Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Take It From a Hipster Who’s Not Afraid to Admit It

As much as it pains me to admit, I am accused of being a hipster  pretty frequently. Usually, it’s for things I can understand, like mentioning a band I like that my friends haven’t heard of or walking around campus with my film camera in tow. Sure, you got me there. But while at a friend’s post-tailgate party over Homecoming weekend, some unknown alum on the other side of the flip cup table gave me a quick once-over and said, “You’re, like, a total hipster, aren’t you?”
It should be noted that there was no flannel involved in my outfit choice that day, nor were there Buddy Holly glasses or an ironic/vintage/obscure band T-shirt or anything that once lived in a thrift store. I actually felt extra mainstream that day, given that I was wearing the same blue & gray uniform as everyone else in the spirit of Georgetown, tradition and heavy day-drinking. But due to the crisp autumn air and the fact that I’m pretty much always cold, I decided to wear a — wait for it — scarf. And I am convinced that this dude judged me as a hipster solely based on this fact, because there was simply nothing else to go on.
I was a bit miffed by this (can you tell?), but I simply came back with some brilliant, witty retort that put him right in his place (that’s how I choose to remember it, anyway) and moved on. However, while the majority of that day went by in one hazy, blue and gray blur, this moment stuck with me for some reason.
I’ll admit that I have some hipster-like tendencies — I’m into thrift stores and bike rides and indie music in a big way — but I was annoyed by the fact that this bro instantly picked me out as someone possessing unquestionable hipster status. And solely based (I think) on one perfectly practical clothing choice.
I’m not even sure when the whole concept of hipsterdom came into my life or when I started to see it as a negative thing, but I totally do. At the risk of sounding like a total hipster right now, I guess it comes down to the fact that I’ve always hated labels. I don’t like the idea of being put into a box. But what does the box that is hipsterdom even look like? What makes someone a hipster?
There seem to be several almost universal traits or terms that trigger the label for most people — words like “v-neck,” “moustache” and “Pabst Blue Ribbon.” However, it also seems that everyone has their own unique idea of what “hipster” really means. For one person, it’s anyone wearing a scarf (not that I’m bitter or anything); for someone else, it’s the guy with the patchy beard and plaid jacket smoking American Spirits while criticizing Belle & Sebastian’s latest album; for that guy, it’s the girl with the half-shaved head who dropped out of school to become a glockenspiel player in a traveling folk band and got a huge tattoo of a grandfather clock on her calf. You get the idea. The word “hipster” is impossible to define because it is entirely relative to each person’s view of the world and of him or herself. A lacrosse player’s notion of “hipster” probably doesn’t match that of the drummer for Vampire Weekend. Likewise, a hipster at Georgetown is not quite the same as a hipster in Portland, Ore.
Unlike most cultural movements throughout history (such as the punk movement, which had its own, clearly identifiable music and style), there is nothing that unites all hipsters into one cohesive, identifiable group; there is no “hipster movement.” Rather, hipsters not only hate being identified as such but also seem to hate one another. No one wants to be called a hipster, yet no one wants to be out-hipstered by anyone else (whether the competitor can wear the most unique, label-less clothing or rattle off the most obscure band names). It’s ridiculously hypocritical, which might explain why people reject the term in the first place.
And if there’s one thing I hate more than being put into the hipster box, it’s being a hypocrite. So you know what, Anonymous Flip Cup Player No. 3? You win. You pegged me. I’m a total hipster, and I’m no longer afraid to admit it. I’m an ardent scarf collector and a regular Pitchfork reader and a complete beer snob. But hey, you would be, too, if you just preferred to keep warm in style or loved to discover new music or just spent a semester in Belgium. And that’s the thing: I’m not trying to out-hipster anyone, to be more obscure or pretentious or unique. I’m just doing me. You can call it whatever you want. Haters, as they say, gonna hate.
I want to say that that’s what I would tell him if I ever saw him again, but that’s a lie. What I would really say is, “Oh, you like my scarf? I’d tell you where I got it, but you’ve probably never heard of it.”
Clare Donnelly is a senior in the College. She can be reached at [email protected]LEAP INTO THE VOID appears every other Friday inthe guide.
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