'Cool Kid' Not 'Hipster'

Alright, that’s it. All this hipster talk is getting tiresome, and has taken a turn toward the violent besides.

Aaron from The Passionistas and World Famous in San Francisco had an interesting premonition in his Predictions 2009 post: “Cool Kid will replace Hipster.”

I don’t want to be some kind of vocabulary Nazi or anything, but what if we called a loose moratorium on “hipster” in favor of “cool kid”? I say let’s try it out, for 2009 say, and see how it goes. Might be the innocuous breath of fresh air we all need.

Note: Aaron’s Fashion Predictions 2008 (from November 2007) were pretty spot on, so maybe this will be for the best.

32 Responses to “'Cool Kid' Not 'Hipster'”

  1. mcas says:

    It’s like when suddenly the word ‘emo’ was everyone’s favorite insult in 2005… but didn’t know who Get Up Kids/Jawbreaker/Cap ‘n Jazz were.

    Calling anyone on a bike who needs glasses to see ‘hispters’ just killed the actual insult of the word years ago.

  2. Leanne says:

    Great, I guess I’m ahead of the curve. I used the term “cool kids” last week.

  3. redbearded says:

    “Cool Kids” might work but only if I get to say it with a childishly condescending and sarcastic tone.
    Example: “OH… look at those ‘cool kids’ over their. They think they’re sooooooo coooool. They are just too cool for school!”
    Would that be OK?

  4. Glenparker says:

    Hipsters are trendy and trendy is not cool. Let’s call a spade a spade.

  5. F says:

    I’ve been replacing (and sometimes emphasizing) “hipster” with “douchebag” for quite some time now.

  6. anonymous says:

    you know what? all of you people who pretend to hate hipsters are just jealous of the fact that they are often younger, prettier and cooler than you. it’s really stupid that it’s become part of SF-values to be like ‘oh i hate hipsters’ when pretty much everyone worthwhile is one, or hangs out with them. i mean really, where would anyone be without them to start bands, organize art shows, do experimental cooking, open cool boutiques, design clothes, write books, etc.? oh i’m sorry, we’d all be working tech support for google.

    • Shweta says:

      Wow…we wrangled ourself a real hipster here, I’m only 18,so it can’t be that…I’m not sporting an ugly muller chopped hair do…so it’s not that either…hipsters just suck!

      • bob says:

        Hey Shweta, those are some nice dockers. I mean, they’re not nice, but my god they are beige. Great polo shirt as well. Thank god for people like you, you are comfortable with who you are, you UNDERSTAND that a cool look will inevitably be copied and rendered unoriginal, and by NOT having a fashion sense you PROVE that you are the better person. Just shun fashion right at the start, and you will be A NON-CONFORMIST! And at the ripe age of 18. So smart of you!

      • Shweta says:

        *Claps* for Bob, he’s so snappy and witty…like a hipster!

  7. zinzin says:

    @ anonymous

    here here! totally agree.

    handlebar mustaches notwithstanding. i don’t get that one.

  8. alpastor says:

    Let’s just call ourselves the Awesome People, because we are awesome. And we are entitled to everything we want. My Guatemalan neighbors agree. Jesus.

  9. [...] what you think of the faux-hawks and skinny jeans on Valencia, Mission hipsters have nothing on the cool kids of American Apparel HQ, Downtown [...]

  10. urbangypsy0 says:

    I am doing my senior thesis on the idea of a hipster and am trying to see how to define a hipster. You may call them “cool kids” or whatever you want to call them, but exactly what does the term mean? Everyone describes it differently so let’s hear some opinions….I would really appreciate your help. Please don’t just say things like “Hipsters are douchebags and assholes.” That doesn’t help at all….

  11. Allan Hough says:

    I think Scott Beale wrote a similar thesis a minute ago. Check out his blog.

  12. 2Krill says:

    I call them faggots because that’s what they are. Back in the days we would have called them faggots too or wannabes, fakes, flakes, etc… They try too hard, so we could just call them fail too. There’s nothing cool about being a trendy faggot. Be yourselves, pussies.

    • urbangypsy0 says:

      hmmmm….that totally was what I was looking for…..you obviously dont have anything productive to say about the subject. It seems to me that with this attitude you are either a dudebro (who doesnt understand anything about hipsters because the only connection you have is them taking away what has been the classical sense of masculinity) or you are a hipster yourself and show the classic sign that you do not accept it. I have found that hipsters are defined through many categories….some actually trying to be anti establishment trying to make a difference, while there is another group that models themselves off off this growing popular culture by buying clothes at thrift stores, urban outfitters, or american apparell. Im guessing that this is the strand of hipsters that you speak about.

      2Krill,
      why dont you actually use your brain and look deeper into who people are before you start throwing insults like a 8 year old. Now I know you will probably call me a hipster and a “trendy faggott” or a Wannabee, fake, flake, or pussy”….but frankly I could give a shit…..

      • anonymous says:

        urbanbro,

        if you want to understand hipsters/cool kids/whatever you have to stop separating out the moralfags from the nihilists…they are equal and by privileging one, you lose understanding and just fall into same old categories of aesthetes/hedonists vs. make-a-difference/revolutionaries.

    • Matt says:

      2krill, this ACTUAL faggot will kick your ass. And the rest of my actual faggot friends will gladly kick your ass too. And if you dont show enough contrition afterwards, we may just fuck it. In turns. Without lube.

      (sorry missionmission, im having a “harvey milk meets henry rollins” kind of day today)

    • lux says:

      2Krills all butt hurt cause all the pretty girls go for the guys he consider hipsters, cool kids, or “faggots” you say we are trying too hard, but you cant get laid because you probably go to bars in your sweatpants. We are being ourselves, dont be a fucking hater pussy!!

    • meave says:

      Unless you’re as clever as Louis C.K., you can’t say faggot. Sorry, you’re just a jerk.

      • urbangypsy0 says:

        meave, I totally agree with you…I only used the word to show how stupid the word was. I know how deeply offensive it can be and will not use use it on a blog like this again. Sincerelely….i know this may have come off as sarcastic, but i am being real with ya.

  13. billy says:

    ha. what a silly thread. the term “cool kids” is only slightly lamer than hipsters and should never be widely accepted/promoted. please stop now. wait flashmob! nm! i love being hip!. and cool! its not trendy bs after all! get crunk!. yeah punk asses, look around and when you see all the little brats rolling around in groups of other little shits where everyone is dressed the same, you’ve found lameness. whether you call that hipsta or cool shits is your own projection. word.

  14. missiongonzo says:

    I hate to say it but the term “cool kids” was being used in SF … oh god I can’t remember back this far, let me calculate… in about 1998. Sorry folks, you’re obviously not cool or hip enough to make this determination ;)

  15. Ted says:

    yeah you fucking hipsters are gonna be SO pissed when you find out what’s happening to your precious fixed gears in january.

  16. David says:

    I really don’t understand why people hate hipsters. We don’t bother other people. We’re not a fightin’ breed causing problems. We generally keep to ourselves, we have a good time and we enjoy life. We’re not leading any revolution but we try to be socially conscious and we generally think about how our actions affect others.

    I think hipsters get too much criticism for being trendy…but don’t all subcultures have a herd of people wearing the same clothes and listening to the same music? The punk on the corner didn’t invent the idea of wearing a mohawk and a leather jacket with band patches on it. Why are hipsters singled out for being trendy?

    • urbangypsy0 says:

      I agree…all subcultures have the period of time where the masses widely accept that culture, but hipsters are a generation that is not quitely understood by everyone. Hipsters also are searching what hipster means which evens, when you said, “We’re not leading any revolution but we try to be socially conscious and we generally think about how our actions affect others.” I have friends of mine that have been leaders of protesters/leaders of these protesters. Myself I would consider a hipster and I feel the same way you do. I think people who arent hipsters don’t see this complexity going on right now so they love to make a joke of it. The term “Hipster” can also now refer to someone who is up on the latest “project runway” styles and have better fashion than the rest. So now true hipsters end up despising the name that they clung too. the link between the too groups is something that the group considered with consciousness gets rid of the name and try to find a new name to find identity in…..im in the same boat

  17. jimbeam says:

    Don’t worry about it.

  18. bob says:

    who said “hipsters” or anyone who is wearing “fashionable” clothes thinks they are original? when was this established? can’t you wear “fashionable” clothes and not think you are being original?

  19. Kristen Holden says:

    This conversation looks remarkably similar to those about hippies in the 70s and beats/beatniks in the 60s. Perhaps even flappers in the 20s. There is no difference. We are talking about labels and youth and aesthetics. That is all.

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