Danielle Ryan

When I first heard about hipsters it was during my freshmen year, while I was visiting my friends from high school at UW-Madison.

I remember looking at them and thinking, “Wow, they are so hip and different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

Which was true, but because of that I was too intimidated to talk to any of them. They refused to call themselves hipsters, which only made them cooler. They rejected the label their peers had given them.

Another group of people I believe to have been created and labeled at UW-Madison are called “Coasties.”

They are girls who wear leggings as pants, an oversized t-shirt, big sunglasses, Ugg boots and carry large purses, with Starbucks in hand. “Coasties” referring to that they obviously don’t fit in with our Wisconsin weather practicality and are channeling some inner-Californian, and clearly stand out.

What is with these 21st century labels anyway? Doesn’t it seem so high school?

If you remember there were jocks, preps, drama kids, goths, and brains, so very similar to the “Breakfast Club” in a way. So why are we suddenly giving groups labels again? How does defining yourself or others as such a label doing you any good in the long run?

I’m a lot like a hipster in a way. I blare my obscure indie music; wear skinny jeans and my friend’s grandpa’s hand-me-down flannel.

I also wear leggings as pants, large sunglasses and Ugg boots. So tell me where do I fit in all this label nonsense?

That’s why labels like this absolutely don’t work and I just don’t understand what benefit they have to our society.

You don’t see adults separating themselves into groups based on what they wear, listen to or look like.

Labeling is easy, and it also makes it “easy” to keep people from getting to know other people.

I’ve worked for the Leadership Institute for the past two summers, and I stand firmly by the conversations and lessons I have with incoming freshmen.

We talk about how to get rid of stereotypes and labels so they don’t affect their ability to get to know new people in college and to not offend anyone by using words such as ‘That’s so gay’ or ‘retarded.’

So take the time to get to know the people around you, either in your classes or the people you see everyday walking the same way to class that you do, say hi, introduce yourself and don’t let the fact they’re wearing Ugg boots or you’re wearing fake glasses keep you from doing that.

Take that from someone who’s had enough labels in her life; an ex-Student Senator, Leadership Institute Shaman, SMOD, member of the Spectator staff and yes, some indie-cross between a hipster and a coastie.

Ballantine is a junior public relations major and assistant photo editor for The Spectator.