Funny story, though I do question the study they referred to, because there’s different flavours of counter-culture that look pretty different from each other. Hipster is one, but there’s also goth, emo, trench coat aesthetic, people who chase outdated trends, punk, metal, those who don’t dress up any differently if they are going out or staying in, otaku (like the ones that wear clothes with hentai on them, I wouldn’t call cosplaying a counter culture so much as a costume hobby unless cosplay wear is their default)…
All of those looks are very different from each other while not wanting to follow the main culture’s trends and flaunting its definition of beauty.
And tbh, I’m not sure I’d even call hipsters a counter-culture. There was a desire to rebel, but looking at the aesthetic, I can’t tell what they were really trying to rebel against. Looking sloppy? Business casual? Maybe it’s because the aesthetic has been absorbed into the culture itself or maybe it was an advertiser-led “rebellion” in the first place? Or trying to be ahead of the curve means eventually the mainstream “catches up” and the look just looks normal now?
Also, thinking about it more, I wonder if the hilariously apt story was genuine or if someone there realized how they could really push their story by inventing an angry reader to prove their point.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.5046925/man-angry-his-photo-was-used-to-prove-all-hipsters-look-alike-then-learns-it-wasn-t-him-1.5046933
Funny story, though I do question the study they referred to, because there’s different flavours of counter-culture that look pretty different from each other. Hipster is one, but there’s also goth, emo, trench coat aesthetic, people who chase outdated trends, punk, metal, those who don’t dress up any differently if they are going out or staying in, otaku (like the ones that wear clothes with hentai on them, I wouldn’t call cosplaying a counter culture so much as a costume hobby unless cosplay wear is their default)…
All of those looks are very different from each other while not wanting to follow the main culture’s trends and flaunting its definition of beauty.
And tbh, I’m not sure I’d even call hipsters a counter-culture. There was a desire to rebel, but looking at the aesthetic, I can’t tell what they were really trying to rebel against. Looking sloppy? Business casual? Maybe it’s because the aesthetic has been absorbed into the culture itself or maybe it was an advertiser-led “rebellion” in the first place? Or trying to be ahead of the curve means eventually the mainstream “catches up” and the look just looks normal now?
Also, thinking about it more, I wonder if the hilariously apt story was genuine or if someone there realized how they could really push their story by inventing an angry reader to prove their point.