Don't Hold Back Your Hippie

I know that, with the creation of this blog, people are asking themselves, "Why hippie? Of all the things she could have chosen, why that?"

The answer is, I didn't wake up one morning and say, "Fudge this, I'm gonna be a hippie." It goes much deeper than that.

See, people have certain preconceived notions about hippies. Maybe that they were all drug users, or that all they ever did was have sex, or that they were lazy, or one of a dozen other ideas. But what is I were to tell you that there is a little hippie in all of us?

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There is a fascination with hippies these days; some derogatory, some positive (though misinformed). Do an internet search for, "How to be a hippie" and you will find thousands of websites, Wikihow articles, Pinterest pages, Youtube videos; everything from satire to seriousness. How to dress, how to style your hair (or not style it), what to eat, where to shop, what music to listen to.

What people fail to realize, is that being a hippie means just being yourself. You don't HAVE to grow your hair long or go barefoot or listen to Jimi Hendrix unless you really want to. If tie-dye is not your thing, don't wear it. If you want to be vegetarian, that's your choice. If you want to eat meat, that's your choice too. The hippie ideal is to be anti-conformity and anti-establishment. That means NOT doing what the vast majority is doing. But of course, if you happen to enjoy something that the vast majority also enjoys doing, do it! You have to be yourself.

For me, I enjoy hippie/boho style because it gives me a sense of freedom. I don't wake up in the morning devastated because my hair is squished on one side and won't straighten out. I don't pack makeup on to hide what I see as imperfections. I don't worry about my clothing being perfectly pressed or pulled together. I don't even worry about matching colors a lot of the time. I wear what I want to wear, what looks good to me, not what's necessarily in style.

At the same time, I find a festival/flower child look appeals to me. I love bright colors. I love long hair. I love tribal prints, handmade beads, and flower crowns. I love bare feet and loose, flowing skirts. I love wood and leather and turquoise and tie-dye and peace signs. This is who I am. Why would I try to hide it? For that matter, why would anyone try to hide who they are?

For me, the clothes I wear represent what my heart is on the inside. When I dress like I just stepped out of Vogue, I find I constantly worry. "Is this wrinkled? Is this straight? Is too much of this showing? WHY doesn't this match?!" When I dress like I just arrived from Woodstock, I feel happy. I feel free. Let it be wrinkled.... let it show... let it be a crazy mix of colors... let it be weird enough that people turn around to stare at me when I walk down the street.

It's liberating.

Maybe you're thinking, "Well, that doesn't apply to me. I have a certain style that I wear, and that's it."

Do you hear me? You do you! Yes, you are a hippie. Do you care about the environment? Do you care about animals? Do you enjoy music? Are you spiritual? Do you love spending time in nature? Do other people's opinions not matter to you? Do you believe in a world where love and peace are possible, and where hate and war are distant memories? If you are any of those things, than you are a hippie... the purest ideal of one. You are yourself.

Don't hide your inner hippie. Don't hold it back, smother it, strangle it, ignore it, pass it off as something else, or be ashamed of it. Let your flag fly.

We are the beautiful people.

We are the Hippies.