By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
The term "hippie" refers to a member of the countercultural movement that emerged during the 1960s and 1970s, rejecting mainstream American values. This movement began on college campuses in the United States and eventually spread to countries like Canada and Britain. The name "hippie" is derived from "hip," a term associated with the Beats of the 1950s, such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, who are considered the movement's forerunners. Although the hippie movement partly arose in opposition to the Vietnam War (1955–75), its participants were generally less politically engaged than the activist Youth International Party, known as "Yippies."
Hippie Lifestyle
Hippies primarily consisted of white, middle class teenagers and young adults from the baby boom generation who felt alienated by the materialism and repression of middle class society. They created their own unique lifestyle, emphasizing marginality. Communal or cooperative living was common, as was adopting vegetarian diets based on unprocessed foods and practicing holistic medicine. Their distinct style featured long hair, casual and unconventional clothing, often in psychedelic colors. Men commonly grew beards, and both genders wore sandals, beads, and rimless granny glasses. Women favored long, flowing dresses.
"The Whole Earth Catalog," first published in 1968, was a significant resource for hippies, particularly those practicing semi subsistence farming in rural areas as part of the back to the land movement. Many hippies dropped out of traditional society, eschewing regular jobs and careers, though some started small businesses catering to the hippie community. Critics often pointed out the contrast between the hippies' ability to "check out" of society and the civil rights movement, where Black Americans fought for societal inclusion.
Ideals and Practices
Hippies promoted nonviolence and love, encapsulated in the phrase "Make love, not war," leading to the nickname "flower children." They valued openness and tolerance over the perceived restrictions of middle class society. Open sexual relationships and various family structures were common. Spiritual guidance often came from non Judeo Christian traditions, particularly Buddhism, Hinduism, and other Eastern religions, with astrology also gaining popularity. The era was sometimes called the Age of Aquarius.
Recreational use of hallucinogenic drugs like marijuana and LSD was prevalent among hippies, who believed these substances expanded consciousness. This practice partly motivated the "hippie trail," where approximately 100,000 young people from the U.S. and Western Europe traveled overland to destinations like Turkey, India, Morocco, Iran, Afghanistan, and Nepal, seeking drugs, enlightenment, and adventure.
Music was integral to hippie culture, with folk and rock artists such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and the Rolling Stones closely associated with the movement. The musical "Hair," which debuted on Broadway in 1968, celebrated the hippie lifestyle, and the film "Easy Rider" (1969) reflected hippie values. Ken Kesey, author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," became a prominent figure through his bus tours with the Merry Pranksters.
Public Gatherings
Public gatherings, including music festivals, protests, and celebrations, were vital to the hippie movement. The first significant event was the "Gathering of the Tribes" in San Francisco in 1967, kicking off the Summer of Love. Up to 100,000 counterculture members converged in the Haight Ashbury district, drawn by promises of peace and love. However, the district soon faced overcrowding, crime, and unsanitary conditions, culminating in the "Death of the Hippie" ceremony in October 1967. Despite this symbolic end, the counterculture movement persisted.
Music festivals were another hallmark, with around 300 held in the U.S. between 1967 and 1971. The 1969 Woodstock festival, attended by 400,000-500,000 people, epitomized the movement, while the Altamont Speedway concert ended in violence when the Hells Angels, hired for security, clashed with attendees, resulting in a fatal stabbing.
Not all gatherings ended disastrously. Hippies participated in teach-ins and antiwar protests, including the nationwide "moratorium" against the Vietnam War in 1969. They were also active in the nascent environmental movement, participating in the first Earth Day in 1970.
Legacy
By the mid 1970s, the hippie movement had declined, giving way to the career focused "yuppies" of the 1980s. Nonetheless, hippie influences persisted in broader culture, seen in relaxed attitudes toward sex, environmental awareness, and a general decrease in formality. Elements of hippie fashion and practices became mainstream, and the term "hippie" evolved to broadly describe anyone with interests in vegetarianism or Eastern cultures.