The Rise and Fall of the Hipster Beard

Hipsters are known for wearing clothes and doing things that make them stand out from other people. It is a trend to make oneself appear to be more cultural, sophisticated and unique than other people. In order to achieve this goal, they are often interested in old-fashioned and unpopular things, which in turn gain in relevance as a result. One of the resulting trends was the beard a few years ago.

What is a hipster beard?

Hipster mit langem Bart

When people talk about a hipster beard, in most cases they simply refer to a hipster wearing a beard. So in that sense, there is not the one hipster beard. Depending on the person, the beard can be completely different – but usually it is a large, bushy beard with a round lower part and an untrimmed moustache. In general, the hipster beard is often not well groomed to ensure a more natural look. The Garibaldi or Bandholz beard style fits this description best.

The other prerequisite for the hipster beard is, of course, that you dress and behave like a hipster – this includes clothes like a beanie, plaid shirts and jeans that are too tight, as well as conversation about obscure bands, veganism and individualism.

How hipsters made the beard popular again

Happy hipster with beard

Beards have been associated with masculinity and dominance since the beginning of time. Over the years beard styles evolved and went through several phases in which they were more or less popular and stood for other things. In the last century, however, the trend went more towards a clean-shaven look and those who had beards often did not pay much attention to proper beard care. Thus handy tools like beard oil or beard combs were unknown to many men.

But that changed dramatically around 2008 when hipsters in Brooklyn rediscovered the beard and started a hype all over America. The trend soon spilled over to Europe and led to the beard now being cool and modern. In the following years, more and more celebrities grew a beard, which contributed to the increasing popularity and acceptance of the beard. Beard care also became more important and led to the increased availability of beard care products everywhere. This resulted in men placing more emphasis on the well-groomed appearance of the beard. Ultimately, it is thanks to hipsters that the beard has come back into fashion.

Is the hipster beard out?

Hipster with glasses and beard

Trends come and go and hence the trend of the hipster beard also has an expiry date. Because of the popularity of the beard style in recent years and the negative stigma of being a hipster, its overall appeal is slowly fading. If you take a look at fashion fairs, you will now rarely find men with beards. However, this does not mean that it is now out of style to have a beard. On the contrary, the popularity of beards is still increasing year after year, but no longer with such high growth.

So should you shave off your beard or if you don’t have one, don’t grow one? If it is important for you to always follow the latest trends, then the answer is probably yes. However, a well-groomed beard will always look good and there will inevitably be periods in which beards are less or more popular. But one thing we can say for sure – the beard will not die out and what people associate with it won’t change so quickly.

How do I grow a hipster beard?

As already mentioned, the prerequisite for a hipster beard is to be a hipster and unfortunately, we can’t help you with that. However, what we can help you with is to skip the hipster part and just start growing a beard.