Mipsterz Are on the Rise in NYC, and They’re Cooler Than Your Average Hipster
We all have one of those friends: you ask them if they consider themselves a hipster (which by all accounts they are) and you’re met with a very sardonic “I hate hipsters…” While it’s pretty much an unspoken rule that those who knowingly fall within hipsterdom should never acknowledge such, there is a unique group of young folks in the city wholly embracing the label as part of their identity. In fact, they’ve come up with their own play on the word: Mipsterz, or Muslim hipsters.
According to CNN, “The term originated in 2012 with a small group of friends in New York who jokingly called themselves Muslim hipsters. Though they hesitated to form an official group...Mipsterz quickly evolved into an online community, and the group has garnered international attention.”
Seen below, community member Laila Shaikley is considered the embodiment of what Mipsterz represent; she’s young, she’s a creative professional, she wears skinny jeans and bright prints, she rides a skateboard, and, most notably, she a Muslim who wears a hijab. “I was a post-9/11 millennial who chose to wear a hijab,” she tells CNN. “I didn’t have a community with other girls who appreciated the things that I did. I think it’s given people a space to really question, and really elaborate and determine their own identities.”
The Mipsterz community has grown into a global sensation reaching everywhere from Los Angeles to Paris to the suburbs, and has even attracted those from other faiths. And though they’ve met their fair share of detractors, the overall response to the Mipsterz idea has been positive. “Mipsterz has created a space where young Muslims can have open discussions, share their experiences and not be ashamed of who they are.” Shaikley says. In essence, the community is providing a way for young Muslims, and many others, with a way to reconcile “multiple identities” in a modern world that just wants people to conform to the standard.
Watch the fascinating video here for the whole explanation:
And the original viral video that catapulted Mipsterz into the mainstream can be seen here:
Somewhere In America #MIPSTERZ
[Via CNN]
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