Hello, internet people. I’m sure most of you (being people of the internet) know what a “hipster” is. If you don’t, that’s what google is for.

Assuming you either comprehend the term hipster, have googled it and now understand it, or just don’t care, I will go on. There are a few things in my life about which I am a little bit hipster. I’m not saying I wear ludicrously large framed fake glasses or grow a lumberjack beard and wear a lot of plaid and scarves (often) but I am saying that, like just about anyone, sometimes I’m proud to have known about something before it was “mainstream” or to still like things that are “obscure.” I’m not sure obscure deserved the quotation marks, but I’m going to let it keep them because I’m sure they feel nice. And if you DO like fake glasses, have a lumberjack beard, and wear lots of plaid and scarves, that’s great. I’m sure you were doing it before it was something I would blog about. For sure.

Anyway. What follows may or may not be a list of depressing things to admit. But enjoy!

I knew this was fluff before you! Ha!

Hipster Tendency Numero Uno. I’m a little bit weirdly ashamed to have read Twilight before a lot of people (read, a load of screaming fangirls and slightly scary moms) saw the movie and then (mysteriously) decided the book was worth reading, etc. Fourteen year old me really enjoyed the book and was in the middle of a vampire phase that ended with, rather than being facilitated by, Twilight. That was in the days where one could still go, “What is up with this weird book with the apple on the cover?” instead of groaning sadly that all books are now black with red things on the cover. Then, slightly older me was pissed off when other people starting talking about Edward and the illogical nature of his apparent ability to birth children because I totally liked that before it was “mainstream.” Thus. Hipster.

Hipster Tendency Number Two. I get excited when the bands I like aren’t very well known. I don’t like it because it gives me a sense of superiority or “culture,” but rather because it makes me feel like I’m a part of this neat little exclusive club and that if I meet someone who also likes that obscure band we are soulmates automatically. I don’t mean necessarily in the romantic way. But just in the general sense. Therefore, I sometimes catch myself saying things like “My favorite band? Oh, you probably haven’t heard of them.” Thus. Hipster. (Although let’s take a poll. Who’s heard of Chester French? And who’s heard of Chester French not from me going on about Chester French? That’s what I thought. Incidentally. They rock.)

Hipster Tendency Number Three. I have pet facts about myself that make me feel “unique” and “non-conformist.” I like to introduce these facts into conversation. Especially with guys. I am, for instance, alarmingly proud of my love for video games. Despite the fact that I am terrible at Call of Duty and therefore could probably only impress a special subgroup of men with my mad Super Smash Brothers skills. I am also deeply proud of my nerdy love of super hero movies such as X-Men and Spiderman and will talk about them endlessly whenever the opportunity arises. This is completely ignoring the fact that my first love has always been the very typical Rom Com. And the fact that I have never seen The Incredible Hulk or any of the Batman movies all the way through because the concept bores me. But clearly, I am so anti-average girl with my badass Pikachu skills. Oh. And the fact that I liked Digimon AND Pokemon. Yeah. Talk about unique.

Hipster Tendency Number Four: Let’s be real. I have a blog and I whine about my life. Maybe that’s more “emo” than “hipster” but frankly all of these stereotype phenomenons kind of blend together a little bit when you think about it.

Cute and funny. But don’t tell him I said that.

Hipster Tendency Number Five: I’m going to admit it. I’m secretly (okay, maybe not so secretly) incredibly proud of my “alternative” taste in men. No, I’m probably not the only girl in the world who thinks guys like Micheal Cera and Demetri Martin are more attractive than Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt. But I think it’s safe to say I’m in a comfortable minority of the female population with my preference for a love of all things superhero and Doctor Who over bulging biceps and the ability to bench press me (admittedly, that WOULD be impressive. But probably not a turn on). And I love it. I love the look on people’s faces when I wrinkle my nose in distaste at Jake Gyllenhaal (who is too pretty and kind of looks like a child in the face) or Ryan Reynolds (whose forehead is a bit like a billboard and whose eyes are too close together). While these men are fabulous actors and I appreciate their talent, I’m much more likely to be seen with my eyes fixed on Toby Maguire as Spiderman than Ryan Gosling in the Notebook. And boy am I proud of it.

This is the love of my life.

So there you have it. My slightly embarrassing confessions of my hipster tendencies for all the world to see. If you’re being honest with yourself, you probably have a few of them, too. In fact I’m going to hazard the hypothesis that most of these stereotypes and jokes emerge out of the wonderful human capacity to laugh at ourselves.Taken to extremes, the traits we all occasionally see in ourselves, as well as in one another, make us laugh. And of course if you proudly consider yourself a hipster, that’s all good too. So here’s to continuing to be a little bit less than mainstream …while crying at Rom Coms, eating chocolate, and complaining about homework and how I hate men. Totally not mainstream. At all.