TWEE HIPSTERS!

Nowadays the twee hipster longs for a more innocent time, whether it is nostalgia for the carefree hippies of 60s or their own childhood. They have a desire for the free themselves from the shackles of adulthood. They celebrate naive, childlike films of Wes Anderson, the music of Belle and Sebastian, Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom. They tend to wear loose fitting vintage floral dresses from Ebay, boyish socks and brogues, join knitting circles, baking cupcakes and playing the ukulele. A mixture of granny chic and childlike freedom.

The term hipster is hard to define, more and more subcultures tend to merge, with mass media and social networking. They are more ephemeral as they tend to die out as soon as media catches on. Before the 90s it was hopeful in that there was an alternative to mass consumerism, Indie kids would Do-It-themselves being creative, music could be released on small independent record labels and sold not for profit. However, there has been a shift, the conservative mad men of old Madison Avenue are now the hipsters straight from art college going into advertising, exploiting their own supposed ‘counter culture’ for example using Vashdi Bunyan songs to sell phones. There is a post modern ironic consumerism in which we are aware that they are participating in the act of consumerism so that makes it OK. People can console themselves by doing their bit such as using canvas bags for life, buying organic banana chips and riding bicycles with wicker baskets.