ITF Post: Hipsters, Urban Space, and Authenticity in 2018

Though the image of a ridiculously-dressed hipster is slowly fading as the economy grows, it’s worth revisiting the construction of the hipster figure (well as other images associated with hipsters like mason jars, “quirky,” interesting facial hair, urban chickens, DIY gourmet mayonnaise) and perceptions of authenticity and urban spaces. While the hipster was first understood as a specific Williamsburg resident, the word came to be associated with specific neighborhoods like Silver Lake in Los Angeles and then, more broadly, “hipster” referred to a certain type of gentrification of urban spaces. By 2018, the word “hipster” has run its course due to overuse and Portland really hates Portlandia. Moreover, the cultural and political changes between the height of the word’s use (about 2005-2010 judging by this, this, and all the entries here ) and now has made the concept seem less relevant than ever.

Yet its worth pointing out the the image of a hipster as a young-ish, DIY-type person living in “gritty” (pre-gentrified) neighborhoods in legacy cities arose in the public imagination during the Great Recession. Why? Well, according to a quote attributed by Coco Chanel, “Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.” The Great Recession, then, becomes the backdrop for activities and lifestyle of the hipster: DIY, handmade, artisanal, ironic (“ironic”) clothing that may or may not be flannel.

Like the yuppie, the hippie, and the flâneur before it, the hipster become a catch-all for a kind of counter-culture. As an image, the hipster in Brooklyn was outfitted with elaborate mustaches, urban farming, and anything “artisanal” preferred over “handmade.” The hipster came to stand for a typical resident of Wiliamsburg in Brooklyn or Silver Lake in Los Angeles; soon even Williamsburg had its own knockoffs – perhaps diluting the authenticity of the hipster brand. Even some urbanists questioned hipsters’ connections to urban spaces and notions of authenticity as recycled kitsch from the Rust Belt – where most of the hipsters grew up before they presumed to have fled to places like Brooklyn.

Some questions about urban space, the hipster, and notions of authenticity:

• How does race figure into the construction of the hipster figure or affect perceptions of racial difference and gentrification? A helpful comparison: the female hipster is closely related to Nathan Rabin’s early 2000s definition of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (another figure that became less relevant or urgent as time passed). The MPDG , like the hipster, became associated with racial difference and a kind of social capital unafforded to people of color; or, as Racialicious asked, “Who is the black Zoey Deschanel?”
• Does the blipster figure clarify, complicate, or bring anything new to discussions of urban space and gentrification?
• How does the hipster satisfy “an instinctive desire for authenticity”?
• What counter-cultural or urban character did the hipster replace? Was this considered an “authentic” persona or figure?
• Is there a relationship between Florida’s notion of a “creative class” and the specific image of the hipster?
• Has the image of the hipster been supplanted by a new urban figure?
• What is the relationship between the hipster and digital tech?
• Does technology complicate notions of “authenticity”? Specifically for the hipster, and in general?