity.
- Education is what helps hipsters not think about other people's fuss; they know that it is just history repeating itself, or that it has no meaning at all.
Step 6. Be a style adopter in its early stages
Hipsters tend to get a feel for what will be useful before the trend or item becomes popular. Many bands become famous only after hipsters come to their rarely heard shows. Many clothing trends were started by hipsters, only to be hijacked by mainstream fashion houses later. Many gadgets were used by hipsters first, only to become mainstream items later on.
- Of course, the irony of being a hipster is that when a trend or item becomes mainstream, it means it's time for you to move on to something more outlandish and less well-known. That is the difficulty of having an independent spirit; You must always keep moving.
- If you're really good at something like math, physics, medicine, psychology, political analysis, the environment, etc., you're probably going to make great discoveries that go beyond what other people think. You know within yourself that you have found something very useful and makes sense but others are not so sure because it is a "very unknown" thing. Just relax and stay focused on your knowledge because one day, people will acknowledge your discoveries.
Step 7. Don't define yourself based on other people's views
One of the key elements of being a hipster is to always avoid labels. Don't tell everyone your preferred lifestyle; by doing that you have entered the group of people who like to box things up.
- The moment you define yourself too clearly is when you start to stagnate and risk getting stuck in the status quo. Therefore, many hipsters will deny their hipster nature wherever they are.
- To avoid insults, some hipsters try to expand their sense of irony by wearing attributes that acknowledge or even insult their own hipster nature (for example, wearing a t-shirt that says "I hate hipsters"); that way, by insulting themselves first, no one else could do it better than them.
Step 8. Stay in the hipster community
There is a strong community aspect to hipster culture. If you want to know the latest local bands or coffee shops, make sure you stay active in the community for great recommendations and stay ahead of trends.
- When a new weird band pops up on Pitchfork (or better yet before that), you need to be aware of it.
- Check out Brooklyn Vegan (even if you don't live there), Stereogum, Gorilla vs. Bear, and Hype Machine as often as possible, but don't overdo it by looking at it every five seconds.
Method 4 of 5: Indie Entertainment
Step 1. Read classic hipster books:
What you read is important because what you read will connect you with other hipsters, share cultural issues, and broaden your knowledge. There are many books you can read, so find the ones that really matter to you. The books you read include:
- Hipster magazines, like Vice, Another Magazine, and Wallpapers. Other foreign magazines are also good choices. Foreign magazines are good too.
- Great books and poetry from writers like Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsburg, and Norman Mailer. Any other books you think are good. any book; reading books distinguishes hipsters from many others. Check out the politics, anthropology and sociology sections of your local bookstore and library as often as possible.
- Blogs of other hipsters. You may also be inspired enough to write your own blog.
Step 2. Watch hipster movies
Watch independent films and foreign films, as well as films in independent theatres, such as at cultural events.
Step 3. Listen to emerging independent music
Indie music is a big part of being a hipster. Check out the list of independent artists in the music world, particularly in the genres of nu-rave, minimalist techno, indie rap, nerdcore, Elephant 6, garage rock, classic rock (like The Beatles), and punk rock.
- Notable hipster artists are Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Belle & Sebastian, Electric President, Stray Kites, Jens Lekman, Neutral Milk Hotel, M83, Neon Indian, Neon Neon, Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos, and King Khan and the Shrines.
- Music blogs like Gorilla vs. Bear, Indiehere, /mu/, and Stereogum can help you pick the right band for you to listen to. Meeting people who already like these bands will also help you.
- Perhaps the most popular hipster music site is Pitchfork Media. If they give an album good marks, it must be pretty hipster.
- One way to determine whether an artist is a hipster or not is to ask your non-hipster friends if they've ever listened to it.
- Listen to music from other countries too, as most of the mainstream songs of this decade are from America, England, and South Korea.
Method 5 of 5: Socialize
Step 1. Use social media
Female hipsters enjoy using Blogspot, Tumblr or WordPress, as well as taking photos with a Holga camera and making edited and "dream-like" photos. Social media can also be a great way to find new things to enjoy before they go mainstream.
Step 2. Date other hipsters
One of the reasons for dating other hipsters is that it will be easier for you to understand and agree on issues. Muscular guys or blonde girls probably aren't your type, so fellow hipsters are a good choice.
Step 3. Start dancing
If you want to see a hipster, look around you when you're in a show and you'll see a hipster dancing. Sometimes, if the music and the atmosphere are right, you'll see hipsters doing a contemporary dance.
- Hipster dance, when done properly, uses less of the waist but rather uses the hands and upper body. Nodding your head is also a pretty good move, if you're not shy about it (and as a hipster, you shouldn't really care too much).
- While it's rare to see a hipster dancing at various shows, they love a separate dance party where they can dance to a more vibrant set of hipster music.
Step 4. Learn proper language and attitude
While there will be a lot of variety – part of hipster culture is that things are always changing – there are a few things that are important to remember.
- Remember to use the most important hipster phrase: "I love it before they're famous." Another good phrase is to say something like: "I'm making a donation to Haiti… before they get hit by disaster."
- Mention the names of artists who are quite hipster. Talk about weird bands that you know no one else has heard of. When your friends talk about a band you don't know about, say you've heard of it but haven't heard of the music. Look for the band if you have time. This will make you look cool.
- Shame on many bands. If you like everything you will look like a fanatic. Make sure you give the impression that you are too cool or too elite to like certain bands.
- If you want to appear more educated and elite, remember this important phrase: "I liked their first mini album, but after that they went downhill."
- Use your own words as often as possible. Or use words that people usually don't know unless they look them up in a dictionary (eg petrichor).
Step 5. Practice your sense of humor
A hipster is known for a sharp sense of irony and satire. When someone asks you a question, don't answer it directly, but blur the topic, ask questions back, or answer sarcastically.
- Make sure you grin a little so you don't look serious, because people often take your sarcasm as an expression that you really mean.
- For example: When you're in the cinema watching a movie, and the person next to you says, "Wow, that's really cool! Did you see that?", answer flatly using sentences like, "No, I paid 50 thousand to watch the rooftop.".
- Watch British comedies for good examples of satire you can use.
- Have a humorous point of view and don't take it too seriously. Hipsters are often parodied, so knowing how to laugh at ridicule can be of great help to you.
Step 6. Prepare to be criticized
Note that hipsterism is often parodied or ridiculed because hipsters annoy some people. You need to get used to hate and find ways to respond to it.
- Often your sub-culture will be perceived as uglier than whatever people who hate you live or like.
- Since hipsters tend to support progressive politics, you are likely to be scorned by conservatives. It's a good idea to prepare your response to such ridicule.
- For people who laugh at your fashion, remind them that the jeans they wear are made by children who work like slaves and if they want to help an industry like that, it's their decision.
- Get to the root of the problem. Most people who attack you may feel insecure about their place in society and they may have very inconsistent thoughts about culture, or they may try to match some element of culture to their life or choices. Learn to have a little compassion.
- Be aware that nerds have a strange relationship with hipsters. While some of them hate hipsters, some acknowledge the similarities between the two cultures.
Tips
- Many hipsters can play an instrument, and starting a band is a great way to show your love for independent music. You don't have to be smart; you just need to show your enthusiasm.
- Go to shows – music, drama, opera, poetry, comedy. The more often, the better.
- Don't use Crocs.
- Instead of going to Starbucks, head to a local coffee shop or make your own at home for a hipster boost. Bring a thermos to carry your brewed coffee; if it had an "anti-genetic engineering" sticker on the side, that would be even better.
- Don't drive expensive cars. In fact, don't buy a car at all. It is a waste of gas and money and will give you a headache when you have to park. Use a bicycle – use one that has fixed gears such as a fixie. The bike must have thin tires and genuine leather seats, without front brakes. Even if you don't have a bicycle (drive a car), make sure you fold the parts right your pants to give the impression that you just took a trip to the city without increasing your carbon footprint. It's not complete without the sound of a key ringing in your carabiner. The more you appear as a courier in the morning and as a cleaner at night, the more hipster you will look.
- Many hipsters are drawn to nerdy topics, such as philosophy or film criticism. If you find it interesting, you will appear more hipster by talking about it in a conversation.
- Be patient with the habits you just left and the ones you've just started. If you are lucky, it will only take you a month or two to get used to your new lifestyle.
- Don't always watch MTV. You should not use it as a reference for your music. However, watching trashy reality shows can sometimes be seen as an act of irony.
- Don't listen to songs that don't have lyrics with a depressing or deep feeling.
- Buy a Mac, Apple TV and iPad. iPods and iPhones have become too mainstream, so for your smartphone, buy a Windows Phone, and if you can from a hip brand like Huawei. Only buy products from Chinese factories!
- There's a myth that hipsters live with their parents. Some may be, like others from other sub-cultures, but many are hipsters who live alone.
- Always look for alternatives so you have options when your favorite item or artist goes mainstream.
- Set your own hairstyle. Throw bangs are a pretty good solution if you are confused about which hairstyle you should use.
Warning
- Do not be too serious.
- Don't take this article too seriously. Use this only as a guide to find a style that works for you. Hipster prides itself on its freedom from the mainstream.
- The goal of being a hipster is to give the impression that you are not trying to achieve it. If you look like that, maybe you're trying too hard. Just accept yourself as you are.
- Negativity can be attributed to the hipster culture, perhaps in response to an overly positive style and it can be just about anything a la motivator associated with today's consumerist and business culture. However, negativity is not an answer, it is just a reaction. Always look for balance and peace in your life instead of seeing sadness in everything. Yes, society is full of problems but being negative about them will not solve or change the program whereas realistic and pragmatic methods of doing things that make a difference will contribute to building a better world. You also need to remember, that every generation is cursed to think of the way things used to work or things that are better than they are today. We are creatures bound by time and body, so we have to accept our limitations while trying to do our best with what we have and we can do. Continuous deconstruction and criticism of society can very easily become your modus operandi. However, you really can't change the status quo that you're criticizing.
- At times, you may feel very frustrated with others who don't understand your musical prowess, fashion, or other options. Let it be; You'll never see, hear, or feel the things they like as much as they do, and that's because everyone is different.
