Hipster: the old cool

will always be those who want to be
them. Status is just a fact of society.

The problem is, when it is cool to wear
leg warmers again, everyone will have
them. Now, this is not to say that said
warmers will not be practical for keeping
those stems nice and toasty, merely that
wearing them won’t exactly inspire envy.

Andrew Kenway
Team Member

he word “hipster” originates froma

counter-culture movement begun by a
group of New York artists and bohemians.
The word initially represented more of
a life-style than a fashion choice. These
days, it seems anyone can be a hipster
if they get thick-rimmed glasses or a
tattoo. Eschewing societal expectations
simply isn’t a requirement anymore. The
classification has become an umbrella term
for everyone representing the word, and
that umbrella shelters too many people for
it to be cool anymore.

Chris Sanderson, a futurologist and co-
founder of a trend forecasting agency
revealed to The Guardian in the summer
of 2014 that he thinks there are two
definable categories. “Contemporary
hipsters—the ones with beards we love to
hate—and proto-hipsters, the real deal.”
While there is the very easy argument to
make that this is a magnificently hipster
response, it makes a strong point about
the difference between the fashion and
the culture. Being a male with long hair
does not make somebody a stereotypical

Much Ado About Who

previously. The character regenerated
into a new body, now played by Scottish
actor Peter Capaldi. This new Doctor
sports a new personality, body, costume,
and even a new accent.--while Capaldi is
the third Scot to play the character, but
the first one to retain his natural accent.

The undeniable elitism that came with
the hipster movement brings its doom.
The problem with the elitism is that,

while society may criticize them, there

Colin Slark
Team Member

n Monday, August 25, dozens of

theatregoers in Prince George flocked
to the local cinema to take in one of the
biggest media events of the summer. It
wasn’t a movie; it was an episode of a TV
series. In showings across the world, the
premiere of the current incarnation of
Doctor Who’s 8th season, “Deep Breath,” was
shown on the big screen. Even though the
episode aired on TV the previous Saturday,
Who fans shelled out nearly 15 dollars per
ticket to attend.

The episode itself was a solid first
adventure for the new edition of the

the mental fog that accompanies his
regenerations, he attempts to solve a
series of cases concerning spontaneous
combustion occurring in Victorian
London. “Deep Breath” has some funny
moments but seems to hold some
darkness in both the visual elements
and the writing that the previous

era did not have. Furthermore, this
Doctor seems to have a certain moral
ambiguity, leaving the audience to
wonder if he is still a good man.

This episode was special, not just because
it was the season premiere, but it was

the first full appearance of the new
incarnation of the Doctor. In last year’s
Christmas special, Doctor number 11,
played by Matt Smith, died after three
years on air--as has happened 10 times

character. As the Doctor struggles through

tree-hugging hippie, and hair
growing on your face does
not make you a part of the
hipster movement. For many
of us, hair is supposed to
grow there. Instead, it

is just subscribing toa
modern fashion trend,

which is hardly anything
worthy of note. It’s already
dead. The proto-hipsters

will inevitably shift, change,
and try to keep this counter-culture
movement alive, but it’s already dead.
The specter of mediocrity has been on its
heels since its conception, and sometime
in the last few years it finally caught up.

It’s no secret why it’s no longer cool. The
second that your father buys a pair of
skinny jeans you know it’s become too
mainstream. The term hipster is now an

If you were intimidated by the show’s

50-plus year history, but are curious
after hearing the hype, this new season

is the perfect time for new watchers

Culture 18

insult. While this is the
case, it is important to
remember that many parts
of the original culture
simply weren’t that bad. It’s
cobbled together from other
culture, like many movements
of its kind, and many of
the pieces it’s using aren’t
bad. An appreciation for the
environment is hardly anything
to be ashamed of, and neither is old
music, or childhood nostalgia. We will
see the hipster movement kicking for
awhile yet, but as long as its influence
runs so deliberately through pop culture
it simply won't be hip. It’s just normal.
Now there is two kinds of hipster: those
who will change their fashion to the
oncoming trends of the future, and
those who refuse to shave their beard for
twenty years until it becomes cool again.

to jump in. New and old watchers will
be able to experience the new Doctor
together without needing extensive

knowledge of the show’s background.