Hipster

The term “hipster” is loosely thrown around; therefore, it is very difficult to define the word itself. However, an unbiased definition of a hipster could be agreed upon: Any man or woman, typically in their late teens to early 30’s, who reject as much mainstream culture as they possibly can. They are generally seen in, but not restricted to, clothing such as flannel shirts, skin-tight jeans, bland colored shoes (mostly Toms or Converse), and thick-framed, old school style glasses. Also common styles are graphic tee shirts with ironic pictures or sayings on the front, or patterned thermals/sweaters. As far as music goes, hipsters will typically listen to anything that the general public has never heard of before. For the most part, when an indie band that a hipster listens to becomes popular, the band will be deemed “mainstream” and thrown out of the hipster’s music collection. Sports are qualified as “mainstream” by the hipsters, and are generally used as an ironic device in their culture (for example, signing up for a game of tee-ball at the recreation park, or taking a picture of themselves in cheesy 80’s workout clothing, playing a game of racquetball). If you live deep in a very urban environment, you will tend to see hipsters on the streets, in restaurants, and just about everywhere else you can wander (i.e. Williamsburg). But, if you live in a smaller city, you can go to a downtown coffee shop (not Starbucks) or a bar (not a sports bar) and likely see at least one.