It may not come as a surprise to some, but Portland has been named one of the most hipster cities in America. One of the Huffington Post’s several handy lists delved into the challenge of finding which colleges in the U.S. are home to the greatest number of these “witty-independent-artist-intellectuals,” and unlike 2010’s list, Portland did not go unnoticed.
This begs the question: what exactly is a hipster, and for that matter, is it accurate to name Portland one of the top places for them to congregate?
Merriam-Webster defines the word hipster as “a person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and unconventional patterns.” It’s a little vague, isn’t it? Urban Dictionary—thank God such a useful tool is so readily available—goes into much more detail, describing hipsters as people in their 20s and 30s who “value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.” If this is a reliable definition to go by, then yes, Portland does deserve to be on such a Top 10 list.
Those who are not from the Portland area, or who are not from Oregon in general, may sight a noticeable difference between the “hipster” students attending PSU and those students attending schools that did not make the list, but it makes one wonder how these groups of people can be distinguished from each other. It must be Portlanders’ commitment to staying fashionable by wearing skinny jeans and thick-rimmed glasses from vintage thrift stores, or perhaps it’s the plentiful selection of obscure indie music shows that would be difficult to miss.
Even the Independent Film Channel’s popular television show, Portlandia, has proven itself to be a success among both Portland residents and those who are simply intrigued by the uniqueness of our beloved city. According to the IFC, the goal of Portlandia was to create a show that represented the quirkiness and sometimes absurdness of the city. Although some scenarios are extreme for comedic effect, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein—the writers and actors —portrayed Portland in a way that makes it an obvious choice for a Top 10 Hipster Cities list. Perhaps this eccentric depiction induces soon-to-be college students to attend the school simply for the unique lifestyle with which it is apparently associated.
What makes this label particularly interesting is the fact that it describes a select group of people, yet hearing these people describe themselves as such would be a rarity. It might be correct to say that hipsters, who are generally seen as “non-conformists,” are ironically conforming to the non-conformist attitude and lifestyle. Maybe coming together in Portland gives them a place of acceptance to meet in all their individualities.
Because PSU is such a central part of Portland, the students make up a large percentage of the culture that is present in so many parts of the city. Reporters at the Huffington Post may not be far off when making the claim that Stumptown is a major Mecca for hipsters. Rather than viewing this label in a negative or critical way, PSU students and Portland residents should instead embrace it. Once one takes the time to understand exactly what the word means, it actually turns out to not be so bad. Heck, what’s wrong with supporting the aforementioned thrift stores and small-town alternative music bands? It obviously has some sort of allure to outsiders—PSU continuously enrolls more students than any other Oregon university.
The moral of the story is this: don’t read the headline that PSU nears the top of the list of “hipster” colleges as an insult against the school or city. Labels are habitually misconstrued and therefore misinterpreted, and it would be wrong for Portlanders to not take pride in the Rose City’s one-of-a-kind culture and lifestyle. Next year, let’s make sure PSU reaches the top of the list.