The English word hippie or hippy is part of humanity’s cultural heritage. Its etymology is uncertain, but it is very likely related to the word hipster. Both terms come from hip, which in English means fashion or popular. Since ancient times, the word was used for the first time, in 1965, in a San Francisco newspaper to refer to young bohemians, since in the previous decade the bohemians and transgressors were the Beat.
A historical brushstroke
In the 1960s, in the United States, a sector of the youth was opposed to the prevailing social conventions and, in a very special way, to the Vietnam War. Hippie
At that time, new ideas spread in favor of black civil rights and against the capitalist model that promoted mass consumption. In this social climate , the hippie movement emerged as a new way of understanding life and as a response to an alienated society .
Philosophy and values of the movement
In addition to wearing casual clothes, wigs, taking soft drugs, and attending outdoor rock concerts, hippies had a way of understanding life. They defended free love and the moral decriminalization of sex, community life, pacifism and anti-consumerism. All this without impositions or hierarchies and in a climate of freedom and tolerance. Hippie
Their lifestyle was based on simplicity and many survived humbly selling crafts in the markets and often outside the conventional model of work.
The spirit of this movement spread to other western countries and from there it became fashionable to travel to India and the island of Ibiza. Hippism incorporated other trends of alternative style, such as naturism, ecologism, shamanism and orientalism.
What is left of this phenomenon today?
This countercultural current began to weaken in the 70s. Despite being part of the past, it is possible to speak of its legacy. Today’s society came to assimilate some trends of the hippies of the 60s. Thus, we are more tolerant towards the sexual inclinations of others and we are closer to the spirituality of the East. Hippie
We cannot forget, on the other hand, that today’s ecovillages are a heritage of the hippie culture. In the field of fashion and aesthetics , adlib styles and flower power parties stand out.
Finally, hippism left us a simple slogan that must be kept alive: peace and love. Hippie
