A Photographic History of 'Hipsters' on MTV
On Friday, Crushable and Guest of a Guest noticed an MTV casting call on Craigslist. "Do you own skinny jeans, old school chucks, cabbie hat, the 70's vest, an ironic t shirt or hat, a fitted sweater, flannel shirt, or chunky lens-less glasses?" it reads. "Do you drink PBR, have an ironic mustache, have a blog that allows you to post pictures you took with your digital camera?" Seriously. "Been called a hipster?" That's enough; you get the idea. The show will be called I Just Want My Pants Back. And though we've discussed shying away from the h-word time and time again, this seems important because it's explicit. MTV is trend-hopping, make no mistake, but they've always played a role in bringing "hipsters" -- of varying stripes and levels of authenticity -- to the masses. Though they've accidentally gotten it right a few times, they've consistently contributed to a mainstream misunderstanding of What Makes a Hipster. Through the years, it looks a little something like this:
Kennedy, Alternative Nation, 1992
The O.G. Lisa Loeb mold
Angela Chase, My So-Called Life (re-aired by MTV), 1995
So much brooding, so much hair dye
Daria, Trent, Jane, Daria, 1997
The ideal, disaffected
Carson Daly, Total Request Live, 1998
Never forget: black nail polish
Jesse Camp, Wanna Be a VJ Contest/Total Request Live, 1998
Greasy hair, loathsome
Ruthie Alcaide, Real World: Hawaii, 1999
Tatts and heavy drinking
Lucas (Adam Brody), Undressed, 2000
Future deity Seth Cohen, amen
Gideon Yago, MTV News, 2001
Couldn't find the pic of his Weezer shirt
Craig Manning, Degrassi: The Next Generation (re-aired by MTV), 2002
Photography, angst
Ashton Kutcher, Punk'd, 2003
No trucker hat, no
Talan, Laguna Beach, 2004
Fashion shows, bands
Justin-Bobby, The Hills, 2007
Flannel, scruff, LA girlfriend
Ryan Leslie, The Real World: New Orelans, 2009
Not a good look
Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me" video, 2009
Dan Deacon wants his glasses back
Liz Lee, My Life as Liz, 2010
Brooklyn, stand up
Who else?
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