The hippie subculture in the sixties of the last century became a global phenomenon that changed the Western world. She had a real impact on politics and social norms, on music, fashion and sexual relations. And this influence is still visible.
The history and rise of the hippie movement
The hippie subculture came from an earlier hipster movement. It also owes its appearance to one of the key conflicts of the second half of the 20th century - the Vietnam War (1964–1975). In the USA, many young people protested against this military conflict, American television people called them hippies, and the word has become common. It should be emphasized that this subculture is not limited to pacifist ideas, it is much wider.
Starting in 1965, the hippie movement began to grow rapidly - more and more young people across the planet began to adjoin it. A characteristic feature of the hippie lifestyle was hitchhiking or on cheap, brightly colored minibuses (usually the Volkswagen T1 brand). Often they left home and lived in communes, among "their own." They were also distinguished by a passion for oriental religions and practices, a commitment to vegetarianism.
Hippies often brought flowers to antiwar protests. They gave them to passers-by or inserted them into the barrel of the assault rifles of the police and military standing opposite them. From here came the second name of the hippie - "children of flowers."
The peak of popularity of this subculture occurred in 1967. It was this summer, Haight Ashbury (this is one of the districts of the city of San Francisco) gathered about one hundred thousand "children of flowers" to "celebrate love and freedom." They lived here according to their own rules, sharing with each other food and everything they needed, for several months, until October.
And two years later, in the state of New York, the legendary Woodstock rock festival took place, which was attended by about five hundred thousand people, mostly hippies.
Another large and very important meeting of "flower children" was held on July 4, 1972. On this day, several thousand hippies climbed Table Mountain in the state of Colorado (USA), held hands and stood there for about an hour, praying for world peace. Subsequently, this became an annual action, and it was carried out not only in the States, but also in other countries.
Principles, slogans and symbols
The basic principle of the hippie subculture is the principle of non-violence. Another important principle is free love. Many hippies preferred not to suppress their sexuality - they were very simple about sexual contacts and led an erratic sex life. No wonder one of the main slogans of "flower children" sounds like this - "Make love, not war" ("Make love, not war"). In many ways, it was the hippies who contributed to the so-called sexual revolution.
In addition to the slogans, the children of flowers had their own symbols. The most famous of them is the "pacific", similar to the imprint of a bird's foot in a circle. Interestingly, he appeared in the late fifties. It was developed in February 1958 by British designer Gerald Holt for the Nuclear Disarmament Campaign.
Appearance
Representatives of the hippie subculture, as a rule, wore long hair. And often flowers were woven into them.
The clothes were dominated by natural fabrics (denim, cotton, linen, chintz, silk) of iridescent colors. At the same time, clothes should certainly be free, not restricting movements. The hippie style was also characterized by the use of ethnic ornaments, embroidery and patches, which gave things a worn effect.
And representatives of this subculture loved to adorn themselves with a lot of beads, bracelets and baubles (they were often exchanged among themselves as a sign of friendship). In addition, many hippie girls wore a thin bandage on their foreheads. As a rule, things and accessories "flower children" did with their own hands, any hand-made very much appreciated.
