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

I love this outfit. The jeans cut off at right above my ankles and so I get to show off my sexy ankles or my extra cute socks (cause I only own cute socks obv) The sweatshirt is something random I found at a shop and bought for 1000yen ($10) 

It fulfilled all my shopping requirements i) cuteness factor (complete with nonsense french!) ii) ultimate comfort. iii) works with multiple outfits iv) affordable.

Also, here’s my bag of clothes that did not make the cut. I’m not a compulsive shopper or a clothes hoarder by a long shot, but I still put away 20-30 different articles of clothing (JUST CLOTHES! Not even accessories or undershirts or coats). 

How did I do it? …I just thought about what I wanted to wear for the next seven to eight days and if each piece of clothing worked with more than one outfit. 

My clothing count in this catalog is now up to 4.

Originally posted by tyjo-jishwa-imagines

…is that it’s depressing. It’d be a flat out lie to say that I don’t like shopping. I like it so much in fact that I need to take steps to curb it. On days when I feel like my life has been a real bummer, there is nothing a cute little dress won’t cure.

Originally posted by 1943newyork

Then comes the actual shopping. I’m by no means a petite lady but in the past 10,950 days I’ve spent on this planet, it has been a molasses-like realization ( a true understanding, not just ‘knowledge’) that the world has an idea of what I look like, what my body SHOULD look like and everything that I like has been catered to that ideal. Instead of buying clothes for my body and myself, I’m buying clothes that get me closer to that skewered ideal.

Instead of buying clothes for my body and myself, I’m buying clothes that get me closer to that skewered ideal.

And thus, I try on a multitude of cute dresses that grace the store shelves with their overwhelming cuteness that just… don’t look so cute on me. I tell myself “maybe you should just lose some weight instead of buying new clothes” or “maybe if your legs weren’t so stumpy or your shoulders weren’t so broad… ”

Rationally, I’m aware that I’m falling into that same ol’ trap but when I’m standing in front of the mirror and don’t like what I see, it doesn’t take long for me to convince myself that I’m full of regrets.

So here’s a real FK YOU to society. I’m taking back my wardrobe and my self-esteem that you want so badly. I will have my cake and eat it too… just.. at a much, much slower pace.