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Defining The Hippie Way Of Life

By: Chris Channing It was around 1960 when the hippie movement first became so widespread. The word hippie is derived from the terms hipster and hip. Beatniks who moved into the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco is what the term hipster originally referred to. The hippies set up communities, took part in the sexual revolution, indulged in drugs, and mainly listened to psychedelic rock.

Appearance

Hippies saw choosing their own ways and looking for new meanings of life as a way of freeing themselves from society's restrictions. Hippies saw the way the dress as a form of independent expression and a way to break from the societal norms. Hippies considered the way they dressed as a symbol of respect for individual rights, their style of dress also made it easier to identify each other.

Hippies both of the male and female gender generally wore jeans and had long hair. Both genders also primarily wore sandals or no shoes at all. The men were often bearded, and the women wore little, if any, makeup and did not wear bras. Hippies made most of their clothes such as tie-dyed shirts. Clothing they did not make themselves they normally bought from flea markets and second-hand shops. Hippies were also known for wearing beaded necklaces, headbands, and Native American jewelry.

Transportation

Hippies primarily traveled by hitchhiking and driving school busses or VW busses. They were known for painting their busses with psychedelic art. Hippies liked to travel in busses because they could take a lot of their friends with them when they traveled. A lot of hippies changed the Volkswagen symbol on VW busses to peace symbols. Some hippies preferred hitchhiking because they saw it as a way to meet new people, plus it was environmentally friendly, and economical.

Hippies took part in doing drugs and hallucinogens. The thought that by doing drugs they would enhance their spirit and expand their mind. Cannabis, or marijuana, was the most commonly used drug by the hippies. Hippies also took hallucinogens like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. Opiates and amphetamines were other drugs taken by hippies, but even users of them began to scorn them because they saw them as addictive and harmful.

Hippies believed in pacifistic ideals and peace. Groups of hippies participated in non-violent political demonstrations. Hippies performed protests, held anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, took part in civil rights marches, and burned draft cards. Some hippies were known for their peace demonstrations while others preferred anti-authority and street theater demonstrations. Hippies took part in political movements such as the free press movement, back to land movement, alternative energy, cooperative business enterprises, and organic farming.

Today there are still a large number of hippies. Protests and anti-war parades are still held by hippies and other people. Hippies still attend and hold festivals, some which have been around since the first hippies originated. The Starwood Festival and the Burning Man festival are two major festivals that have been held since the 1960's and still go on today. Hippie fashion from the 1960's is still being used today. Music created by and listened to by hippies is still popular in today's society. The lifestyle of the hippies is still around to this day and is likely to continue for sometime.