Hippie Stereotypes (2024)

FAQs

What is the stereotype of hippies? ›

Hippies rejected established institutions, criticized middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War, embraced aspects of Eastern philosophy, championed sexual liberation, were often vegetarian and eco-friendly, promoted the use of psychedelic drugs which they believed expanded one's consciousness, ...

“Hippies” were a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960's. They were known for their long hair, colourful clothes and love of life and freedom. Hippies are also known as flower children, free spirits, indigo children and bohemians.

Mainstream culture viewed them as everything from treasonous, dirty druggies (they were anti-war, usually avoided the draft, and experimented a lot with drugs) to merely harmless weirdos. But hippies were not all alike, so this was a fair assessment.

Many critics noted that hippies had the luxury of being able to “check out” of society and remarked on the incongruity of hippies' participation in the civil rights movement, wherein Black Americans were fighting for the right to fully participate in society.

Four hippie types are discussed: the visionaries, the freaks and heads, the midnight hippies, and the plastic hippies. The visionaries are utopians who pose an alternative to existing society.

The hippies were way different from their predecessors from the 50s who were called Beatniks or Beats. They promoted vibrant-colored clothing, folk music, long hair, peace signs and participated in politics. They tended to set up living quarters in bigger cities, which came to be known as hippie villages or districts.

Nowadays, they are called bohemians or naturalists. You can read more about living a bohemian lifestyle or what it means to be a modern day hippie in these articles. Learn more about the movement in the trends and lifestyle sections here.

: a usually young person who rejects the mores of established society (as by dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living) and advocates a nonviolent ethic. broadly : a long-haired unconventionally dressed young person. hippiedom. ˈhi-pē-dəm. noun.

According to the Britannica magazine: Hippies advocate nonviolence and love, a popular phrase being “Make love, not war,” for which they are sometimes called “flower children.” They promote openness and tolerance as alternatives to the restrictions and regimentation they see in middle-class society.

As amphetamines and heroin replaced weed and acid, many hippie neighborhoods descended into addiction and homelessness. STDs exploded, and free love was frequently but a cover for male sexual predation. Some of the communes turned rotten.

Did hippies used to be rich? ›

Yes, mostly middle class, some from quite affluent families, but very few from underprivileged backgrounds. “Voluntary poverty” was not attractive to young people who knew the real thing.

Hippie subculture has its roots in 19th century transcendentalism and the Beats of the 1950s. Different factions within the hippie movement emphasized different interests, including drug taking, support for the Civil Rights Movement, resistance to the Vietnam War, and non-conformity.

The most common drugs during the hippie movement of the late 1950s, 60s and early 70s were psychedelics (marijuana, LSD, peyote and psychedelic mushrooms). Because of that movement, and their protest of the war in Vietnam, Nixon started the war on drugs.

The counterculture movement, from the early 1960s through the 1970s, categorized a group of people known as "hippies" who opposed the war in Vietnam, commercialism and overall establishment of societal norms.

a person, typically young, especially in the late 1960s and early 1970s, who believed in peace, was opposed to many of the accepted ideas about how to live, had long hair, and often lived in groups and took drugs.

The hippie counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s had a profound and lasting impact on American society. Hippies advocated for peace, love, and free expression, and they rejected the materialism and conformity that were prevalent in society at the time.

The hippie parenting style was quite nurturing with an emphasis on peace, love and music. I was encouraged to follow my own path. Everything was cool as long as I wasn't hurting anybody else. My parents often explained to my teachers that they didn't see the harm in me drawing and reading instead of playing sports.

Punks advocated aggression and acts of violent anarchism to enact change, eschewing any sort of dialogue with the establishment, constantly looking to tear it down. Punks hated the laid-back attitudes of the hippies who they felt would just sit around talking and getting high rather than get out there and act.

American values in the 1960s changed from a conservative and subdued America to one that fought for change. Activism grew as many participated in protests to demand racial equality as well as to protest the Vietnam War.