The other night, I was at a Relient K concert, and I realized something: we try too hard. I looked around at the all the people around me, and I noticed while everyone was attempting their best to look different and be unique, they all looked the same. Same sort of hairstyle-either flippy, slicked-back, or that just-got-out-of-bed look- same style of clothes, same thick-rimmed glasses, same Converse shoes. I guess I'm basically describing the group of people called "Hipsters," but there's something much more ironic about this group of people besides their ironic love for ironic music and everything ironic before it was cool.
Every societal group of people has its similarities and stuff, but this group of people, these "hipsters" are different. They pride themselves on looking different, having "vintage style," and underground music you've never heard of before, but is much better than anything "mainstream." They avoid the mainstream at all costs. Here's the funny thing, though: hipster culture has gripped society in such a way that to be hipster is mainstream. It seems you see people wearing button-up shirts and rims like Buddy Holly everywhere these days.
I feel that the very point of hipster culture is telling you that you need to different; don't conform to whatever everyone else is doing; be your own person. In fact, that seems to be what society has been telling us for centuries; be yourself. However, at the same time, the world insists we conform to society; it's essential we fit in or else we're not "cool" How do these contradictory viewpoints even exist in the same universe? It's really hard to wrap my head around that idea.
Now that you are semi-familiar with hipsters, do you see what a sticky, ironic mess the concert I was at was?
Most everyone there wanted to look different; people were fixing their hair and making sure they looked "unique" and "distinct." The sad truth is that when they tried their best to be different, they all ended up looking the same, the exact opposite of what they want to be. I'm not even exaggerating when I say pretty much everyone resembled this picture.
It just really made me think about the difference between trends and conformity. Trends are supposed to be fresh and edgy; something no one has ever seen before. However, as the trend becomes more popular, the less unique that trend becomes; it loses its special-ness and a new trend arises.
How about we stop worrying so much about what other people think about us and focus on stuff that actually matters? Let's quit caring so much about entertainment and what society dictates is "cool." Let's focus more on our dreams and making the future a better place than it is now. Let's be someone future generations can be inspired by instead of laughed at. Let's just be the people God created us to be. Let's just be ourselves.
