To the girls who think they are so adorable when they prance around wearing high-waisted cutoff jean shorts, tunics and flower headbands: please think again.

Sorry if that’s a bit harsh — much to my chagrin, my best friend does this, so think of this as more of a light reprimand rather than a Regina George-style personal victimization. Don’t get me wrong; some girls can definitely pull off the hippie-esque 60s flower-child look. That is, if they’re hippies. Most girls don’t even seem to realize the irony of their plastic flower-ridden accessories and frayed jean shorts.

Hippies of the 60s stood for freedom from corporate greed, mass consumerism and conformity. So when their look becomes a fashion trend (i.e. mass produced) it doesn’t really resonate with their ideals. Those headbands aren’t even made of real flowers, for God’s sake. You can buy them at Forever 21. That's not so anti-establishment, if you ask me. 

When clothing that once symbolized simple living and social independence becomes a typical college girl’s day drink outfit, you know something’s gone haywire. The fact the very people who originated this style fought against (big corporations) now make a profit off of their look is just wrong. It’d be like Nike selling anti-sweatshop garb.

Also, let's note the whole music festival aspect of this trend. Yes, hippies wore (real) flower headbands to music festivals. However, they would’ve been kicking and screaming if they heard the type of music made nowadays. A lot of them didn’t even like it when Bob Dylan went rock! When he used an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, people booed his performance and asked how to stop the “noise.” How do you think they would feel about EDM or whatever else kids our age listen to? My guess is they would’ve run for the hills. 

It wouldn’t even irk me so much if it was any other trend; if I saw people wandering the streets of College Park with bell bottoms and afros, circa 1975, I’d say more power to them. It would be the same as any other fashion revival. This one just doesn’t sit well with me because the people who partake in it seem to miss the whole message hippies were trying to promote.

Like I said, my own best friend is guilty of this societal faux pas, so I can’t judge too harshly. So go ahead, wear your high-waisted cutoff jean shorts. Maybe next time you can leave the plastic flowers at home. If you really need a headband to accidentally spill beer on your friends or shout songs you half-know at a music festival, go outside and find some flowers in the ground instead of on the shelves. Respect the cause of the hippie. It might open your eyes to more than just fashion. 

Image courtesy of Etsy.