The real path to eternal cool is not striving for it. It's kind of a Buddha thing. So in this article, we're going to delve into the birth of cool, TV-style. These eleven characters were hipsters before the term even existed, laying down the basis for cool kid fashion, music and more. You'll be surprised at some of the things you discover here.
TV's Accidental Hipsters
What defines a hipster? If somebody asks you, just point them at this article. It collects the primordial examples of the type from the annals of television history, whether they knew it or not.
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By K. Thor Jensen February 8, 2012 |
Credit: ABC
Darlene Conner |
One of the most essential aspects of hipsterdom is a total disdain of modern capitalist culture. Few TV characters have embodied this better than Darlene Conner from Roseanne. As played by Sara Gilbert, Darlene was a sloppy-dressing vegetarian tomboy who wants to write graphic novels and leaves Lanford to go to art school in Chicago. Of course, she then ends up getting pregnant at Disney World which isn't very hipster of her. Maybe she did it ironically.
Credit: ABC
Latka Gravas |
Hipsters love foreign cultures, especially if they're white. Latka Gravas from Taxi was not only played by ultimate hipster actor Andy Kaufman, he also shared a number of cool personality traits and grooming styles. Rocking serious sideburns and coveralls, Latka worked a hip job as an auto mechanic and encountered life's ups and downs with an open heart and a simple mind. In a very Lana Del Rey move, Latka even had his own alter ego, the smooth-talking ladies man Vic Ferrari.
Credit: HBO
Lester Freamon |
Of all the characters on The Wire, the one who most epitomizes hipsterdom is Detective Lester Freamon. While everybody around him is catching feelings about Baltimore's descent into total urban hell, Lester is just sitting at his desk making dollhouse furniture. Sure, he does his job and solves some crimes, but you never get the feeling that he cares about it more than making little chairs. I'll bet the dude probably has an Etsy shop.
Credit: Sesame Workshop
Bert |
Let's be frank: pretty much every hipster in the world dreams of living on Sesame Street. A chill, multi-ethnic neighborhood with no crime? It's basically the best block in New York. The cool kid king of the block is, obviously, Bert. Check out that unibrow and those sweaters! Bert doesn't have a job and spends his days taking Super 8 footage of pigeons and eating oatmeal. I bet he has a Tumblr. And, of course, every hipster lives with a roommate that annoys him.
Credit: ABC
Steve Urkel |
It's kind of insane to think that the most enduring hipster fashion icon of the 1990s is Steve Urkel. The Winslows' next-door neighbor on Family Matters basically defined the style of Silverlake hipsterdom with his clashing patters, suspenders and giant glasses. Kreayshawn essentially ripped her whole look from Urkel. For extra hipster cred, he invented his own dance and built his own robot, both of which will get you major cred in the blogosphere.
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