Is hipsterism still a thing?

[Simfan34]

It started out in 2002-05, before hitting public attention, entering the popular consciousness c. 2010, spawning an anti-movement, bringing us up to now. Seeing that a major tenet of the thing is originality and creativity, with Williamsburg gentrified, Vinyl back, tattoos mainstream, and Apple a monopolist, is hipsterism over? What elements survive? What shall replace it? Has it all become diluted to the point that all of us in someways incorporate hipsterism into our tastes? I wear ties and cardigans, use a shaving mug, own a wristwatch, primarily listen to indie music. Does that make me a hipster? Must I embue my daily goings about with a sense of "irony" in order to be one?

When shall we see a revival, if only cosmetic, of 1900s-1930s style and mannerisms? With the rise of the "e-gent" perhaps it is possible, if not that the a last hurrah for the suit and its associated garments. Is this an outgrowth of hipsters "growing up"? Might we one day see "ex-hipsters" with fairly conservative outlooks?

[CountryRoads]

I'm kind of a conservative hipster

[minionofmidas]

"No Nazis - No Hipsters"

Actually seen that printed on the flyer for a punk show.

[opebo]

I don't really get the hipster thing, as I thought I was a 'hipster' in 1989-mid-1990s.  I mean, all the things the hipsters wear, I was wearing in 1989-1993 (though I suppose not quite so ridiculously tight).

I remember at one party in the early to mid nineties, one of those 'standard' cool guys of the time - you know, had a goatee and dungarees I guess - said to me 'wow, man, what's with those slacks?' - I was wearing 1970's plaid slacks, old worn out black converse lowtops, and some kind of early-1980s short-sleeve button-down+ cardigan combination...  I said, I don't know, you can get a bag of them for 25 cents down at the thrift store. 

My god, the good old days.

(oh and I've worn glasses like these since about 1974):

[Grumpier Than Thou]

No.

[afleitch]

It started out in 2002-05, before hitting public attention, entering the popular consciousness c. 2010, spawning an anti-movement, bringing us up to now. Seeing that a major tenet of the thing is originality and creativity, with Williamsburg gentrified, Vinyl back, tattoos mainstream, and Apple a monopolist, is hipsterism over? What elements survive? What shall replace it? Has it all become diluted to the point that all of us in someways incorporate hipsterism into our tastes? I wear ties and cardigans, use a shaving mug, own a wristwatch, primarily listen to indie music. Does that make me a hipster? Must I embue my daily goings about with a sense of "irony" in order to be one?

When shall we see a revival, if only cosmetic, of 1900s-1930s style and mannerisms? With the rise of the "e-gent" perhaps it is possible, if not that the a last hurrah for the suit and its associated garments. Is this an outgrowth of hipsters "growing up"? Might we one day see "ex-hipsters" with fairly conservative outlooks?

Hipsterism didn't just appear in a vaccum. I mean it's such a big term now that it means just about anything. My brother, who is 35 is considered to be a hipster but has sort of always been that way, long before it had that label. He was brought up (and so was I) on the mid to late 90's UK 'indie' music scene which began really as backlash against grunge. Indie/Britpop harked back to the 60's; suits, skinny ties, winkle picker shoes and thick rimmed glasses etc which became part of mainstream British music culture for alot of people. It may have fell out of fashion and the public consciousness but it only went underground. I mean the British early 80's music scene was pretty 'hipsterish' too and also suffered the same fate. So people like my brother are part of that pot.

Then in the early 2000's in Britain we had people called 'Shoreditch Twats.' These were people who were attractive to creative hubs in music, art and culture simply because they wanted to cash in; people who pretended they were scruffy and such but lived off their rich parents. So that went into the mix. Then there is people like me I guess. I left school just as emo and 'skater' culture started taking off. Now you don't really see either anymore and alot of my friends who were into that are now basically hipsters (the whole tattoo thing is a bit of a hangover from that). What used to be considered 'preppy' (which I guess was me back in the day with my blazers and shoes...) is now thrown into that mix.

Everyone and everything in the late 90's, early 2000's that was so different has now been thrown into the same pot, smartened up a bit, moved to the same place, has everything from Phil Collins to Arrested Development on their iPods and now rummage around thrift stores or stores that pretend they are thrift stores. It'll fragment at some point sure or change but I don't see it going away.

[opebo]

I don't really get the hipster thing, as I thought I was a 'hipster' in 1989-mid-1990s.  I mean, all the things the hipsters wear, I was wearing in 1989-1993 (though I suppose not quite so ridiculously tight).

http://dadsaretheoriginalhipster.tumblr.com/

I see.  Yes I get this.  Though I'm thinking the hipsterism of the late eighties and early to mid nineties was somewhat different from the one you guys are talking about (2002 onwards?).  Kind of fresh and not so.. 'fully developed' lets say.   We really weren't trying very hard at all.

[Lief 🗽]

Hipsterism was originally a backlash against commercialism and consumerism. Of course, as it's become popular, it has itself been commoditized. Sooner rather than later some new subculture will come along to replace it.

[opebo]

Hipsterism was originally a backlash against commercialism and consumerism. Of course, as it's become popular, it has itself been commoditized. Sooner rather than later some new subculture will come along to replace it.

Yes, I see - I think at the time I was a participant, it had yet to be commoditized at all - in fact it was really very new.  I also remember it as not having the political slant it later developed. 

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Hipsterism was originally a backlash against commercialism and consumerism. Of course, as it's become popular, it has itself been commoditized. Sooner rather than later some new subculture will come along to replace it.

Yes, I see - I think at the time I was a participant, it had yet to be commoditized at all - in fact it was really very new.  I also remember it as not having the political slant it later developed. 

So by that definition, good Lief, are you a hipster? 

[Insula Dei]

When, exactly, did Simfan34 become the Republican Tweed?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hipsterism was originally a backlash against commercialism and consumerism. Of course, as it's become popular, it has itself been commoditized. Sooner rather than later some new subculture will come along to replace it.

So... what you're saying is that you were a hipster before it was cool?

[Lief 🗽]

Hipsterism was originally a backlash against commercialism and consumerism. Of course, as it's become popular, it has itself been commoditized. Sooner rather than later some new subculture will come along to replace it.

So... what you're saying is that you were a hipster before it was cool?

Well, I wasn't, because I was like eight or nine when the hipster subculture started.

[patrick1]

Hipsterism was originally a backlash against commercialism and consumerism. Of course, as it's become popular, it has itself been commoditized. Sooner rather than later some new subculture will come along to replace it.

So... what you're saying is that you were a hipster before it was cool?

Well, I wasn't, because I was like eight or nine when the hipster subculture started.

You are 70 ?  Seriously though, the word hipster and many of its facades have been around for a very, very long time. It was even parodied as early as late 50's and early 60's with the beat/hipster character Maynard G Krebs.  Furthermore, fashion has been commercialized long before we or even this country was born.  (see macaroni/yankee doodle) The superficial and changeable nature of it all is why I have no interest in it or a 'scene' that puts any foundation in how one dresses.

[Simfan34]

I never knew it had been bubbling for that long, for some reason my image of the 90s was dominated by the turtleneck wearing young intellectual. A bit more refined, a bit less ironic. More in the vein of the beat generation. Listened to Sinéad O'Connor, perhaps. More center-left if anything.

Any idea what the post-hipster counterculture might look like?

[Simfan34]

Any idea what the post-hipster counterculture might look like?

My guess? Nothing in particular. Subcultures will continue to fracture as pop culture remains as stagnant as it's been for the past decade.

Has it been stagnant? Could you explain a bit more- sorry!

[Simfan34]

That's a great article. Providence willing, we'll start sliding backwards. We've already started. But let's not go there, because I'm going to lose that argument.

[The Mikado]

I moderate a small cartography, politics, and demographics discussion forum: Dave Leip's US Elections Atlas.  It's no surprise you haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure, but it's been up since 1999.   Pretty groundbreaking stuff.

[Simfan34]

When, exactly, did Simfan34 become the Republican Tweed?

I'm not sure what you mean, but for quite some time.

[afleitch]

That's a great article. Providence willing, we'll start sliding backwards. We've already started. But let's not go there, because I'm going to lose that argument.

But we've always looked backwards. The 50's retroed the Edwardian era (Teddy Boys) and the 80's-90's retroed the 60's. There was a brief 70's revival in the mid-90's to go along with grunge (tie-dye and all that crap) and an 80's revival a few years ago and a 90's revival now (everything is all Navajo style like it's 1993)

The article is right however in noting that consumerism arrests trends rather than lets them flourish.

At the moment, this is sort of what's being worn in the UK

Take jeans for example. Jeans have been in fashion in one cut or another since the 1950's but had sort of stagnated in the 90's. By that time the industry was big. In the early 2000's khakis, chinos and cargo pants pushed them away in part because jeans were seen as unfashionable as they also now worn by parents who wore them first time round. So jeans fought back. Dark bootcut/stonewash jeans basically dominated throught the 2000's and were a staple of men's wardrobes. Then skinny jeans appeared. In 2011 chino's came back in the UK. It just sort of happened everywhere of all different colours. When Michael came to the UK in September of last year it caught him by suprise. Why did they come back? Because jeans were stagnant again. They had hardly changed in ten years and men didn't want to be restricted to wearing dark blue, grey or black jeans. So now jeans companies have adopted the 'chino cut' and coloured denim has came back again. I quote like where things are now. But I know it'll change.