When you hear the phrase 10 trends hipsters, you probably picture artisanal coffee, vintage tees, and obscure currencies. Yet, many of those beloved quirks have been around for centuries—long before the modern coffee‑house aesthetic took hold. Below we dive into each trend, uncovering the surprising timelines, cultural twists, and the reasons why hipsters aren’t really the first to think outside the mainstream.
Why 10 Trends Hipsters Think They’re New
From medieval monasteries to Roman marketplaces, people have constantly reshaped everyday habits to suit their needs, beliefs, or rebellions. The allure of being “different” is nothing new; it’s simply a timeless human impulse. Let’s travel through history and see how each hipster‑favored trend actually predates Instagram by a few millennia.
10 Almond Milk
Before the boom of dairy‑free lattes, almond milk was a staple in medieval cookery. During Lent, when the Church prohibited dairy, meat, and eggs, monks and laypeople turned to ground almonds mixed with water as a milk substitute. This nut‑based brew wasn’t just for sweet dishes; it appeared in savory recipes, providing a creamy texture without violating religious fasts. Because fresh milk spoiled quickly in a world without refrigeration, almond milk offered a longer‑lasting alternative for both desserts and meat‑based sauces.
However, almond milk was far from a common pantry item. Its production required large quantities of almonds, making it an expensive luxury reserved for the wealthy or for special occasions. Most folks only tasted it when ill, as medieval physicians swore by its restorative properties—perhaps after a bloodletting session. Today, mass production and lower almond prices democratize the drink, letting anyone sip it in coffee, cereal, or straight from the carton without needing a noble title.
9 Coffee Was The Drink To Die For
Coffee’s reputation as the modern “fuel” for creatives isn’t a 21st‑century invention. In the 16th‑century Arab world and 17th‑century Europe, coffeehouses blossomed as hubs for conversation, political debate, and scholarly work—much like today’s coworking cafés. When the American colonies sought independence, coffee overtook tea as a patriotic statement; John Adams even confessed to drinking coffee to demonstrate loyalty to the revolutionary cause, despite his personal preference for tea.
Yet the beverage once carried a death‑sentence. Ottoman Sultan Murad IV declared coffee a capital crime, personally disguising himself to catch citizens sipping the brew and ordering beheadings. His successor relaxed the law, punishing only repeat offenders. Rulers feared coffee’s stimulant effect, which sparked ideas without the numbing influence of alcohol. So while hipsters now treat coffee as a daily ritual, earlier visionaries leveraged it to ignite cultural revolutions.
8 Vegetarian and Vegan Diets
Plant‑based eating isn’t a trendy Instagram aesthetic; it’s a practice rooted in ancient spirituality and philosophy. Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists have embraced vegetarianism for millennia, often for reasons of non‑violence and purity. In 4th‑century China, Taoist and Buddhist monks subsisted on diets that excluded meat and eggs, viewing the restraint as a path to enlightenment.
Even ancient Greek philosophers—Apollonius of Tyana, Plotinus, and Pythagoras—advocated reduced meat consumption, linking it to moral and intellectual clarity. While modern vegans often cite ethical concerns about animal welfare, their ancestors pursued similar ideals, albeit framed within religious doctrine rather than secular activism.
7 Sugar Alternatives
Our contemporary quest for “natural” sweeteners—stevia, agave, and the like—has a moral backstory. In the 18th and 19th centuries, abolitionists shunned cane sugar because its production relied on enslaved labor. Instead, they championed maple syrup, a sweetener harvested without human bondage, allowing them to indulge without ethical compromise.
Economic forces also spurred alternatives. During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain’s naval blockade cut off France’s cane sugar imports. Napoleon, urged by French scientists, promoted sugar beet cultivation, dramatically lowering sugar’s price and turning sweets from aristocratic luxuries into everyday treats. By the 19th century, Europe’s sugar consumption had surged nearly 300 %—a testament to how necessity can reshape palate preferences.
6 Alternative Currencies
Before Bitcoin dazzled Wall Street, ancient societies experimented with parallel monetary systems. The Roman Empire permitted municipalities to mint their own bronze coins alongside the empire‑wide denarius. In bustling Pompeii, locals routinely used these bronze pieces for modest purchases, fostering a sense of community identity separate from the imperial standard.
Similarly, when Egypt faced a coin shortage, artisans produced lead tokens to keep commerce flowing. These localized currencies weren’t about libertarian ideology; they were pragmatic tools to sustain local economies. Modern cryptocurrencies echo that spirit, but their decentralized, digital nature distinguishes them from the metal‑clad tokens of antiquity.
5 Collecting Antiques
The love of vintage treasures predates reality‑TV treasure hunts. Ancient Egypt, Babylon, India, and China saw elite patrons amass art collections as symbols of status—much like a modern hipster flaunts a curated thrift‑store wardrobe. The Greeks first celebrated the appreciation of antiquities, a passion the Romans inherited after conquering Greece. Wealthy Romans prized Greek sculptures, often commissioning replicas or even falling for clever forgeries.
During the Renaissance, private collections flourished, eventually evolving into public museums as monarchs opened their galleries to the populace. Today, anyone can browse eBay or visit a museum, enjoying centuries‑old masterpieces without needing a noble title or vast fortune.
4 Socks With Sandals
The polarizing combo of socks and sandals—either hailed as bold comfort or fashion faux pas—has roots in Roman military attire. Archaeologists in North Yorkshire uncovered a Roman sandal bearing fibrous traces, likely the remnants of a sock. Roman legionaries, accustomed to harsh climates, paired socks with sandals to insulate their feet and protect against thorns.
While today the pairing is mocked as a style misstep, Roman soldiers viewed it as practical battlefield gear. The contrast highlights how a functional choice can evolve into a cultural flashpoint, much like modern hipsters turning utilitarian garments into statements of individuality.
3 Leggings
Leggings, now synonymous with yoga and athleisure, have traversed continents and centuries. On the North American Great Plains, Indigenous women wore animal‑skin leggings for modesty and protection, covering ankles deemed inappropriate to expose. In Europe, the 1500s saw William Lee invent knitting machines that produced tight‑fitting leg coverings for men engaged in labor‑intensive work.
Two centuries later, men still wore them for practical reasons, while women began adopting leggings during the 1960s sexual revolution and the 1980s fitness craze. Today, leggings dominate women’s wardrobes, and a new hybrid—“meggings”—carries a hipster‑approved edge, illustrating how garments evolve while retaining core functionality.
2 Anti‑Capitalism
Opposition to market‑driven economies isn’t a 20th‑century invention; it stretches back to antiquity. The Greek poet Hesiod lamented the transition from a communal Golden Age to an Iron Age marked by greed. Classical thinkers like Cicero denounced merchants as unscrupulous, while playwrights such as Plautus mocked their excesses.
In medieval Europe, early Catholics and Protestants criticized merchants, and reformer John Calvin likened them to prostitutes, framing commerce as morally suspect. These critiques predate the modern lexicon of “capitalism,” yet they echo the same disdain for unchecked profit‑seeking that contemporary hipsters express—often while sporting Che Guevara tees in coffee shops.
1 Hipsters Themselves
Hipsters aren’t a fresh phenomenon. The term “hipster” originated as the adjective “hip,” describing jazz‑loving, counter‑cultural youths in the early 20th century. White, affluent men, inspired by Black jazz musicians, adopted the label to distance themselves from mainstream norms, embracing nihilism and social detachment.
The movement resurfaced in the 1990s when a generation romanticized an imagined past, reviving vintage aesthetics and avant‑garde art. Modern hipsters echo the original’s love of appropriation and reinvention—think denim, plaid, beards, and thick‑rimmed glasses—while borrowing style cues from predecessors like poet Allen Ginsberg, a quintessential 1950s hipster. Though the costume has changed, the core impulse to be “different” remains timeless.
About The Author: Alexandra loves guinea pigs, reading, and writing.