Being a hipster is fundamentally based on trying to be “untrendy” and thinking you have your own style. When many “untrendy” and “totally unique,” city-dwelling, men and women, who are mostly college students or college graduates, come together and unintentionally form a subculture, you end up with what has come to be known as “the hipster scene.” Hipsters are the “anti-trend” trend followers par excellence. All hipsters think that they come from diverse backgrounds, with diverse tastes in music, fashion, art, etc. They try to be as obscure as they can, so they can seem as intellectual and as unique as possible. But, because none of them really are intelligent or unique, they fail to come off as either, and instead, many of their behaviors end up rubbing off on one another.

In order to be a hipster you CANNOT call yourself a hipster. A person who thinks of him or herself, and identifies as, a hipster is automatically NOT a hipster. This is because you must believe that you are untrendy and different in order to be a real hipster, and by labeling yourself a “hipster” you are clearly declaring that you belong to a subculture, and hence, that you are a trendy little bastard. Thus, being a hipster is fundamentally based on denial and self-negation. That's why the common and seemingly binding behaviors we see among hipsters change every so often. For example, hipsters used to be known to buy all their cloths at thrift stores. But, because hipsters are "anti-trends," this activity is slowly dying amongst them. They have become aware of the popularity of the practice and hence, of its trendiness. Hipster culture is fluid and ever-changing because it is based on maintaining the appearance of diversity and difference. Therefore, hipsters can never be defined by the cloths they wear, the music they listen to, the places they go, or the topics they discuss. Here are the necessary conditions for being a hipster: (a) you must think that you are extremely different from everyone else, (b) you must think that you are in the intellectual elite and that you have a unique perspective on things, (c) you must try to be as ironic as possible, and act and think like you have the most obscure and elite taste in music, art, literature, and fashion, (d) you must go to parties with people who answer criterions a, b, and c (if you don’t surround yourself with other “different” and “unique” people, who are you going to be an "untrendy" hipster with?), and most importantly (e) You must never think of yourself or identity as - a hipster!!

Note that this is where things become a bit more complicated. If the hipster becomes aware of the paradox of being a hipster (self-negating, “anti-trend” trend), then they can start identifying themselves as hipsters and by doing so they would be ironic and different in comparison to everyone else in the hipster scene, who have yet to discover their self-negating natures! This will cause an infinite regression within the hipster, because you cannot identify yourself as a hipster in order to be a hipster, but by calling yourself a hipster and being aware of the paradox, you are being a complete hipster, but you cannot be a hipster if you identify as one...and so forth...into eternity.

Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively. Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer. The "effortless cool" urban bohemian look of a hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel ads which cater towards the hipster demographic. Despite misconceptions based on their aesthetic tastes, hipsters tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities. Cons...

Definitions are too mainstream.

The term "hipster" is cross-applied from the 1930s Beatniks. The modern hipster is a composite of individuals with a certain bohemian life situation and lifestyle. He or she rejects "mainstream" culture and embraces and contributes to independent culture, and prides him/herself on this. The modern hipster image has been proliferated through the internet, publications such as Vice Magazine, and sightings in the music, fashion, and art world. The image of the hipster is constantly changing, but several aspects have stayed constant over time. Lives in a young, artsy neighborhood of a major city such as Wicker Park in Chicago, Greenwich Village in Manhattan, or Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Usually has some degree of monetary conformability, although sometimes only because of their parents, due to cost of living in these areas. Works (or wants to work) in music, art, or fashion. Has "elitist" music taste and listens to nu-rave (i.e. The Klaxons, Cut Copy, Hercules and Love Affair), minimalist techno, independent rap (i.e. Spank Rock, Talib Kweli, Aesop Rock), nerdcore (i.e. YT Cracker, MC Lars, MC Chris), Elephant 6 (i.e. of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo), garage rock, and punk rock in addition to all manners of independent rock. Favorite band is very likely Bright Eyes, The Arcade Fire, The Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, The Strokes, or something of that nature. Also watches independent and foreign films and reads independent books, magazines, and periodicals. I...

Referring to young people of around 18-30 years of age, who drink cheap beer (most often Pabst Blue Ribbon, on occasion Budwiser), smoke Parliaments, Lucky Strikes or hard to obtain foreign cigarettes (such as Gauloises) and take recreational drugs, coke being the most popular. Use a great deal of sarcasm, claim to be ironic. Are usually less than 5% body fat, drink copious amounts of coffee and eat children's cereal. Listen to Indie Rock, rely heavily on Pitchfork Media to tell them what's cool. Don't dance at concerts. Wear a mixture of thrifted clothing and items bought at American Apparel (commonly Tri-blend v-necks) and Urban Outfitters. Extremely tight jeans worn by both sexes, pairing these with either a band or b-movie t shirt and a plaid shirt/v-neck and a cardigan along with Nike hi-tops/Vans/Keds. Females often wear retro style dresses and racerback tank tops without bras. Eschew public transport and instead choose to ride fixed-break bikes. Often claim to know about literature and film - will have googled a good deal of Vonnegut and French New Wave cinema.

Someone who listens to bands you've never heard of, wears ironic tee-shirts, and believes they are better than you.

\hip-stur\n. One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool. (Note: it is no longer recommended that one use the term "cool"; a Hipster would instead say "deck.") The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream. A Hipster ideally possesses no more than 2% body fat.

-The Hipster Handbook, Robert Lanham

A hipster is someone who is smart enough to talk about philosophy, music, politics, art, etc. with you all day long, but not smart enough to see how big of a tool s/he is. The only sure fire way to tell if someone you're talking to is, in fact, a hipster is to ask them "are you a hipster?". If they respond no, and turn their casette player back on, you can be sure you're dealing with a hipster.