{"id":10746,"date":"2012-06-27T19:44:55","date_gmt":"2012-06-27T19:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress72\/?p=21830"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:33","slug":"how-to-spot-a-hipster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2012\/06\/27\/how-to-spot-a-hipster\/","title":{"rendered":"How to spot a hipster"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Hanging out with fashionable young people, going to art exhibitions and partying in \u2018alternative\u2019 clubs, for the sake of research. For Magdalena Szypielewicz, a 22-year-old Polish Sociology student, this is all part of her\u00a0Master thesis research on hipsters.<\/p>\n

A word without a \u2018real\u2019 meaning<\/b><\/p>\n

So what are hipsters, then? Magdalena says it\u2019s difficult to do research on a group of people that are defined in so many different ways: \u201d Information is often contradictory and actually, nobody really knows how to define them. \u201d A main characteristic of hipsters is that they want to be different from the rest of the society, although ironically, hipster style has gradually become commercialized and standardized. Magdalena: \u201cHipsters are now conformists within their own subculture.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Magdalena, you can often spot a hipster by looking at his or her clothing style. Most important is to look as if you didn\u2019t try too hard: hipsters are effortlessly cool. Clothing is old skool and vintage inspired: leggings and floral prints are popular, as well as t-shirts with ironic or sarcastic prints. The look is finished by adding a pair of Vans, All Stars or boots, a lot of colourful accessories and a couple of tattoos or piercings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2018You tell me\u2019<\/p>\n

Why hipsters? Magdalena says she is fascinated by people\u2019s lifestyles and heard the word \u2018hipster\u2019 so many times, that she felt she wanted to know more. The aim of her thesis is to describe the hipster subculture, and she wants to research whether hipsters symbolize end of individualism, or the beginning of a new kind of community. Magdalena says people often ask the same questions when they hear about the topic for her thesis: \u201cThe question I always get is: \u2018So tell me, what is a hipster?\u2019. I always ask them to tell me instead, as that is exactly what I am researching.\u201d <\/p>\n

A search for subjects<\/b><\/p>\n

Magdalena\u2019s research includes\u00a0some basic elements of any random\u00a0study: a literature review, field observation and interviews. However, her chosen topic makes her able to combine thesis writing with leisure: \u201cI try to go to places where I can find hipsters: caf\u00e9s, clubs, festivals. I applied as a volunteer for the Motel Mozaique Festival in Rotterdam in order to do some participant observation.\u201d Magdalena can quite easily find groups of hipsters, at for instance art exhibitions or organic restaurants: \u201cI find it funny that they all pretend to be an individual, but all go to the same places and have similar interests, such as art and organic food.\u201d IS<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Latest news<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t