Hippies: How To Be One.

Well hey. I'm Loreena, and I'm a modern-day hippie.
I don't live on the streets because it's too dangerous, but that's not saying I'm not willing to travel with friends in a van all painted up.
I'm here to show you guys how to be hippies!
Let's get started!

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So, you wanna be a hippie, or want to dive deeper into being a hippie? Well, this ain't the 60's.. or even the 70's.. but hippies are still quite popular.

Being a modern-day hippie is a little more work, but I'll try to walk you through what I know about being a hippie.

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HAIR:

Hippies MUST have long hair! Grow it as long as possible, yet keep it clean!

When washing your hair, use a natural shampoo. I like Alba. I don't recommend conditioner. It's not important.

Men, grow a beard. Don't keep it neatly trimmed as you usually would; let it grow.

Girls, stick a flower over your ear. If that doesn't work, get a headband, the kind that you wrap around and tie at the back. A hippie band. You can stick the flower in that if you choose to.

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CLOTHING:

People think hippies wear a lot of tie-dye. That is not true. Tie-dye is optional. I like it, but you might not.

There are tons of tie-dying methods over the internet. Most actual hippies from the 60's and 70's admit to using Rit dye to do theirs. You won't get fabulous patterns like you might see in a store, but it's handmade. You can make it look like what you want. It's freedom of expression!

FRINGE is a must! Jackets, purses, pants, shirts.. anything! If it's fringed or frayed, wear it! Hell, I have a fringed bikini.

Girls, a halter top is always a sure-fire way to look like a hippie. A small one that shows your middrift is perfect. Oh yeah, stop wearing bras. If you have to, wear one that doesn't have an underwire. You could always make your own.

Band t-shirts are great with a pair of bell bottoms, or girls, a flowing peasant skirt or if you're daring, a micro-mini skirt.

Skirts and dresses can look like whatever you want, but they should have an east-Indian look to them, or Moroccan.

Men, leather or army jackets are fantastic. Raid a local thrift shop for a great used one at a reasonable price.

Bell bottoms are necessary for both genders.

Shoes: Don't wear them. If you have to, wear sandals. Flip flops or flat espadrilles, even gladiator sandals are fine. I hate wearing shoes, even though I have several pairs, so I usually go bare feet outside.
Men could wear combat boots.

Try to keep everything natural-colored. Being a hippie means relating to the earth.

Also, try not to wear a lot of leather, and try not to wear black as much as possible. Hippies like bright colours.

Madras and muslin are quite favourable.

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MUSIC:

Look to Woodstock for this one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_Festival

Hippies listen to a variety of music, but mostly soft rock, folk rock, hard rock, psychadelic rock, heavy metal, and a bit of blues.

Basically, if they did drugs, hippies listened to them.

Other bands would include (but are not limited to) the Beatles, the Sweet, the Doors (my personal fave), Aerosmith (did you know Steven Tyler was at Woodstock? Yeah.), the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, the Mamas and the Papas, David Bowie, Herman's Hermits, ABBA, Bad Company, etc.

Listen to what you want. There are no limits! These are just suggestions.

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FOOD:

Very basic: Go veggie.
Do NOT eat meat!

Meat comes from animals, and hippies are against animal cruelty!

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ACCESSORIES:



Hippies love accessories.

Headbands are a must. They keep your long hair back and look totally radical.
Large sunhats are great if you like them. They help shield the sun when you're not wearing sunglasses. If you wear sunglasses, get aviators or those little round John Lennon-style ones, preferrably blue-tinted. I still wear knock-off Ray-Bans.

Large pendants on a necklace look great.

Beads woven or braided into hair look super adorable.

Most jewellery should be hand-woven or braided out of fabric scraps. It makes them more unique.

A peace sign is crucial. It tags you as a hippie automatically. It shows that you want no more war in this world (OBAMA IS PULLING THE TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ~!), only peace. At least one peace sign is always needed. You can wear it on a necklace, make a patch, or pin one on something.

For purses, a cross-body style is what you need. Go for an India-inspired print, or make one out of some broadcloth.

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DRUGS:

Alright, kids. I'm going to talk to you about drugs.

I know most people are against them, and I will admit, I used to be too.

It's a common misconception that all hippies take drugs and trip balls. That's not true.

Yes, a lot of hippies did take drugs because they believed it freed your spirit and let you become more creative, more free, and more loving.
Some hippies did not believe that drugs were great, so they decided not to do them, and that's ok.

Whether or not you choose to do them is your choice. Remember, you're breaking away from the system. You don't care what anyone else says.

Personally, I think drugs are okay, as long as you don't go overboard.

And no, I'm not under the influence writing this.

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MAKE-UP:

Hippies do not wear make-up. If they do (which is very, very seldom), it has to be all-natural, paraben and fragrance free, and of course, not tested on animals.

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RELIGION/BELIEFS:

Also, pretty simple here.
Love your country, hate your government.

Protests are effective ways to show your beliefs and what you think is right.

Demand that the government pull all troops out of the war. Obama is already taking them out of Iran. FINALLY. Stupid Bush..

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NUDITY:

Yes. Hippies like to go nude. At Woodstock, about half the audience was naked.

The 60's was a time of sexual liberation. Teenagers went against their parents and what their parents thought was right, which was abstaining from sexual activity until marriage.

Being naked in public will get you arrested, but if you're at an outdoor music festival, go wild. Take your clothes off if you feel comfortable doing so.

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TRANSPORTATION:

You're all familiar with the buses and "Love Bugs", correct?

Both are popular hippie vehicles.

Get a Volkswagon, some paint, and creativity. Go nuts. Go on an acid trip then paint what you see.

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A few basic outlines:

-Promote peace, love, and freedom.
-Do NOT,I repeat, do NOT start living on the streets. There are too many people out to cause harm, and not everybody likes hippies.
-For the love of God, bathe.
-A little patchouli smells great.
-When camping outside, make your own tent.
-Recycle!
-Do not start a campfire within city limits. The cops will be called. I speak from experience, here.
-Do not use heat or anything to style your hair! If you must curl your hair (like I love to do), use Michelle Phan's paper bag technique (search around YouTube).
-Be able to pack and leave at any moment. Hippies are like gypsies in that sense.
-If you're comfortable, bathe in rivers. I've seen many hippies do that.
-Burn incense or candles a lot.
-If you choose to do drugs, make pipes out of aluminum foil and bongs can be made out of several materials, plastic bottles being the easiest.
-Don't try to force your beliefs on anyone.
-Skinny dip.
-Most of all, have fun. Be free, my brothers and sisters!

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I'm not telling you all to be hippies. It's a personal choice.
This is just what I know, and basically, what I'm like.
Do a little bit of research if you do choose to become more hippie-like.

Love,
Loreena.