Hipster is a term from the English language that the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) does not include in its dictionary. The Urgent Spanish Foundation – Fundéu BBVA , however, recommends its adaptation as hipster , with an accent on the letter I.
In the 1940s , a subculture associated with the modern jazz of the time began to be called hipster. Hipsters were individuals who listened to that music and adopted the jazz lifestyle.
These hipsters, therefore, were characterized by the use of sarcasm, sexual freedom and relaxed attitude. They were people who could be described with the contemporary adjective of cool .
Nowadays, hipster is another subculture, made up of middle-class and upper-class young people who embrace bohemianism and try to stay away from the most popular or mass fashions and trends.
A 21st century hipster listens to indie music, chooses organic foods, buys second-hand clothes or clothes from independent designers, always tries to buy artisanal products and defines himself as progressive (he has left-wing ideas ). These hipsters usually move in the central area of large urban centers.
Typically, hipsters gather in small-sized bars and cultural cafes. They enjoy cozy places and vintage decoration, and prefer to avoid massive places lacking their own style.
As for the look of today's hipsters, it usually includes accessories such as glasses, hats and scarves. The Beatles- style haircut and beard or mustache are common among men who identify with this movement.
History of the hipster subculture
As mentioned in a previous paragraph, it all began in the 1940s. At that time, jazz musicians used the term hip to refer to anyone who had extensive knowledge about the emerging African-American subculture, and Jazz was also found in this wisdom.
The members of this subculture were called hepcats , a word that over time became hipster . The first time an official definition was published was in 1944, when it was included in a glossary called "For characters who don't dig jive talk" (which can be translated as "for individuals who do not understand the jargon of musicians "jazz") that was part of the album Boogie Woogie In Blue by Harry Gibson, a pianist who became known as Harry the Hipster . There, the term was defined as "individuals who enjoy hot jazz and boogie woogie, a genre Gibson favored when he called himself a hipster."
Since it is a subculture, the word that names it covers several concepts. In 1959, for example, in the book titled Jazz Scene , written by Eric Hobsbawm under the pseudonym Francis Newton , it was defined as "individuals of a special spirituality, who manage their own language ."
Arriving at the end of the second millennium, people began to use the word hipster to refer to the tendency against the fashions imposed by society, or to the inclination for the "alternative." Above we talk about this contemporary definition, which describes the ideals of many middle and upper class young people who leave their neighborhoods behind to reach urban centers and become interested in bohemian style and sports such as skateboarding .
The rise of the hipster subculture began around 2010, a decade in which it became more popular than ever in various parts of the world. Outdoor activities, the adoption of veganism and the rejection of consumerism.