The word “hippie” has been in existence since the 1960’s. The “hippies” were a large amount of people who believed in the same, basic, simple things. Everyone back in those days and still today have their own opinion on the hippies and what they stood for. The real definition of a hippie is: a usually young person who rejects the mores of established society (as by dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living) and advocates a nonviolent ethic; broadly: a long-haired unconventionally dressed young person. The hippies were much more than just that.

They were loving people who wanted peace and cared about the environment. They were not just lazy drug addicts as some may think. The hippies originated in San Francisco, California. At first they were a small group of people but quickly grew into the hundreds of thousands. Hippies believed in peace, love and happiness. They were happy people who enjoyed life to the fullest. Peace was a large portion of what the hippies were about. They hated any type of fighting, especially war. A lot of hippie protesting happened during the Vietnam war as an example. Peace goes hand in hand with the term hippie.

It’s a way of defining their way of life. They stand for peace in every way possible. Protesting and standing up for peace is one of the main things that make up being a hippie. People always associate hippies with being drug addicts. This is not what a hippie is. In fact, majority of real hippies did not use drugs at all. Sure, there were some that did drugs such as marijuana and LSD. These were typical drugs at the time and the hippies were not the only people that did drugs. It is also believed that if anyone with long hair and wears tie-dye is also a hippie. This is also not the case.

Long hair was typical of hippies, but not every person out there is a hippie because they have long hair. Anyone in this world who wears a tie-dye shirt is stereotypically called a hippie. Hippies let their hair grow long to symbolize freedom. They would do anything back then to be the complete opposite of what was considered “mainstream. ” Both men and women hippies wore jeans and maintained long hair, wore sandals, or went barefoot. Men often wore beards, while women wore little or no makeup, with many going braless. Hippies often chose brightly colored clothing and wore unusual styles, such s: bell-bottom pants, vests, tie-dyed clothes, peasant blouses, and long, full skirts. Non-Western inspired clothing was also very popular. This mainly included Native American, Asian, Indian, African, and Latin American. Hippies made majority of their clothes to rebel against the corporate world. Hippies normally bought their clothes from flea markets and second-hand shops in order to defy what was “normal. ” Their goal was to do the opposite of what modern America was doing at the time. The environment also has a lot to do with what defines a hippie.

They always believed in preserving the earth. The introduction of living a simple life with natural foods and ingredients was a sign of rebellion against the commercial capitalism that prevailed and disgusted many in that time. Defying the government maintained individualism and a new health awareness that led to organic products, being concerned about air and water pollution, stopping the war, and promoting a peaceful lifestyle. Smoking cigarettes became dangerous to physical health according to the Surgeon General, so many hippies quit to improve not only their health, but the environment also.

In conclusion, hippies were not no good drug addicts like many had originally thought. They were people who loved peace and loved the environment. Hippies had an astounding effect on culture not only in the 60’s and 70’s, but still today. The world would not be as it is today if it was not for this amazing group of people. Works Cited “Hippie – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. ” Dictionary and Thesaurus – Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 05 Oct. 2011. <http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/hippie>.