Subcultures of the past: who are hippies?

People tend to look for an alternative to many things, including views on life. And if a person has the courage to declare to society that his world view is something different from the generally accepted one, he immediately becomes a sort of outcast, a madman who dared to raise "a riot on the ship". And if this person has like-minded people and join him, this rebellion gradually turns into a kind of subculture or movement, where there are rules and laws, their goals, their way of life, etc.

One such movement appeared in America in the 1960s. Its representatives called themselves "flowers children", "children of spring". Surely you already guessed which subculture you are talking about. Yes, it's a hippie. For the first time this name was mentioned in one of the local television broadcasts, in which the hippies were mentioned as unshaven, long-haired young men in jeans and T-shirts that had protested against the war in Vietnam. They walked through New York streets and shouted slogans of hippies such as "Yes love, no war!" And "Love is all you need!". They called for peace, for the end of this senseless war, where people perish; They did not want to obey the rules of society, which they considered unfair.

The bulk of people, not really knowing who the hippies were, frankly did not like the representatives of this movement. In this there was nothing strange, because the children of flowers actively propagated the way of life, which was called free. The famous combination of the words "Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" belongs exactly to the hippies. Yes, this movement was happy for free love and even, despite the love of alcohol and drugs, for a healthy lifestyle. True, in this context, to lead a healthy lifestyle meant to be closer to the earth, to nature, not to pollute the environment and to love every bush, every pebble and every living being on the planet.

However, in order to fully understand who the hippies are, it is necessary to know what else, besides all the above, united these people. Of course, this music is a very elegant, but at the same time unrealistically powerful instrument of creation that accompanies a person at all times. And the most revolutionary discovery in the middle of the 20th century was rock'n'roll, which turned into a real symbol of a new subculture.

Children of flowers were easy to recognize by their appearance: hippie clothes were very inexpensive, but extremely bright, decorated with all sorts of ethnic patterns. An obligatory part of the wardrobe was flared jeans, and the hands were always decorated with a lot of baubles. Both women and men wore long hair and were the most real phenomenon of a society that required change. And few know that t-shirts, mini-skirts, shorts and ethnic dresses were not worn before the hippies appeared.

Also among the real hippies are many vegetarians and even vegans. Otherwise, it can not be, because it is in the refusal to eat living creatures in food, as well as from clothes from their skins and skin, and consists of love for everything living. But mentioning who the hippies are, it is worth noting that the representatives of this movement were fond of numerous spiritual practices: yoga, meditation, Buddhism, chi-gun, holotropic breathing and many other things that were unusual in their understanding.

Talking about who these hippies are, it's worth mentioning that thanks to this subculture, a few more movements have appeared, which today are still fighting for the rights of children and women, for animal rights, and advocate for human rights. In addition, anti-war, anti-nuclear and environmental movements have been created, which still have followers around the world. Actually, the entire hippy culture is supported by voluntary organizations that continue to call people for love, not for wars.