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Stuff Hipsters Like (And Have Made Too Cool For The Rest Of Us)

Stuff Hipsters Like (And Have Made Too Cool For The Rest Of Us) March 19, 2018

stuff hipsters like

The hipster uprising isn’t exactly a recent occurrence. Let’s be real here. Hipsters as we recognize them in the 21st century have been taking over major metropolitan areas for more than a decade. What's the deal with their sustainability causes, their environmentally friendly transportation, and their lumberjack fashion choices? It’s hard to find an escape. And it’s also hard to watch hipsters make everything you used to love gross and trendy. But like it or not, hipsters are here to stay. So you may as well learn what they're all about. Here’s all the stuff hipsters like and have made too cool for us regular folks.

Organic Produce

hipsters
IMAGE BY: Flickr
Sure, you could always make a stop at Whole Foods on your way home from your weekly knitting club meeting, but even Whole Foods involves dealing with a middleman. Why not skip the whole grocery store vibe and head straight to your city’s local farmers market instead? In fact, we’re pretty sure your city has multiple farmers markets during the week, so you can definitely get the freshest brussels sprouts for that fried dish you’ve been dying to try.

Craft Beer

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IMAGE BY: Wikimedia Commons
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] You know the brewmaster at the joint that just opened in the up-and-coming industrial part of the city. And although they’re still looking a little bare bones, their menu is handwritten on a chalkboard and includes over 15 select brews. Including your favorite IPA, which is their top seller.

Locally Roasted Chemex Coffee

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IMAGE BY: Flickr
Coffee isn’t really worth drinking unless you’re having to wait 15-20 minutes for it to be freshly ground and hand brewed in an hourglass shaped flask designed to remove 90% of its actual flavor. You and your barista are definitely on a first-name basis, and they never have to ask what to brew for you. This week, it’s a single origin natural process Ethiopia.

House-cured Meats

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IMAGE BY: Max Pixel
It used to be that jerky was a thing you picked up from the gas station because you only had $1.47 in your glovebox and were on the verge of starvation. No more, though. There is no such thing as jerky; there is only the finest in sustainably raised meats, cured by hand and slow-smoked in house, which sell for $15 an ounce and should only be enjoyed as part of a charcuterie board.

Handmade Leather Goods

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IMAGE BY: Flickr
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] You may be tempted to pick up a new wallet from a department store, but what is that going to do to support your local artisans? It’s far better to hit up your favorite Etsy vendor for one that’s been individually hand-stitched. It may set you back an extra $90, but it’s totally worth it.

Urban Outfitters

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IMAGE BY: Urban Outfitters - Blog
The only chain store you’d ever frequent. UO is your one stop shop for all things hipster: ironic tees, overpriced distressed denim, coffee table books featuring adorable dogs. It may not be the most responsible company on the planet, but dammit, their stuff is cute.

Thrifting

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IMAGE BY: Depop
Making enough to afford the rent on that fancy loft downtown is tough. But it’s more manageable if you can devote half your work week to digging through the bins at Goodwill and reselling that shit at five times the cost. It’s called a hustle, sweetie, look it up.

Bicycles

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IMAGE BY: Wikimedia Commons
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] If you’re looking to get from one side of town to the other, there is no option on four wheels (not even a Prius) that will ever be better than two. Depending on your city’s terrain, a basic cruiser will certainly do. But the true mark of a hipster is a real deal fixed gear for that urban commute.

Vinyl

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IMAGE BY: PxHere
If there were one measure if an individual’s level of hipster-ness, it would have to be the size and quality of their record collection. Bigger is generally better (isn’t it always?), unless of course it’s made up primarily of mainstream artists. Because Selena Gomez sounds the same on any format, but The Decemberists are just better on vinyl.

High-waisted Jeans

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IMAGE BY: Poshmark
While the early 2000s may have been about that hip hugger lifestyle, today you can’t call yourself a real hipster unless those jeans are cinched all the way up to the bottom of your ribcage. Who really wants their ass to look good, anyways? These days, it’s all about living that mom jeans life.

...Or Skinny Jeans

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IMAGE BY: Lulus
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] So maybe mom jeans aren’t your thing. That’s okay. There are always skinny jeans you can pull on. That is, if you actually can pull them on. See, the goal here is to look like you’ve been painted into your clothing, not to be comfortable wearing it.

Beanies

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IMAGE BY: Pexels
Dead of winter or the sweltering heat of summer; it doesn’t really matter what the weather’s like outside. A hipster’s head is always in need of a cover, and it most certainly can’t be done with anything short of a slouchy beanie. Bonus points if it’s handmade and also gives back to a good cause. Because you want to look good but also feel good about looking good.

Oversized Glasses

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IMAGE BY: Pexels
Do you even need glasses to see? Probably not, but f— if that’s going to stop you from buying the largest frames your head can support. Glasses are a serious status symbol in the hipster world, and the bigger they are, the more intellectual you’ll appear to those around you. And that’s what it’s really all about, isn’t it?

Beards

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IMAGE BY: Pexels
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] While the ultra long, ultra styled beard is definitely still around in the hipster community, we have seen a bit of a change in the last year or so. You still want the beard, but something a little shorter cropped is more desirable. You know, like a good half foot in length, as opposed to the full 12 inches.

Barber Shops

hipsters
IMAGE BY: PxHere
Does your ‘do require a decent amount of locally made pomade to keep under control? Are you receiving a proper hot towel treatment every few weeks? Does your barber wear a full denim apron when he’s shaving your neck with a straight razor? If not, you’re doing it wrong, friend.

Tiny Tattoos

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IMAGE BY: Pinterest/Evgeniya Vervega
Ah, there’s nothing quite like dropping a few hundred bucks on some delicate lines that’ll fade away in less than a decade, is there? Get them on your fingers, your ribcage, or on your sternum. Hell, get them everywhere you have free space. Just cover your entire body with thousands of tiny symbols and inspirational quotes.

Trap Music

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IMAGE BY: Spotify
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Indie folk is so 2015. If you’re looking to get into some real music in 2018, it’s going to have to be trap. Because no self-loving hipster gets stoned and listens to old Death Cab records anymore. They take Ayahuasca and trip out to Luminox.

Art House Cinema

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IMAGE BY: Art Theatre Long Beach
If it isn’t playing on the single screen at your local, historic art theatre, then it definitely isn’t worth watching. Requirements for acceptable cinema? It must predate digital filmmaking by decades; or it must have been nominated for more than one Independent Spirit Award; or it must have been screened in only a handful of theatres nationwide.

Wes Anderson

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IMAGE BY: Focus Features
Wes Anderson is basically the king of quirky filmmaking. His distinctive style (the use of patterns, symmetry, and that ever sweet tracking shot), along with the repeated presence of a particular group of actors — Bill Murray — and his love of odd stories makes him the go-to for many a modern hipster. Plus, he’s big on nostalgic pieces, and we all know you’re a sucker for nostalgia.

Real Film

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IMAGE BY: Wikimedia Commons
[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] If you can’t see it, touch it, hold it in your hand, it isn’t a photo. There’s just something so real about analog photography that the average, non-hipster can never hope to understand. But you understand, because you reject the digital world and the built-in Instagram filters. No, you use Instagram to showcase iPhone photos of actual film photos.

Gentrification

hipsters
IMAGE BY: Flickr
F— the families that have been living in your city for generations. If they can’t afford the rising cost of rent in order to support those high rise live/work spaces downtown, that’s on them. Besides, we could really use those old buildings to house up and coming art spaces. Or indoor farmers markets. Or vegan patisseries.