Older: What is hip?
A friend sent me this photo with the wish, "...I hope my friends are this young at heart and hip forever."
(Though many Facebook comments refer to her as "old", I read her as an early-middle-aged women who went white early.)
I enjoyed her well-wishes and at the same time, thought, No way I'd pick that shirt. (Among other constraints, the eyes would pop out at a distressing place on my chest)—but she projects joie de vivre and a whimsical style I'd call more "creative" than hip. Good for her for letting her feline flag fly!
Even if I wouldn't rock a giant cat face, I'm not averse to orange frames; below, me at the softball game/BBQ the evening before the kids' wedding:
Before you think I'm a badass instead: the event was licensed for the beer I'm holding.
As Tower of Power famously asked, What is Hip?
Urban Dictionary says hip is, "Cooler than cool; the pinnacle of "it"; beyond all trends and conventional coolness". (The related word hipster addresses a young-adult demographic; see entry here.)
To me, the ephemeral ether of hip inhabits a less capricious neighbourhood than Ms. Kitty's, more Rick Owens than Trash & Vaudeville. Hip is hatched from a confidence that rejects conformist behaviour such as ironing your hair straight when it's not (guilty, up to my mid-twenties) or starving yourself to size whatever while you're miserable.
The hip women I know are uninterested in copycat InStyle outfits, but always have one audacious detail, a scarf or an unusual ring, or 'their' way of wearing a hat. They are not necessarily pretty, but have strongly expressive faces, like these women:
Left, poet Anne Carson; centre, visual artist Shirin Neshat; right, filmmaker Agnès Varda.
Trying to be hip is like trying to be witty: effort kills it. So does hanging onto youth; as TOP sang,
"...and if you're really hip, the passing years will show."
Comments
"Hip" I've come to believe is like Happiness in the Buddhist proverb: the cat chasing its tail vs. the tail following along. I'm drawn to a certain kind of "cool" style-wise, but consciously aim for "bien dans ma peau." ;-)
Love the orange frames on you!
BTW both my frames are translucent plastic, one is green and the other purple. A great way to add some zip. You look great in that orange.
I've never been hip, either, but I want to be interesting and stay engaged with people and life in general. Not sure what outfits will project that - maybe colors that make me happy so I emit positive vibes?
Being older and possibly wiser allows us to look at the world with different eyes...
the advanced "style" is not for me...I have never wanted to stand out in a crowd or draw attention to myself.
I think your bright glasses are fabulous and they suit you. My walking partner has bright frames and they really light up her face and flatter her grey hair...if I found a pair that looked good I think I would buy some too...just for fun.
LauraH and Murphy: I had a colour analysis done (a gift) when I was maybe 32... a long time ago, but it held up and saved me from mistakes. As I believe Pseu has pointed out, there are various schools and taxonomies. I still have my little colour swatch wallet.
For me, hip people all (whatever their age) retain that hint of sooty-eyed bad-girl-or-boy and a slight edginess. But it's so terribly subjective and sometimes people who appear to have all the necessary credentials somehow fail to hit it.
So, for me, Chrissie Hynde and Jane Birkin are undeniably hip but Madonna and Debbie Harry are not. Keith Richards and Leonard Cohen remain achingly hip, but Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney do not.
Any striving for hip-ness would surely be counter-productive - if you have to strive, then you'll never have it. I am not hip. Though I did enjoy a short period during the 1970s when I was very cool which was heady but, sadly, fleeting!
Jane
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/66498531972432155/
Of the younger generation, who might be on it? Many of the cultural figures are not singular enough, it's as if the stylists got ahold of them and excised that edge. But it is edge plus the blaze of intelligence, or Lindsay Lohan would be hip and she is not.
J