Hipsters are hard to define.
Urban Dictionary says, “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.”
Wikipedia tells me “Hipster culture has been described as a ‘mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior[s].’ Christian Lorentzen of Time Out New York argues that ‘hipsterism fetishizes the authentic’ elements of all of the ‘fringe movements of the postwar era— beat, hippie, punk, and even grunge’ and draws on the ‘cultural stores of every unmelted ethnicity,’ and ‘regurgitates it with a winking inauthenticity.’”And there is, of course, the site "Look at this f****** hipster" if you need visuals.
Those definitions sound very complex. All I know is that much like pornography and obscenity, hipsters fall into the category of you know one when you see one.
And the dance party I went to on Saturday night was a lot of knowing it when I saw it. DC may not be Chicago or San Francisco or New York or Brooklyn, but it does have a pretty significant population of the skinny-jeans-clad, dark-rimmed-glasses-wearing, messenger-bag-carrying, PBR-drinking hipster types.
Fatback is a monthly DJ’d party off of U Street with a mix of boogaloo, funk, soul and R&B music. It was kind of a cultural experience – everywhere you looked there were plaid shirts and fake mustaches. I’ve been to Fatback once before, but this weekend was their 4-year anniversary, so it was an even bigger deal. Oh don’t worry, there’s video online (just to be clear: I am NOT in this video).
I won’t be calling myself a hipster any time soon (or ever), but I’ll probably return to Fatback.
In other weekend news, SpeedyKate and I did an epic 2-hour pool run on Saturday, and on Sunday I trekked deep into the depths of Maryland (and by trekked, I mean took a bus) to visit my refugees and practice English. Good times were had by all and I was reminded, yet again, that I am terrible at middle school math. Does anyone remember how to do a box-and-whiskers graph? Because I don't...
