SPECIAL GUEST FROM MIAMI BOOK FESTIVAL: ANDREA BARTZ, ACCLAIMED JOURNALIST: THE HIPSTER MOVEMENT IN TODAY’S SOCIETY: LESSONS OF EQUALITY, LOVE, AND CREATIVITY

We were pleased to have on Love University: Andrea Bartz, acclaimed magazine editor, author (The Lost Night and The Herd, March 2020), and expert on “Hipster” culture. Here are some of the interesting tidbits we learned about the new generation of Hipsters (emphasizing style, authenticity and uniqueness), and the impact they’re having on society.

 

*Hipsters don’t call themselves “Hipsters.” Because they value uniqueness and “out of the box thinking,” they don’t like labels or attempts to categorize them or “put them in a box.” They are simply free-spirited, authentic, and creative individuals.

 

*Hipsters sprang from disillusionment: In the late 2000’s, the real estate collapse and recession in the US wiped out the stability dreams (education, job, house, security) of many young people. Many youths began to question the myth that society would take care of them if they did the right things (get an education, work hard). Consequently, the Hipsters began to develop an anti-consumerism/anti-commercialism outlook, while emphasizing equality and fairness in both economic and social terms.

 

*Hipsters are creative and look for new patterns: Much of our new technology and lifestyle innovations are driven by Hipster demand for creative, egalitarian, and eco-friendly ways of living, working, and loving. Hipsters today are positive and hopeful, making calls for saving the earth and creating progressive change in society—making things better for all people.

 

Although there are challenges in our new technology-driven world (more time demands, higher expectations), we can learn positive things from our younger generation of Hipsters. With an innovative, fair-minded, and hopeful outlook, they can inspire people of all ages to search for their best life and give back to those who need it the most.