Kianna Vincent @iamkiannavincent1 - Tumblr Blog

Creative Project

For my creative project I plan to make a collage of pictures that represent what hip means to me. I will focus on clothing,culture, music etc.

Thesis Statement Final Essay

The word “hip” can be interpreted in many different ways, and it will alway mean something different to everyone. Overall “hip” means to be relevant, popular, or cool. It can also hold the meaning of being rebellious like hipsters back in the day. Either way, hip can be shown through the way you dress, the kind of music you listen to, and the people you hang out with.

thewhatiship

Week 11, What is Hip? Reevaluated

In my original analysis on the definition of hip I stated that the word “hip” defined somebody who was cool, or stylish. That it was a word used to describe multiple aspects of modern cultural life including the way people act, dress, and carry themselves in public. I also stated that the definition of hip changes significantly with the time that it is relevant to. I believe that the assertion that the definition of hip changes with its relevant time period is still a valid argument. But I would like to tweak my other ideas of the word hip, due to the readings and projects we have done this semester.

I am now inclined to believe that hip is synonymous with rebellion. After studying the history of the hipster starting in the 1960s to this day, it is appears to me that the essence of hip culture is always some sort of rebellious mindset against a controlling power. For example, in the 1960s, through the 1980s hip culture was based on branching out through unconventional means of expression i.e. drugs, music, and protests. These were more literal forms of rebellion, and back then the hip idea was supportive of fighting against the system, which back then was the government. And after reading the different authors and considering their perspectives on the evolution of hip. Because of these readings I am inclined to believe that hip is slowly evolving into mainstream commercialised culture.

The merging of these two cultures has created the commercially oriented world that I have grown up in. A world ruled by the idea that buying new things is “cool” and “cool” is achieved by having the newest I-phone or the biggest television, or even the most expensive car. This Idea also goes completely against the older idea that the government is restricting our freedom to express ourselves. With the assertion that cool is achieved by buying commercial goods then it is also logical to say that the idea of hip is being controlled and marketed to the general populous and the idea of being hip in this day and age is disconnecting yourself from the consumer mindset.

chloecolloquy

I agree with you that the definition where hip has continuously changing forms is one of the most relevant definitions but I love how you go one to describe hip as being a rebellion as it once considered in history. You do well in delving into the idea that while people may think they are being hip by keeping up with trends today, in reality they are actually just feeding into corporate culture and control.

cooljakeweaverthompson

I agree with you and your first paragraph when you stated that hips meant cool. I also really like how you use plenty of examples to strengthen your point of view.

iamkiannavincent1

I agree with you also, this was very detailed and there is a lot of information to back up your opinion. You're views were very similar to mine as well.

Freewrite 11.11.15 “Hip”

Kianna Vincent 11.11.15 Freewrite

What is hips relationship to what Douglas Rushkoff calls “the game of likes” ?

In todays society, being hip is about self expression, being cool, and being up to date with new trends and fashion. In Douglas Rushkoffs eyes, “the game of likes” is a trend thats happening within todays younger social groups. Teenagers do whatever it takes to get likes, follows and subscriptions or retweets. The game of likes is relatable to being hip because everyone is trying to be popular and in the loop. At the same time, hip is also relatable because of self expression. Self expression can also be rebellious, which attracts more attention than mainstream behavior. In some ways, being rebellious would get you more likes, which would make you appear as popular or hip.

Week 11 Reevaluation of Hip

Over the course of this class my views on the meaning of the word “hip” has changed slightly. In the beginning of the semester I believed that hip meant to be “cool” and up to date with new trends. After evaluating the music video I realized that hip meant to “fit in” because Tove Lo sang about everything that most teenagers do and thats why the video was very popular. That means hip meant the exact opposite of what I initially thought. When I wrote my research paper, my views on “hip” changed a little again. I realized that American Apparel and Urban Outfitters used explicit advertisements to stay hip.... in other words, RELEVANT.. Thats when the meaning of hip changed again. Hip then meant relevant and popular. So overall, my views have changed on the meaning of hip, but the meanings i come up with are all related in some way or form.

When writing this paper, Im going to focus on culture,music, and clothing.The word hip has a broad meaning and can be understood in many ways. I would consider myself to be “hip”, but I know that my views on being hip are probably different to others. I think it all depends on what kind of people they are influenced by, or even the region of the work they live in.There are different trends in every country, not every style is universal.

Writing Project 2 Update

In the past week I have finished reading all my articles, made an outline and started to write some of my paper. I have also wrote my thesis and gathered all my quotes.

hipisthenewcool-deactivated2019

thesis: [your topic] [verb] today’s hipster culture.

scholarly journals Urban outfitters : http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral/docview/217131569/541B459845594B42PQ/8?accountid=11411

scholarly journals American Apparel:

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1616153457/43109DAD33624DBBPQ/1?accountid=11411

These are both scholarly journals that talk about exploitation of women from two different backgrounds from both companies.

Indie Then and Now Interview

Kianna Vincent: Hi everyone! My name is Kianna Vincent and I will be your host today. We have 5 special guests who will be giving us their opinion about indie culture in the past. Please give a warm welcome to Michael Azerrad, Thomas Frank, Nitsuh Abebe, Kaya Oakes, and Alissa Quart.

Kianna Vincent: We are going to start with Mr. Azerrad first…… So Mr.Azerrad , can you please tell us a little bit about the book you wrote?

MA: Hello everyone, the book I wrote was “Our Band Could Be Your Life”. It mainly focuses on thirteen seminal indie bands from 1981–1991. I talk about their careers and how they found little mainstream success. They were hugely influential in establishing American alternative and indie rock, mostly through constant touring and records released on small, regional independent record labels. I conducted many interviews with band members, and I also conducted extensive research of old fanzines, as well as more mainstream newspapers and books.

KV: What inspired you to write your book?

MA: The inspiration for the book occurred when I was watching a miniseries about rock music history. It skipped and went straight from Talking Heads to Nirvana. I thought, This is insane. Did I black out for 10 minutes? I thought that someone should do something about this. And I had, appropriately enough, a DIY moment and I thought, Maybe I should do it.

KV: Interesting… what are some bands you mainly focus on in the book?

MA: I mainly focused on Minutemen, Nirvana, REM, Minor Threat, and Black Flag out of the 13 bands.

KV: What can you say about the Minutemen and their mindset?

MA: Minutemen was a band of 4 working class men who were heavily influenced by bands such as The Pop Group, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, and The Urinals. Most of their early songs had unusual structures and were less than a minute long. Although Minutemen were members of the hardcore punk community and were somewhat influenced by the speed and depth of it, they were known for blending punk rock and hardcore with various forms of music like jazz, funk and R&B, which separated them from most hardcore bands of that era.

KV: Thank you Michael, we will now move onto Thomas Frank.

KV: Hello Mr. Frank, Can you please tell us about the two essays you wrote?

TF: Yes of course, I wrote “ Why Johnny Can’t Dissent” and “ Alternative to What?”. In these essays I present my argument about how modern consumerism and how it relates to the current definition of being hip with being different.

KV: Okay cool, can you give me an example of what you mean?

TF: Sure for example, I talk about my disapproval of consumerisms ideology via todays corporate business man. The corporate business man used to be puritanical, but now pride themselves on their ability to break rules and eliminate corporate structure. They have also adopted this mindset in advertisement slogans. “Sometimes you gotta break the rules”-Burger King. Even the Details Magazine editor, Henry Rollins said he lives to be pureness and ultimate. He left his “straight job” to join and create a group of visionaries. This is how businessmen are conforming to being “hip” and different to get ahead in the industry.

KV: WOW! I noticed you mentioned something about Nirvana in one of your essays. Can you explain why this group is so significant to the indie movement?

TF: Oh yes! Nirvana was the alternative rock group that kickstarted the rebellious countercultural ideology which influenced modern businessmen. Nirvana was an American rock band formed by Kurt Cobain and 2 other men. Although they only released three full-length studio albums in their seven-year career, Nirvana is regarded as one of the most influential and important rock bands of the modern time period.

KV: Thank you Thomas that was very interesting! Next we will move onto Mr.Abebe.

KV: Hello Mr. Abebe, how are you today?

NA: Hello Ms. Kianna I’m great thank you. Thank you for having me!

KV: Of course! Would you like to tell the audience about you essay “The Decade in Indie”?

NA: In my essay “The Decade in Indie”, I talk about how by the 2000s, indie culture had become a popular sensibility attached to movies, ads, and fashion. Some examples would be ads like iPhone vs Android and movies such as Little Miss Sunshine. I also believe at this point the “indie” music genre split into two general camps.

KV: Alright, can you explain which each of those general camps would be? And examples of each so the audience can obtain a better understanding.

NA: Yes, the two groups are Mainstream Indie Pop and “Fresh and Rowdy” Alternative. Mainstream Indie Pop is pleasant, accessible,tasteful, and predictable. The songs were comfortable and traditional. The music can be described as something your parents could listen to. Some examples would be The Shins, Wilco, and Cat Power.

NA: On the other hand, the “Fresh and Rowdy” Alternative version rejects mainstream indie and borrows from other, non-indie genres. This produces hybrids like “new electro”, “dance punk”, and “garage rock”. These hybrids are trashy, noisy, but danceable. Some examples would be bands like The Strokes, The Rapture, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

KV: Very interesting! Next we will be talking to Kaya Oakes!

KV: Hello Ms. Oakes! Welcome to the show. How are you today?

KO: Hello Ms. Vincent thank you for having me. I am doing great.

KV: Would you like to tell us a little about your book?

KO: Of course, in my book Slanted and Enchanted I talk about how “indie” culture has been watered down throughout the years and how anything can be related to indie. I also talk about the mainstream indie culture and its pros and cons.

KV: Nice, what are your views about the change in indie culture, and which aspects do you see the change in?

KO: In my opinion, indie culture has been so broad lately that you can make a case about everything being indie. For example, Urban Outfitters is a company that many teens wear today, and they are mass producing indie clothing causing it to be more mainstream. This is ironic because soon everyone will be wearing the same thing, and nobody will be different; when the main purpose of indie culture was to be different. Another example would be Apple; Apple may have some “indie” appeal because of how long it had been an underdog, so when they finally became mainstream it was “hip” to have any sort of Apple product. The change has been portrayed in fashion, music, and peoples mindset and way of living. The internet definitely had a huge impact on the way indie culture was mainstreamed.

KV: Yes that makes so much sense..Like you were saying before, what would be the pros and cons of this change in indie culture?

KO: Well, some pros would be more exposure for artists that aren’t really well known. Etsy has allowed crafters to turn a hobby into a viable business and they no longer need a middle man to distribute their products. Lastly, music is cheaper, or even free. On the other hand, the only con would be that there are too many artists,and too many things being sold which makes competition a lot more serious.

KV: Thank you for the clarification! Very interesting. We finally move onto Alissa Quart.

KV: Good Afternoon Ms.Quart. Would you like to tell us about your book?

AQ: Of course! The book I wrote is Republic Of Outsiders, and i basically talk about how people are tried to take matters into their own hands instead of going the mainstream way.

KV: Okay interesting! What do you mean by that though?

AQ: Well the indie society went from being very non conforming to becoming conforming because of the watering down of the indie culture. Indie culture started becoming more mainstream and people started taking matters into their own hands. This is when great things were discovered.

KV: Thank you Alissa!

KV: That is all we have for the show tonight! I would like to thank all of you for coming in and giving us some information on your knowledge. Have a good night.

Ideas For Writing Project #2

American Apparel: http://libproxy.highpoint.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1649018908?accountid=11411

http://www.about-face.org/american-apparel-v-necks-and-sexual-exploitation/

http://www.charismanews.com/us/44425-watchdog-american-apparel-s-sex-obsession-goes-beyond-the-ads

Urban Outfitters: http://www.buzzsawmag.org/2012/02/29/exploitation-is-the-new-black/

In Writing Project #2 I am using American Apparel and Urban Outfitters to show how both companies are corrupt and demeaning to women.

Ideas for writing project #2

Geek-Chic : the dress, appearance, and culture associated with computing and technology enthusiasts, regarded as stylish or fashionable.

New-rave: is a genre of music that fuse elements of electronic music, new wave, rock, indie, techno, mashup, breakbeat hardcore and electro house.

Chillwave: aka glo-fi or downtempo pop, is a genre of music whose artists are often characterized by their heavy use of effects processing, synthesizers, looping, sampling, and heavily filtered vocals with simple melodic lines.

Source: Wikipedia

Thoughts and Reflection (Talking Body- Tove Lo)

Tove Lo is an upcoming indie pop artist from Sweden, and is very much involved with the hippie culture. I believe Talking Body is a very hip song because it portrays most teen relationships in todays world. Although Tove is very intact with the hippie culture, her music is also very hip. All of Tove’s recent music relates to teen problems and struggles. Its very easy for her to make music that appeals to people in younger age groups because she is very young as well. Tove uses sex and drugs in many of her songs; this explicit content attracts younger age groups and influences them in many ways. This song is not appropriate for younger age groups because there are many examples of sex being put on a pedestal. Tove encourages having sex with men with nice bodies, even if you don't know them. This song has no meaningful message, although it's very catchy. This song would be very popular amongst hippie subcultures because it advertises free sex and love.

fourthhourenglish-blog

Hernan Pernas

Dr. Matt Garite

09/21/2015

Writing Project Practice

Lil Dicky’s “Professional Rapper” which is the second song coming from his self-released album similarly named “Professional Rapper” is an animated music video with fast paced cartoony and goofy style of animation. “Professional Rapper” is set at a job interview with Snoop Dogg as the employer and Lil Dicky the Copywriter/Marketer attempting to shift his career choices and apply to become a professional rapper. Once the actual interview begins and Lil Dicky begins going over his credentials an air of seriousness begins. This seriousness contradictory to the style of animation leads to a conundrum that can only be explained when looking at Lil Dicky’s background into why he chose to give up his life when in a comfortable area and reach new horizons as far as what he is doing with his career. Lil Dicky was only going to use Rap Music to launch his career as a comedian and actor but it ended being much more than that and it lead to his first album as a “professional rapper” who even he thinks is insane and the video definitely matches this thought with shots where the animated camera goes out of control and can’t keep up with him when he is demonstrating his flow and how he can’t be stumped lyrically. Another similar example of where the animated camera movement is dependent on what Lil Dicky is saying that he is going to turn the whole rap game sideways and the animation turns green and begins spinning on its side. In the background one can also see certain aspects of other music videos that are currently seen in the rap industry such as women moving in provocative movements and rappers demonstrating that they “have it made” by being in hot tubs but Lil Dicky never associates with them not even at the beginning when all of the other basic rappers who are staring at him are giving him confused looks. Just like Lil Dicky promised he is ahead of these rappers and wants to talk to one of the rap legends being Snoop Dogg.

Video Description: Talking Body- Tove Lo

The video starts off with Tove in a dirty old motel room, the walls are purposely made translucent for the video just so the viewer could see what was join on in the other rooms. In the next shot, you see her walking through the hallway and she bangs on the bell to wake up the employee at the front desk. Then suddenly a pile of newspaper is blown into the camera, and now Tove is walking into a club. She grabs this random boy and starts making out with him. The camera then pans to some police officers, who are watching them kiss. When the boy spots the police he takes off running, leaving Tove in the crowd. The camera then focuses back on Tove and she runs out of the club to look for the boy. When she leaves the club she looks very confused. She's standing in pitch black, and its hard to tell where she is. Suddenly, she's standing in front of a mirror, but when she looks at her reflection, she notices the boy standing behind her. The camera pans to the direction the boy was standing, but he’s not there anymore. Instead, as the camera panned around, the room changed into a new location. As Tove walks through the party, there’s confetti, smoke, bright lights, and girls dressed up in elaborate consumes. Tove spots the boy and grabs him. They start kissing again, but just as they finish the police spot the boy again. He starts running away from the police, but Tove doesn't run after him this time. The camera then cuts to the next scene. Tove is standing by a motorcycle, and the boy starts walking toward her and she throws him the keys. They get on and ride for a while. The lights suddenly turn red and as soon as they step off, they're in another club. Two of the dancers pull him into the back room and start taking off his clothes. In this scene there is no sign of Tove so its obvious that she stayed outside of the room. The two girls then put handcuffs on him, and as they walk away the red lights go away and the gate to a jail cell closes. Then the camera focuses on the darkness and Tove walks up to the jail cell bars and kisses the boy. The camera then lowers to his pockets, and Tove slips her hand in and grabs the keys to the motorcycle. The camera pans back around as Tove backs up and faces the darkness again. She walks into the darkness, and then you just see her ride away on the motorcycle.

Charlie Chaplin was born in London, England on April 16th 1889. His father was an actor and his mother was an actress and a singer in the opera field. Charlies dad died when he was 10 and his mom became very ill so he eventually learned to take care of himself. Charlie decided to go into the entertainment field and joined a group called “ The Eight Lancashire Lads” as a tap dancer. No long after, he started a carer as a comedian which is what brought him to the United States; he was featured with Fred Karno Repertoire Company. Charlie was getting paid at least $150 each week to open cinemas, and in 1915 he would move to a bigger and better company take his brothers position as leading comedian. In 1917 he decided to do his own thing and start making his own movies, and built himself studios in Hollywood. Charlie was determined to focus on producing his work, but in the summer of 1921, he took an extended vacation. He traveled to London, Paris, Berlin and other capitals. He was so inspired that when he came back he finished all 8 of his movies including “A Woman of Paris”,”The Gosh Rush”,”City Lights”,”the Circus”,”Modern Times”, “The Dictator”, “Limelight”,and “Monsieur Verdoux”. Throughout Charlie’s lifetime, he wrote 4 books, taught himself to play instruments, and composed pieces of music. In 1977, he died on Christmas Day. He has made a huge impact in Hollywood history and will always be remembered as a legend.

"Charlie Chaplin : Overview of His Life." Charlie Chaplin: Official Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.

Talking Body by Tove Lo is definitely one of the most important because the message of the music video relates to the many lives of many college students in todays society. The song is very vulgar but the video reminds me of how a typical teen acts in todays culture. Tove Lo is a very hip artist in 2015 and she's very relatable to young adults because she symbolizes drugs, alcohol and sex. When many young adults first enter college there are so many new things thrown at them. There are so many different paths you could take, and its very easy to get caught up in something you could never imagine yourself doing. Many college students lose themselves trying drugs, sex, and alcohol for the first time. Of course everything is okay in moderation, but most teens usually over expose themselves, and end up hooked on that lifestyle. In the video, Tove is continuously walking through doors and entering different rooms with different attractions. This represents all the different experiences that college students go through when trying to experiment with their lives. After going through a couple doors, she appears lost and confused. This is when teens realize that they’re getting themselves too deep in the lifestyle, and its time to make a decision wether to stop or continue going down the same path. Tove finally enters the door to the strip club, which is where she finds acceptance from those around her, and thats when she realizes that she's not going back. At this point, this is when teens find themselves so deep they cannot go back. This is especially true when they have found acceptance from those around them and they know they aren’t the only ones in this lifestyle. Losing yourself in college is very common and experimenting is normal, but there is a limit and you should know when enough is enough. This video is very hip for todays culture, but it will always be hip because college is an experience that mostly everyone goes through and has to deal with.

Anaconda by Nicki Minaj is a great representation of whats hip in todays culture because this song is about having a big butt, and how no one will accept you if you're butt isn't big enough. In the music video, she does exercises that show women how to increase butt size. She often talks about how having a huge butt is very important and how men don't want a girl without a “thick body”. “Say he don't like 'em boney, he want something he can grab”& “Fu*k you if you skinny bitc*es”. These quotes are perfect because it just explains how men don't want a skinny girl, and how women don't accept other women who are skinny. This song definitely isn't a good representation of women, and its very degrading, and It shows the morals and main focus of many young women in todays culture. This doesn't apply to all women, but it clearly targets young women who are in their self conscious stages in life and want to fit in. Nicki Minaj isn't the best role model for any young woman, but so many look up to her because she's “bad” and she has an unrealistic “perfect” body. Young women have a hard time understanding that what seems “perfect” is usually fake or surgically altered. Young women need to appreciate natural beauty and stop objectifying their bodies. Having a perfect waist and a big butt is hip now, but people take it to far when that becomes the main focus of their attention. That doesn't just apply to women, it applies to men who look for women with the “perfect” body and demean women who don't live up to those expectations.

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