Players On The Sidelines: Who Will Replace Hipsters?

Subcultures have appeared throughout history, and while some have been subtle and small, others have grown large, leaving huge impacts that we still notice. With the birth of hipsters a few years ago, we started to point fingers at a fast growing generation riding bikes in skinny jeans, plain V-neck T-shirts and check shirts, combined with big, well-groomed beards. Now, realizing that ‘hipsterism’ is becoming mainstream, we are looking at adapting to new trends which are of course, creating new subcultures.

Fresh out of the oven have come the Yuccies, which name stands for Young Urban Creatives. However, the pronunciation ‘yuckie’ doesn’t have the nicest sound, does it? Living close to city centres, spending time in the suburbs, being aware of the importance of education and at the same time knowing their creative value in the market, they are apparently quickly sweeping hipsters under the rug and preparing the way for a fresh point of view.

Yuccies are 20-something youngsters, growing up with all sorts of mobile apps, from Instagram to Tinder, with hashtags and emoticons, being influenced by the power of the internet. At a young age they are joining or even establishing start-ups, but with no work schedule – because a work schedule would take away their freedom and kill their creative autonomy. Consequently they are trying to implement and bring to life their own ideas, while always searching for a way to define themselves through the passion that drives them. Money is not the priority for them, and they are aware of the fact that they have to work and be more creative than others to make it. But it doesn’t influence their dream to the point where they are willing to subordinate themselves to the demands of regular jobs. New inventions and better ideas are their goal. As long they are on a path towards fulfilment, happiness, and growth, always accompanied by freedom, they are fully engaged. While living up to these ideals, a big income seems completely reasonable to them.  

While hipsters are generally recognized as products of marketing and consumerism, with job titles such as freelance graphic designers, music critics, bloggers or craft beer brewers, Yuccies tend to exercise influence. They are social media consultants, self-made vloggers (video bloggers), start-up bosses, and web content strategists. Given their activities and their wish to make a splash with their talent, they also need to be validated; by their parents, friends, colleagues, and 1000+ followers on all social media platforms. Numbers of followers, likes, witty comments and read Instagram hearts are important to them. Sharing their crafts and talents is a must. The world has to be aware of their presence, and they are desperately trying to leave a mark.

As for their clothing style, they are a modern version of computer nerds in the ‘90s; partly shaved, with moustaches, no visible tattoos and wearing sustainably harvested bamboo glasses, expensive but comfortable hoodies, and minimalist sneakers. Women versions of Yuccies are wearing jeans or joggers, colourful prints, small leather backpacks, and Birkenstocks made from natural material. Basically everything that Yuccies wear must be good quality and comfortable. And this also perfectly sums up their life-styles.

We might just call the end of the hipsters and get prepared to point our fingers at Yuccies, while trying to convince ourselves they are just a short-term movement. Or we can look at our reflections in the mirror and maybe consider some alterations which might put us in the same category.

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