Worldwide hipsterdom

Dear Hipster:

Are hipsters based only in the U.S. or are they worldwide?

— Brad

Part of what makes hipster style interesting is the relative uniformity of hipster enclaves throughout the world. From San Diego to Barcelona to Melbourne, hipsters inhabit similar realms where pour-over coffee, skinny jeans, and Apple products dominate the landscape. At least one journalist has noticed this, but he unifies his observations on a crackpot theory of Silicon Valley culture magnates in $10,000 blazers and Nikes exporting a reproducible aesthetic through mobile technology that invaryingly guides consumers toward more of what they like, instead of encouraging them to branch out. The more obvious answer is that hipsters enjoy membership in a global cadre of select individuals who possess special, enlightened knowledge that will bring about a New World Hipness. Basically, a beneficent Illuminati armed with kale chips and knowledge of obscure indie music.