Hipsterdom Comes to Louisiana

With the increased awareness of hipsters and the hipster lifestyle, it soon became likely that some 20's or 30's in unlikely places as the Deep South would flirt with the hipster ethos. Yes, Southerners are known for irony; almost like a reflex. After all, a culture in which women say "Bless his heart" has some capacity for putting on others!

And already post-Katrina New Orleans has made the list of hipster-friendly places, along with Williamsburg in NYC, Cambridge, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Seattle. Therefore, it should not be surprising that proto-hipster beliefs and folkways should spill over into Bayou Country. For example, shopping locally and being a locovore:

And adopting hipster music trends, but with the addition of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Swift. And you pretend to do so for ironic reasons. Actually, doing that is the supreme exercise in irony, much like watching porn without lust. Jazz, of course, has always been cool. And zydeco is beyond cool.

Urban guy hipsters can follow the lead of the Robertson family of Duck Commando fame and grow full beards. They have released the inner back country essence in many an urban hipster. Even better if the beard is wild and unruly, testifying to the essential untamedness of the wearer. Some women with androgynous syndrome have even taken up this look!

Hipster fashion statements are easy to adapt to a Southern climate. Worn jeans and Daisy Dukes definitely can be seen as the wearer making an ironic statement. Likewise, wearing a scarf or a shocking t-shirt or a guy's long-sleeve shirt will do for a top. However, flannel shirts can be impractical much of the year due to the climate. Bras are, of course, optional. However, if you do wear one, wear one in a color that shows through clothing. Also, some clothing lines already advertise hipster btiefs for these extreme Southern hipsters:

Well, maybe that was a different use of the word hipster.!

But where are these non-urban hipster places? Well, Lafayette and Opelousas can make a good case for cool. And Baton Rouge still manages despite being a source of hot wind. 

Naturally, certain kinds of grooming are no-nos for hipsters. Big hair will cause you to be scorned. It's better to leave your hair straight and somewhat messy, like you just got out of bed and are not too keen with the idea of being awake. Make-up: act like you don't give a damn. Perfume: something from Bath and Body Works, but nothing that may mark you as a hip call girl like some of those French brands. Tattoos can be part of your ensemble, if you are into ink. An obvious point: a nice L.S.U. Tigers tattoo will not be wrong, especially in biker bars.  

Cool tastes are part of the ensemble of Louisiana hipsters. Greek philosophers are cool. Thomas Hobbes or William James are risky. Tom Aquinas is woefully uncool, but William of Ockham is okay. If you can pass off understanding them, Wittgenstein or Nietzsche are gods! (But shy off if Wittgenstein brandishes his poker!)  Modern art of the sort produced by Rothko or Johns marks you as discerning; but some remarkable genre like gay cowboy art* means that you are totally au courant! Photographs should be arty but not of Arty. 

Diet: Louisiana hipsters eat only gluten-free crawfish. And they NEVER call them "cray-fish." Or mudbugs!  Those that do are required to become Catholic so that they can confess this sin to an unsympathetic priest. And the solid hipster always tears his French bread and never slices it. Jambalaya or gumbo for hipsters must have shrimp or andouille. 

Here's an obvious point: never, ever refer to yourself as a hipster. Doing so will cause you to be exposed as a poseur!

*There is such a genre.