Christian values

Author: Christian Morel

I believe I left you last in the closet or, as I recall, the wardrobe. It is time to get dressed. However, before this can happen, we must first place a filter on our stylistic choices. This filter that I speak of will be sensitive to the amazing American media mainstream tool called the trend.

The trend, also known as the fad, is a horrible aspect of our lifestyle that robs us of our creativity and freedom to truly express ourselves. Trends are social standards which consist of but are not limited to: everyday vocabulary, music choice, dance styles and fashion sense. As trends continue to haunt and limit our abstract minds, I find myself making a bold statement: "The Hipster" has become an American trend and, as such, the Hipster has become extinct. Now, before you Fipsters (fake hipsters) get your skinnies in a bunch, I would like to take you on a journey through the history of the "hipster" culture. Perhaps this will explain why I have come to this conclusion and why this conclusion will help make a difference in some of the stylistic choices on this campus.

Let us go back to a time when the jazz was hot and the cats were cool. The hipster was born during the Harlem Renaissance. This word was originally used to reference those members of society that refused to conform to social standards. The Harlem Renaissance hipster had eclectic taste in music and fashion, a quality that is maintained today but has lost its value. Jazz started the foundation of a nontraditional musical taste in the hipster culture and this was referenced by Eric Hobsbawm in his novel "Jazz Scene."As the years progressed, the hipster evolved into the beatnik and was soon appropriated by the masses due to his "cool" quality. These beret-wearing, bongo-playing hipsters thrived during the 1950s and '60s as they expressed their non-conformist attitudes through various art forms, until they discovered the power of the flower and became hippies. Though the names have changed, the games have stayed the same. Throughout the decades a nonconformist culture has always been smoking cigarettes and fighting the never-ending battle against the establishment.

Why have I provided this brief history? The answer lies in a four-letter word I mentioned earlier, "cool." The concept of "cool" has plagued our creative sense of style. It has allowed us to make decisions based on the supposed opinions of others. The hipster aesthetic has been established as the "cool" aesthetic, and everyone wants to be "cool." Hell, even I wish I were "cool."

The trend has put on another mask, and this time it is that of the hipster that we have come face to face with. Yet, like with most masks, it is only a matter of time before the trend will put on another mask that will establish cultural standards. This cycle, it seems will perpetuate that foundation of nonconformity in the hipster culture.