Don’t you hate it when vague memes and positivity pundits throw slogans like “Be yourself” at you? What does it even mean? Everyone wants to be a swami of motivation and inspiration since the journey they endured brought them peace and happiness and thus summarize it with reductive sayings like “Be yourself”.

Not gonna lie, I am also completely sailing that boat. So here I am, trying to unlock my true inner being, recognize my real passions, being not-basic and thus inevitably falling into hipster territory by doing so. The term ‘hipster’ has come a long ways since it’s inception and it has evolved into a full blown aesthetic; ripe for commoditization.

The inexplicable truth is, as a person in the creative field, my interests and aesthetics are invariably align with “hipster”. So I do a double take at everything I purchase in order to make sure that it’s hipster but not TOO hipster. Like an ironic hipster. But then in true inception-like fashion, ironic-hipsters became the hipster thing to be.

When did being too hipster become something weirdly unforgivable? It’s disheartening when you make an attempt to showcase your individuality by owning things that really speak to you, pursue unusual interests and passions, make something “my thing” and have it all be for naught as someone drops a casual “Wow you’re so hipster” complinsult; essentially heaping in all the hardwork put towards being-not- mainstream-mainstream, into a sad, little cliche.

When did being too hipster become something weirdly unforgivable?

The futility of trying to prove how much of a special snowflake I am is emotionally exhausting. To every meme that tells you how unique you are, there are equal amounts of memes lumping you into that dreaded “hipster” (and the often afflicted “millenial”) territory.

So to all of that, I say.. forget all that angst and annoyance. Who needs all that noise in your life; telling you what is and isn’t kosher, especially in regards to discrediting your desire to be different. Just pretend that you are that special snowflake because no one else will give you the gratification of saying it to your face. Wear what you wear, like what you like.

Oh, you saw the jacket I was wearing at Hot Topic? Cool brah but did the model look as good as I do in this bangin’ jacket?

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Awesome illustration by Charlit Floriano