The hippie subculture began its development as a youth movement in the United States during the early 1960s and then developed around the world. Its origins can be traced to the Bohemians of the early 1900s and the Beat Generation of the 1950s. The counterculture that developed during the 1960s was an alternative lifestyle chosen by individuals who would eventually become known as hippies, freaks or long hairs. Since the 1960s, many aspects of the hippie subculture have been assimilated by mainstream society, gaining widespread acceptance.
The fundamental features of the hippie subculture included pacifism, harmony with nature, artistic experimentation (particularly in music), communal living, sexual freedom, and the widespread use of recreational
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Hippies promoted a laid-back, nonconformist lifestyle, which included frequent drug use; thus, the movement generated a massive uproar in the American community. Consequently, the hippie subculture has often been subjected to an in-accurate, stereotyped image. Over the years, there has been an unreasonable amount of prejudice against hippies and their culture.
While I have always been particularly interested in the hippie subculture, I must admit that there are many things I was not aware of before I began working on this assignment, apart from the way they were portrayed in movies and magazines. For instance, I used to believe that the hippie movement was merely a “trend”. From my perspective, being a hippie meant having long hair, wearing colorful clothes and pretty headbands and living freely without any regrets, simply enjoying the moment without caring about the future.
Another preconceived notion that I used to have is that hippies were unemployed because they did not like to work, which is one of the many stereotypes surrounding hippies. Due to their seemingly careless nature, hippies were perceived as “slackers”. Even nowadays, many people still believe that they were a generation of lazy youngsters without a purpose in