How to Be Hip

Looking Hip

Wear fashionable clothes. Clothes are the most immediate way to change the way you are perceived by others. However, being fashionable isn't all about being seen. Paying attention the culture of fashion and developing your own style of dress also directly affects your behavior and how you perceive yourself. You don't have to become a slave to fashion, but paying attention to trends and incorporating what you like into your own style is noticed by everyone. Research current trends and designers online and via fashion magazines. Designers come out with collections every season, so make it a habit to check those out. You don't necessarily need to copy them – but having a sense of what's currently fashionable is definitely hip. Designer clothing is expensive, but you don't have to break the bank to look trendy. Pay attention to the style of what you see, and then reproduce the elements you are drawn to with more affordable versions.

Sport a cool hairstyle. As with clothing, your hairstyle is one of the things immediately noticed by other people. Do a little research on what's trendy in hairstyles – the internet is a great resource for this. Keep in mind that every current trend might not look great on you. Experiment and find out what works. Asking your hairstylist about current trends is a great way to learn about what's cool. They can also assist you with figuring out what will look best on you, and give you a hairstyle that is both trendy and customized for you. Getting the cut isn't enough – you should also keep your hair well-groomed and neat. If you aren't sure how to style a new haircut, ask your hairstylist for pointers.

Express confident body language. Being aware of your body language is a major way to influence how you are perceived by others and this doesn't cost you a dime. It also directly affects how you feel about yourself. Adopting positive body language, whether you feel confident or not, makes you feel confident because it's sending positive, confident signals to your brain. Pay attention to your posture so that you stand and sit up straight. You don't want to look uncomfortable or on edge by overdoing it, so make sure you adopt good posture while still maintaining a relaxed demeanor. Remember to smile and look people in the eye when speaking to them. Make it a point to stop fidgeting. Practice being physically self-aware so that you can keep your body language relaxed.

Define your own style. Following trends and staying current are important, but the key is to incorporate those discoveries into your own personal style. Make them work for you. If you aren't sure what your personal style is, take a moment to think about what looks you are drawn to. Experiment with clothing and different looks and you'll find your own sense of style starting to emerge. Choose clothing and hairstyles that make you feel good about yourself. Don't blindly follow every trend you see. It's more important that you stay current when it comes to knowing about trends – you don't necessarily need to adopt all of them. Being hip is about knowing what's current. If you find yourself being attracted to clothing or a style that you aren't necessarily seeing on the runways, incorporate that! Developing your own sense of style is about embracing trends and then spicing it up with your own flair. Don't be afraid to be yourself.

Acting Hip

Refine your behavior. When it comes to acting hip, adopting a “less is more” approach is a good place to start. Speak slowly and calmly and keep your emotions in check. Be friendly but don't ramble or try to manipulate every social situation for attention. Sometimes being hip is more about what you aren't doing, rather than what you are. Don't fight to be in the spotlight. You can learn a lot by sitting back and being a spectator occasionally. By avoiding attention-seeking behavior you project that it doesn't matter to you that you are seen. At the heart of hipness is not overly caring what other people think of you. Try to make everything you do appear effortless. Your actions should always reflect that you are calm and relaxed. It takes effort to make everything look effortless, which probably sounds like a great cosmic joke! But with practice, it will come.

Adjust your attitude. Adopt a positive outlook and place less emphasis on how much concern you have for the opinions of others. Instead place your focus on successfully doing things that you care about. It's not really about not caring – you don't want to disregard others completely. It's more about caring a lot about things that have nothing to do with what others think. Whatever your personal talents are, work to become even better at them. Be proud of your accomplishments and the things you put into the world. For instance, sometimes staying home to finish a drawing you've been working on is so much cooler than forcing yourself to go to some party. When you focus on the right attitude, your positive body language will fall into place.

Be a rebel. Rebelliousness is often cited as a key element of hipness. This is because breaking rules gives the illusion that you are powerful and that you are beyond traditional behavior and the norm. This doesn't mean you should go around with the intent to snub authority at every turn. Instead focus on not being a slave to the status quo. The old adage is true – just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you should. In fact, if everyone else is doing something, step back and question why that is. You may end up doing it anyway, but know why you're doing it.

Have a great sense of humor. This doesn't translate as being a loud joke-teller or always trying to make everyone laugh. Instead, approach life in general with a sense of humor. Relax and be more objective sometimes. When in conversation with others, don't make them laugh by putting other people down or ridiculing things. A great sense of humor is understanding and conveying the genuinely funny things in life, of which there is no shortage!

Living the Hip Lifestyle

Be truly confident. Yes, you should act confident around others if you want to be perceived as hip. But genuine confidence is at the heart of true hipness. People aren't born naturally confident – it takes effort. “Fake it til you make it” is more than a pop culture reference – there is truth in the sentiment. Want to look hip? Then act like you already are. Stop seeking approval and validation from others and act the part that you want to be. You'll find that what were once forced actions become second nature. Confidence does not mean arrogance. You aren't better than anyone else. But deep down have a profound understanding that you are an awesome person with unique talents who has a lot to offer the world.

Listen to obscure music. The more obscure the better, not because you want to look cool, but because you care about pursuing what's new, fresh and underappreciated in music. Start following music blogs and put more emphasis on listening to music in your spare time. Being cultured musically does look hip to others – but it's also actually hip, and it always has been. Many people theorize that the origin of the word “hip” is deeply rooted in the American jazz culture of the 1930s and 1940s. If it spawned the meaning of the word, it's probably safe to assume that it is and always will be hip!

Read good literature. Maybe reading isn't your favorite pastime, but make an effort to familiarize yourself with the great literature in history and keep tabs on current respected authors. At the very least, do a little internet research about the nature of these subjects. Being culturally “in the know” is an essential part of being hip, and that means knowing about good literature. Don't know where to start? Try researching the Beat Generation of the American 1950s. The Beat Generation was a social and literary movement defined by the members' alienation from conventional society. They most certainly had an interest in what was considered hip at the time – in fact, they defined the very idea of hipness back then.

Be yourself. It's something you hear all the time, but what does it really mean to be yourself? Start with being aware of the quality of your thinking. Replace your negative thought patterns with positive ones. You can't be who you truly are if your head is filled with negativity about yourself. Additionally, follow your intuition. When you align yourself with your intuition, you are respecting your own authenticity to the core – the ultimate state of hipness.