Swimming Up Mainstream: hipster cultureEach generation has had its movements and fashions among young people. Once women gained the right to vote, they experienced scandalous new freedoms in the 1920s, during which they strove to be modern and fashionable. After World War II, disaffected youth turned to movements such as civil rights and women's liberation. Their hair became longer and their views more radical when they were labeled "hippies" in the 1970s. By the 1990s, the style was bolder and more grunge. What fashion dominated the 21st century? The rebels of the 2010s are the hipsters: thrift store shoppers, indie music junkies, and DIYers. In recent years, this movement has gone from a passing fad to a full-blown subculture among millennials. So how did hipster culture become so popular? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Firstly, the term “hipster” is not clearly defined. One person might say that a hipster is someone who follows all the latest trends, while another might think it's someone who has their own style. The term "hipster" can define a wide range of people; therefore, what makes a hipster a hipster is ambiguous. Does a “real” hipster follow the latest trends or do they invent their own unconventional fashion? Since hipster style became fashionable among young people, a hipster can be someone who follows popular trends; However, a hipster can also be someone who has their own, even strange, style in terms of thinking, appearance, and overall lifestyle. The more the term hipster is used, the more its definition broadens. A person who still follows the 90s grunge style can still be considered a hipster because of their unique style, even if they don't fit the 21st century hipster stereotype. Since the definition of what a hipster actually is is unclear, there are different hipster subcultures that make the culture broader and more diverse. Dominant culture, particularly music, also played a role in popularizing the hipster lifestyle. The stereotypical hipster would find this ironic since they tend to live outside the mainstream – or at least they like to think that is the case. For example, folk and indie music became popular in the early 2010s when bands like Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, and The Civil Wars released platinum albums and chart-topping singles. Indie rock bands like Imagine Dragons suddenly rose to fame and entered mainstream culture. It's an almost seismic shift from the rap and hip-hop that were popular less than a decade ago. What's hard to determine is whether the music inspired the hipster or the hipster inspired the music. There's no way to really know how the movement came so suddenly into the mainstream unless it was propelled by the public. The hipster mentality is very independent and inventive, which is a change from past American thought patterns. Instead of doing things the way he's always done them, a hipster asks, "Why have we always done things this way when this way is so much easier?" » The “do-it-yourself” mentality comes mainly from the progressive beliefs of hipsters. The movement emphasizes what makes someone unique..