Hippie Style: Freedom in Life, Love and Clothes

There are many youth subcultures , but one of the most popular is the hippy subculture. She was born in the United States, in the 60s of the twentieth century, and in just a couple of decades the whole world swept through. At the same time, the subculture appeared in the Soviet Union, which was extremely unusual for the youth movements of those times - as a rule, they appeared in the USSR with great delay. It all started with an economic boom in the US. Children from rich families, having the opportunity not to work, received unexpected freedom. They traveled the country, engaged in music, painting, changing all life stereotypes.

The style of the hippie was not only a challenge to society, all its attributes were meaningful. Long hair and beards symbolized the connection with nature and the desire of culture for feminization. Cheap, often sewn with his own hands, clothing personified the hippy's indifference to material values, and bright colors spoke of childish and direct perception of the world. Ethnic and religious ornaments, also made by hand, denoted the synthesis of religions and cultures of the Earth. Well, the famous flared trousers were a symbol of freedom. Corresponding appearance and music. "The Children of the Sun" listened to rock, hard rock, rock and blues in the style of bands like The Beatles and The Doors. The icons of the hippie movement were Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Jefferson Airplaine group and others.

However, the style of the hippie was not limited only to music and extraordinary appearance. Gradually they developed their own religion and philosophy. Initially, the "children of the sun" opposed themselves to the Puritan way of life that reigned in America in the 60's. Gradually a certain "set of rules" was formed, according to which every real "man of the world" lived. At the heart of everything lay pacifism and freedom, which could be achieved by changing their inner world. The person who chose this way of life should be internally uninhibited and strive to gain freedom through their actions. True beauty was equated with freedom. All this was realized in the spiritual community, which was considered the ideal type of society. This way of life the hippies were considered the only true and possible.

Religious views of the hippies were a mixture of oriental religions. The Christian religion did not suit them, because its moral norms contradicted the way of existence of the "children of the world". Not without reason one of their favorite symbols was "yin-yang", taken from Taoism. Another famous symbol, "paw", was originally the logo of the Organization of Nuclear Disarmament. With him, "the children of the world" spoke at demonstrations against the war in Vietnam.

Going to the communes, the hippies wandered all over the country in vans or old buses, although their favorite occupation was to hitchhike. Sometimes the commune stopped for a while in some abandoned house. The "Children of the Sun" believed that work limited their freedom, so they worked only to get money for food and clothing, the benefit of their needs were very modest. The style of the hippie shocked ordinary Americans, especially the morals prevailing in the communes, especially the idea of "free love." The Puritan society was shocked not only by promiscuous sexual relations in the commune, but also by nudist beaches. To achieve complete freedom, hippies used drugs, such as marijuana or hashish. However, their favorite means of liberation was LSD, which at that time was cheap and generally available.

There is this current to this day. Modern hippies changed their way of life a little. Instead of communes, they gather in associations and gather at annual festivals. One of the largest hippie festivals in Russia is the Russian Rainbow. In Moscow, hippies gather twice a year - April 1 and June 1. Street get-togethers no longer play such a significant role, as it was in the beginning. They are only going to beginners hippies, strongly diluted by representatives of other youth movements. Today's hippies have virtually abandoned drugs, promoting vegetarianism and a healthy lifestyle.

The style of the hippie has given much to modern culture. Periodically, long hair and colorful skirts come into fashion. This style of steel is the source of new youth trends - their slang is still used. The philosophical outlook of the "children of the sun" is not forgotten, and hippie festivals give an opportunity to slow down the rhythm of life and relax in the company of friends.