In I am Other, the interviewer takes a camera to the streets of an urban city to ask the people living there what they think about hipsters. The video opens and the first thing he asks someone is “Are you a hipster?” The immediate response he gets from the woman is “No!” The man also asks whats the difference between a hipster and the woman. The responses from the rest of the cities inhabitants pretty much describes the hipster stereotype. They would say things like a hipster is “poor, wears skinny jeans, parents support them, listens to jazz, unemployed or a person who hasn’t found their purpose in life” Almost none of the people in the video call themselves hipsters when they are asked and it seems to be because they think of it as an insult. The reoccurring them is that people hold negative stereotypes about Hipsters and think of them as posers or fakers. The video is meant to make fun of people who don’t fit the ordinary mold of everyday people and people are upset by the fact that they are labeled by the brand “Hipster” because of their fashion choices. One of the women that was interviewed explains that she thinks hipsters only listen to music or read books because it isn’t popular. If something is popular then they won’t ever buy it.
An idea that one of the ‘hipster’ women brought up is “if you’re a current person or a trend slave” then you aren’t a Hipster. Theirs two important ideas that can be taken from this. First, is that anyone who isn’t following popular culture and is different in any regard is considered a hipster. This may be why Hipsters hate the label. The label applies to so many of us that it really holds no meaning as a status symbol anymore. Their isn’t anything special about a label that applies to so many. Second is that hipsters might believe that to break free from being slaves to trends and brands all around us, they have to be different. They must dislike whats popular around them and they need to start their own trends. Can you really blame someone for being different and wanting to start their own trends? As the woman says, “As long as your not an asshole.” Which brings up the fact that many people find Hipsters to be condescending and rude. The word hipster has a negative connotation now and it seems like a lot of people shy away from it now, but what does that mean for trends? Will people see a new trend or an act of individuality and dismiss it as being ‘hipster.’ Will more people try to follow the mainstream image as a result, afraid of being labeled as a hipster?