Hipsters and Hopheads and Beer Snobs, Oh My!

Andy Swarhawk, writer at Craft Beer, finds that people are demanding more craft beers. Some are even demanding more hops so their beers take on a bitter flavor, making IPA’s and Craft beers stronger. Many individuals are blaming Hipsters for this change, condemning them for making their beers bitter. However, even though it is true that Hiptsters like hoppy beer, they aren’t the only ones buying it. “Americans are buying bitter, hoppy styles like IPAs more than any other style of craft beer.” (Swarhawk). Hipsters (or Hopheads as Beer Hipsters are now called) started the demand for a different kind of beer, but it seems like the trend has caught on so much that its becoming mainstream. These beers are getting more complex and they are deviating from the standard wheat beers we find at walmart, like budwieser.

Swarhawk believes that our tastes are actually changing. Society is starting to develop a taste for the bitter. “The enjoyment of bitterness is not something that is limited to beer: dark chocolate, Brussels sprouts and kale are all bitter, too — and incredibly popular. Bitterness even plays a large role in other beverages, like coffee and cocktails….The point is, just because you might not be on board with the bitter trend doesn’t mean that others don’t sincerely love it.”

The trend of liking bitter beers caught the sight of beer snobs, hipsters and hopheads, and they called for a more types of IPA’s as a result. Many actually thank them for bringing an artisans approach to beer.

The writer admits that within the craft beer scene, people see a lot of snobs and jerks. These people show anti-social tendencies and they force their beers onto people. But he also admits that this is a small segment of the beer community, and within every community you have a small condescending snobbish crowd. He tells us that for the most part, the community is filled with open minded people who love sharing their tastes. They don’t force drinks or types of beer onto you. For the most part they’ll just recommend drinks to you. We should actually thank them. If hipsters hadn’t gotten bored with beer, than craft beers wouldn’t be changing their lineups. Craft beers existed before hipsters, but breweries change their flavors according to what the crowd wants. They demanded IPA’s, hoppy beer, and Imperial Beers. We might actually thank beer snobs as well. They have particularly high standards and they aren’t afraid to show it. If a bar or restaurant has an awful beer on selection they tell them. If they don’t have enough variety, they tell them. If they just aren’t clean enough or they don’t build any kind of atmosphere they tell them. And not to just be jackasses. They do it so that the bar improves itself. Selections have more variety, new atmospheres are being adopted in restaurants and the experience has all together improved.

However, the writer admits that forcing perspectives on people never works. Which is why beer snobs and hipsters should all work on their social skills. If they want the industry to change and for people to ‘refine’ their tastes, they need to be a lot nicer about it.

Paparazzi is nothing new to us. Photographers hunting down celebrities in risque positions and awkward weddings has been common place in America for awhile now. We live in an age where people become household names for leaked porn videos of themselves. We used to see paparazzi magazines in the evening newspaper or while waiting in line at Walmart.  However, I believe that Paparazzi has taken on a new form. Buzzfeed links on weight loss, clink bait about celeb crushes, and bogus ads about UNBELIEVABLE NEW LEAKED PICTURES. Photographers who have borderline stalker tendencies have found new ways to sell to websites and reach their audience.

But why do people follow these magazines? Why do they all sell so much? Is it because they bring something out in us? Some believe we need to see other peoples lives down in the dirt so we feel better about ourselves. Some people think we actually care what goes on in the lives of our favorite movie star, as if we know them just like a best friend. Do we really care if they dress like a hipster? In the article, the writer never mentions what makes any of them hipsters. He barely mentions that they even look like hipsters.

I believe that when people see their favorite celebrities and people they admire dress a certain way, they start to think that the look is attractive. Trends and fashions catch on and sites like Style Bistro understand this. They seek to profit from our tendency of looking at celebrities clothes with desire in our eyes. We want to wear what they wear. We want to rock what attitudes they rock. We want to know what they seem to know about the world, because we want to be popular, wanted and desired like they are.

Its sick to think that we are such jealous and envious creatures, but why else would paparazzi magazines be so popular. We all have friends who follow every tweet and post of their favorite actor or singer. They idolize them, quote them and fantasize about them. Not necessarily in a sexual way, but many of us fantasize about meeting our idols because these people are so important to us, even if we aren’t important to them. So if our idols start calling themselves hipsters and dressing in a weird manner then we notice. We notice because the media forces us to notice. Paparazzi pictures are showcased all around us from our facebook feeds to television shows like TMZ dedicating their entire show to it. This is how brands are used to make icons and brands. Companies see the profits that can be made. Its actually easy to quantify how likely they are to catch on too. Just look at how many people like and share it. If a trend catches enough attention all a company needs to do is sell the product and they have their market already set out for them. People buy the clothes and styles trying to look like their idols.

Yahoo finance posted an article in 2013 on old fashioned hobbies. Apparently an increasing amount of people are taking classes in your grandparents hobbies. Some of these hobbies include Urban beekeeping, butterfly mounting, taxidermy, and printing and bookbinding classes. They’ve found that the group taken part in these classes are none other than hipsters. Due to this Craft and Hobby industries have gained a new found customer base. If you think it wouldn’t be that much, then you’re dead wrong. They’ve estimated $30.2 billion in revenue.

This article shows us that Hipsters are doing what they do best, standing out. The writer, Katrina Biship, finds that hipsters are partaking in “skills to stand out from the crowd.” I’ve found in my research that this is a common hobbie for hipsters. To stand out they do the unexpected, even if its extraordinarily weird.

Originally, investors believed that hipsters would grow bored of the taxidermy classes and bookbinding. They believed that it would only last for around 6 months. However, after 4 years they’ve found that the market has only increased. In fact, people from all over the world are flying to urban cities just to embark on these classes. Think about that. Taxidermy classes sold out for days. That’s some serious dedication. They’ve even seen honey tastings in New York! The people who partake in urban beekeeping supposedly get together and brag about their honey.

Honestly, I want to say i’m surprised, but I can’t. Hipsters have always sought out old interests and hobbies. The beekeeping appears to be an appropriation of farming culture. Bookbinding and taxidermy both seem like hobbies taken from the 19th century that Hipsters have an urge to bring back.

Another part of the article is dedicated to Hipsters embracing local goods instead of giving in to the capitalist system. By making their own goods, like soap-making, crafters actually save on money. They don’t have to go to the store anymore to buy their soaps, and by making it they know exactly what they’re putting on their skin. They can also sell their products locally, at an inflated price. People who buy goods handmade instead of factory made usually pay more for their soap. These Hipsters are actually making a pretty penny in big cities by selling their homegrown products. “If most people around you are buying mass-produced consumer goods from retail stores, then producing goods at home is a good strategy for constructing your self-identity as unique and counter-cultural.”

The writer of this article brings up an excellent point however. These hobbies take up a lot of time and they are by no means easy. These are crafts. Unlike back in the day, people can’t live off of these hobbies for an extended period of time. They suck up an large amount of your time and they take serious patience. But what could be a reason for wasting so much precious time on tedious hobbies. Maybe its a way for these Hipsters to rebel against this obsession everyone has with technology.

http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201503257429/research/beards-badges-honour

In a research journal about the ‘Badges’ of men and primates, we learn that flamboyant behavior among males is displayed in a way to attract possible mates. This can be applied to both heterosexual and homosexual men. The min idea is that, as humans, we are a lot closer to our distant cousins, the primates, than we might think. We wear flashy clothing, tight jeans, flannel shirts, and yes even beards to attract others to us. We do it for the attention. Hipsters aren’t the only ones who do this either. Men might wear tank tops to show of muscles, biker jackets to prove masculinity or gold chains to prove their wealth. In an increasingly populated society the need to stand out is stronger than ever. Men grow beards, just like monkeys, to display their attractiveness and to stand out. So does this mean that the grooming behavior we see in hipster males is nothing more than just basic instinct? Can it be attributed more to our genetics, more than it can be attributed to outside influences? What does this say about males in our society?

The beard acts as a badge that enhances male sexual attractiveness and increases the chances of finding a sexual partner, while giving them a better chance to stand out among a growing society. As a result terms like “Lumbersexuality” have become fairly popular online. Yes. It’s a thing. “Lumbersexuality” is a man who has adopted the styles and facial hair of a lumberjack. Usually this is done to attract females who find lumberjacks attractive. This is a thing because lumberjacks exude sexuality and masculinity. Think about it. Their colorful shirts, bulging muscles and their long beards. Now if related to the article, Lumbersexual is a result of a primitive desire to stand out when you’re surrounded by competition.

The article also explains that the busier and more crowded a community or society becomes, the more flamboyant the behavior becomes. Clothes start to become flashier and weirder to achieve a sort of peacock affect. Beards also become more stylized and outlandish in order to appear more attractive and groomed. Clean shaven men might be perceived as young and weak, while a beard is a symbol that holds more power and dominance, a trait female primates find attractive. Now I’m not saying all women like the whole macho beard look and think that they want a man who radiates power. Some women and men prefer different things. But overall it isn’t about what they desire, is it? It’s about what men who take this style assume these possible mates might be attracted to. Men might assume women like power and dominance, which is why they try to display it.

The video, How to Become Gluten Intolerant sheds light on a serious issue that permeates hipster culture. It demonstrates how far hipsters will go to stay up to date with fashion trends. We possibly have a subculture of people who think that appropriating an actual disease (Celiac Disease) is fashionable. I personally believe that there is something wrong with this.

The creator of the video shows the viewer what “Gluten-Intolerant” individuals do in order to prove they have the disease. The creator demonstrates that these people even go out of their to shove it in people’s faces, by asking for food and then sending it back for having gluten in it. He also comments on the overwhelming amount of gluten-free dieting books that have come out to support the science behind it. Hipster trends like vegetarianism and veganism usually come out with books proving how much healthier they are for you or how eating meat is bad for you. JP also talks about how these Hipsters will blame other diseases and illnesses like depression and obesity on gluten. This video perfectly exemplifies the dogmatic behaviors employed by Hipster culture. They will sometimes believe that their way of life is ‘holier-than-thou’ and guilt you into living like them. Its strange how exclusive Hipsters are, yet they shame people into becoming like them.

It also seems like JP demonstrates another aspect of Hipster culture, when he tells Hipsters to feign other intolerance. He explains that if someone makes accommodations for them, then they should happen to mention another intolerance like lactose-intolerance. The point of this seems to be that Hipsters display a preference for being different. This purposeful outcast behavior can make hipster go to extremes just to prove their individuality. “This puts you back in the drivers seat.” Somehow being different, special or odd makes them feel more empowered over other individuals.

JP also explains to the viewer that hipsters may actually have no knowledge of nutritional facts or how to eat without dying. He tells the viewer that this doesn’t actually matter. “Preach with conviction that anything that has no glutten in it is healthy.” JP essentially tells the viewer to preach how gluten-free stuff is unhealthy for you until others believe you.

JP intends all of this as a joke to the viewer, making fun of gluten-free hipsters, but stores everywhere are selling gluten-free products. Friends of yours may even buy them, thinking that these products are healthier for you. This misinformation created by this sub-group is misleading the public on what is deemed healthy and unhealthy.