Hipster or Gay: Can You Tell?

August 18, 2010 12:19 pm     Posted in Uncategorized  Alexandra Gehringer g+ page


By Alexandra Gehringer

As a resident of good ol’ NYC, my out-of-town friends always assume I’m living the Carrie Bradshaw life.  While cosmos do indeed pour out of my sink instead of water, my bedroom doesn’t boast the revolving door of men for which SJP & Co. are famous.  Sure, guys are everywhere- washing your windows in the morning, riding the subway with you in the afternoon, sleeping on your stoop at night- but selecting which ones are actually eligible for your affections is a tad tricky.

You see, everyone knows the gays love Manhattan.  Don’t roll your eyes.  Please, we have Broadway…this is their Mecca.  And across the water we have Brooklyn, a mother ship for hipsters the world over.  They come in droves, sporting their cross-body bags, boasting blasé attitudes and a taste for bands you’ve probably never heard of before.  Wondering what these two groups have in common?  More than you think, and it makes crushing really tough. And I know this phenomenon is spreading like wildfire from coast (Brooklyn) to coast (West Hollywood).

If you think I’m kidding, take a look below and try to figure out which of these boys would like you and which would like each other.

Super Tight Jeans

Deep V-Neck Tees (Preferably of the American Apparel Variety)

General Sartorial Elitism

Interesting Hair

Interesting-er Facial Hair

Severely Unbuttoned Oxfords

Scarves

Thick Rimmed Glasses

Enthusiasm for Bikes

Impossible, am I right?

Well, not totally. That is, assuming you can yank that boy’s iPhone out of his super tight back pocket and take a look at his music collection.  If he’s got Liza Minelli/the Glee soundtrack, he’s gay.  Dinosaur Jr. and Panda Bear?  Totally hipster.

29 Comments on "Hipster or Gay: Can You Tell?"

  1. The Raisin Girl says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 20108:16 am 

    Wow. Could you please stereotype people a little more?

  2. Brian says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 20108:38 am 

    I was with you on the gay vs. hipster thing until the end. No gay man young and stylish enough to be mistaken for a hipster would have Liza and/or Glee in their iPod. Think Grizzly Bear (both gay and hipster) and Lady Gaga.

  3. Amy says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 20109:23 am 

    How did this even get published? Did anyone even consider how offensive this article is? :/

  4. ebey04 says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 20109:35 am 

    I thought this was some kind of joke… was it? I have a few gay friends that you'd NEVER be able to tell unless you ASKED them. Nice College Candy, do we stereotype you as the "College Porno" blog? I mean, that's all I seem to hear from you lately…. relationship this, boys that, and dont make me mention your tweet from last night…

  5. Linda says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 201010:54 am 

    Wow, I guess I'm the only one who thought this was kinda funny.

    It seems like people jump down the throat of anyone who remotely jokes about someone being gay these days.

    Damn, lighten up guys, it's College Candy, since when have these articles ever been SERIOUS?

  6. Ash says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 20101:21 pm 

    for god's sake, can't you guys tell that this article (like most other articles on CollegeCandy) was intended to be taken lightly?

    also, there is a lot of truth in the article – i too find it quite difficult to differentiate between hipsters and gays :)

  7. Ersebet says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 20103:52 pm 

    Damn College Candy, what are you even thinking lately? Your articles have been so sub-par. Gay stereotype, really?

  8. m says:
    Wed, 18th Aug 201010:52 pm 

    Living in portland it is a total hipster scene so yes I assume every guy I see/meet is gay until proven otherwise. I thought this article was funny. When ever people get worked up over the articles on this site I just want to tell them, what were you expecting from a website that replaces the O in college with lipstick marks? If you want some hard hitting journalism read the economist and stop your bitching on a lighthearted website.

  9. The Raisin Girl says:
    Sat, 21st Aug 201011:16 am 

    I'm so sick of the "go somewhere else if you don't like it" argument. What is the point of that? What does it solve? Furthermore, where exactly are gay people supposed to go to be accepted and not stereotyped, since it's a pretty common phenomenon on Planet Earth. College Candy is helping perpetuate and feed that stereotype, and apparently some of the readers don't like it.

    Beyond just gay stereotypes, maybe some people are also genuinely tired of having stereotypes about thoughtless, drunken teens and twenty-somethings perpetuated over the internet by poorly thought out articles on websites like this one. Maybe instead of saying, "okay, you're going to lose me as an audience member," we'd rather say, "Hey, I like some of the stuff on here, but some of it's insensitive, and socially irresponsible." What's wrong with that? I mean, do you really think College Candy would rather just lose every member of their readership that has a social conscience?

    Some of you say people who complain can't take a joke. Well, some jokes (like the ones that single some people out and ridicule them) are tired and were never funny to begin with. Maybe you just can't take criticism of your underdeveloped sense of humor.

  10. Hannah says:
    Fri, 27th Aug 20104:37 am 

    to me, people can't "look" gay, but whatever.

    I was surprised at the blurb about music, towards the end. Lots o' guys I know love glee!

  11. Alexis says:
    Fri, 27th Aug 201010:00 pm 

    Some of this is a little paranoid, and some of these people seem eccentric yes, but…i doubt the guys who are like 50 something are trying to be "hipster." They're just trying to be themselves. And a lot of it is nothing new, like the magazine models…same old trendy tripe. Whatever.

  12. James says:
    Sat, 28th Aug 20106:03 pm 

    This article is pure comedy and living in NYC, seeing these "hip" people everyday, I can't help but point and laugh at them when I see them. They snicker and sneer when I laugh in my suit and tie, but at least I don't have to beg mommy and daddy to pay my rent in Bushwick while claiming to be a "trendsetter", wearing the same American Apparel V-neck shirt for the past 4 days and an artist who has only directed a video of himself dancing naked in front of a public bathroom mirror in Williamsburg! Hahahaha article has me laughing because it's true… and nothing is funnier than the truth!

  13. Your Mom says:
    Tue, 31st Aug 20104:43 am 

    Gee…wonder why virtually every commentor didn't find this funny/were offended. Suck it the f__k up. You pride yourselves on being so "open-minded" yet can't find a silly article, written solely for humorous purposes, even the slightest bit amusing.

  14. Lana says:
    Tue, 31st Aug 20106:02 pm 

    I just think it's funny that you used a picture of Gabe Saporta as one of your gay examples.

  15. JP says:
    Wed, 1st Sep 20101:49 am 

    It's a pretty bad joke "Your Mom," and you're just plain rude.

  16. Laura-Jane says:
    Sun, 5th Sep 20106:34 am 

    …ahahaha, my bf fills quite a lot of these, i should probably be worried.

  17. eatsritzcrackers says:
    Sun, 5th Sep 201011:35 pm 

    I found this really funny, and possibly useful, until i thought of the credibility.

    but stereotypes exist for a reason, people.

    as it goes, however, i love gays and hipsters. my best friends are either gay or hipster…dear me.

    i think this article simply appeals to my pavlovian instinct (if you will).

  18. Terry says:
    Tue, 7th Sep 201011:28 pm 

    I'm confused b/c here in NYC there are many queer hipsters.

    Had NO idea that it was an either/or situation or even a problem. I define 'hipster'(gay, straight, bi, etc.) as more of a style, & not as a serious stereotype. Style is meant to express your individuality, or degree of conformity, but most importantly, have fun with it. Lighten up, people! :)

  19. bryan Bliss says:
    Wed, 8th Sep 20105:08 pm 

    i think the most likely answer is : " Who cares"

    pretentious is pretentious regardless of whether they like boys or not.

  20. twitterholic says:
    Wed, 29th Sep 20105:50 pm 

    Haha. I guess it's hard to figure if a man is simply hipster or not even when you're both in the same loop. Something else that's obviously not hard to figure out is this gay guy in a spoof of Rihanna's video, which I saw on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Efbcvfe1GQ.

  21. ReL says:
    Tue, 19th Oct 201011:14 pm 

    I thought it was funny, not offensive. Stereotypes can be entertaining. Almost none of my friends are straight, so maybe I should be offended? No thanks.

  22. shaniqua says:
    Sat, 19th Nov 201111:01 pm 

    hipster is like goth, emo, scene kid, etc etc… its all just stupid costume and shitty attitude. thats all it is… people use labels for things they are afraid of or dont understand…

    remember: it's all costume + attitude = asshole.

  23. Ryan says:
    Thu, 22nd Nov 201211:03 pm 

    Pretentious is pretentious is pretentious

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