Hippies: A Trend or a Lifestyle?

Throughout my travels in Asia, I’ve come across many “hippies” as you might call them. They either have dreadlocks wrapped up in some kind of hair band, have shaved heads (mostly women), and they’re usually wearing earthy colors tones, no brand names, come across very friendly and serene, never to raise their voices or lose their temper and are usually vegetarian/pescetarian. As I’m sitting in what can only be described as a “hippie” guesthouse, listening to a mix of easy reggae and jazz while surrounded by a multitude of wicker lanterns, stones, dangling jeweled art, various plants and a variety of different styled wooden tables covered with Thai printed cloth. I see a woman to my right with a shaved head, her large bottle of nameless water, a shirt probably made out of recyclable material, cliché Thai pants, and a look on her face that says, “my aura is a magical place.” Is she a hippie for life? Or a hippie until she wants to go back home to her life surrounded by Abercrombie jeans and a J.Crew t-shirt? I must say, it’s getting harder and harder to tell, but then again, does it really matter? I have my share of “hippie” esque friends and I love them to death. I don’t look at them and wonder how long it took them to put together their “look.” To them, it’s not a look, it’s who they are. They didn’t choose this lifestyle to “fit in” or because they thought it was “cool,” it was natural to them. The general theme of “hippies” as far as I’ve found is “one love.” If it was good enough for Bob, it’s good enough for me. “One love” doesn’t sound half bad anyway!

Thailand is the motherland of hippies and hippie wannabes. The streets are filled with people, probably just passing through but wanting a little taste of the “hippie” lifestyle. So they go down to Khaosan Rd. and get dreads done, or possibly shave their head if they’re feeling extra ambitious. They trade their make-up in for the au natural look, buy some Thai pants off the street for 80baht and throw on a plain colored tank top, kick off their shoes and fake Armani bag, take a seat, and watch and learn… They feel like they’re fitting in with the crowd, because come on, everyone in Thailand is a hippie at heart. To be honest, it’s a lot more comfortable than jeans and a button-up shirt, and high heeled shoes, you don’t have to worry about your hair being perfectly combed and straightened, or take the time to put on make-up just to watch it melt off, and shaving your legs becomes an unnecessary chore. Plus, these pants are seriously the most comfortable pants you’ll ever wear! In addition to all that, vegetarian food is amazing! Like they say, “when in Rome.” A lot of what I’ve said can be looked at as stereotypical and I’m sure there are some people out there who may disagree with what I say… but that’s ok. I’m here to be the absolutely truth about anything, I’m just here to blog about my adventures. I truthfully don’t think I could play off the “hippie” look for life, but look me up after my first year here and I might be whistling a different tune… Couldn’t you see me with dreads one day? It’s crossed my mind… =)