Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings

Man, it was so crazy in the 60s, the heyday of the hippie era. The peace movement, the music, mind-blowing experiments and free love, man! It was too wow to be a hippie, you know. Okay, back to the 21st century. What do you want to become? Okay, you're not a fool, so let's see if we can help you.

To step

2. Feel groovy. Start with the music that has influenced the entire generation. Hitch a ride to your local record player (or surf to eBay) and look for records from the three-day festival of love and music that defined the heyday of the hippie era: Woodstock.
   • Hear Jimi Hendrix and his inimitable rendition of Star Spangled Banner, Joe Cocker getting through with some help from his friends, and Country Joe and the Fish's ever-popular Fish Cheer.
   • For the authentic Woodstock experience, listen to it in the rain. In the mud. Naked, with friends.
   • While Woodstock had some of the best bands and most memorable songs of the sixties, don't forget other music from this era if you want to become a hippie. Just listen to some other great artists of this generation:
   • Bob Dylan. There is a dichotomy about this, one that you have to solve for yourself. Are you going for the Acoustic Bob, or the Electric Bob? Either way, Mr. Dylan is one of the main ingredients of any hippie repertoire.
   • The Beatles. Especially in their psychedelic era, when they moved from "She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)" to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."
   • Jefferson Airplane. Before they descended into the bad Jefferson Starship pop stars, Jefferson Airplane took us down a rabbit hole and gave us someone to love.
   • The Grateful Dead. If you don't know the Dead, you don't know what the word "hippie" means. These guys created a whole new genre known as the "jam band," with bands like Phish, String Cheese Incident, and Widespread Panic. They also pioneered a repertoire of jokes such as "Why do Deadheads wave their hands in front of their face when they dance? So the music doesn't get in their eyes!"
   • Janis Joplin. If there was one archetypal "hippie chick" it was Janice. Of course, she had the hair, the beads and her wild, free way of life, and she also had a voice that made you take off, seducing and numbing you. We can only hope she's driving a Mercedes Benz somewhere these days.
   • While there are far too many great hippie bands to list them all, must introduce you to Crosby, Stills, and Nash (with and without Neil Young); Joni Mitchell; Judy Collins; Sly and the Family Stone; The Doors; Donovan; The Who; The Stones; The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield, and maybe Frank Zappa.
3. Don't linger. Back then the music was exactly what that generation needed. But time goes on, and great music is still being made that would fit perfectly into the flower power era. Enjoy it. Being a hippie is all about being open and embracing what is good. As long as you can dance to it.
4. Understand the subculture. Make sure you fully understand the many aspects of the 60s and 70s that shaped hippie culture. Learn how many of these people came together, what their overall morals and ideals were, and where they came from.
   • You can find a lot of hippie culture history on the internet; probably more than about any other subculture. You can get a lot of insight into hippie culture by watching the original Woodstock movie, "Celebration at Big Sur", "Monterey Pop", and so on. You can also find these on the internet.
   • Don't just be glued to the screen. Read the words of poets and writers and other cultural touchstones that define the hippy:
   • Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe on Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters is required reading, and when you're done you'll know whether to participate or not.
   • Learn how to howl like a wolf and read Alan Ginsberg's poetry. Although pre-hippie himself, his work inspired the creative minds of such icons as Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, and Bob Dylan (among others).
   • Don't forget to laugh at the comedians and yourself. One of the greatest comedians of the time was George Carlin. Unlike many other hippies, Carlin remained true to his ideals throughout his life.
5. Stay informed. Understand that it is different to be a hippie today than it was in the 60s / 70s. Hippies have new ideas on other topics as times change. The hippie generation that is now forming still adheres to many of the same ideals, but the Vietnam War is over and Martin Luther King has more or less won his battle for equal rights.
   • Talk to your parents / grandparents about what it was like to grow up in those days. You will be amazed that they were once young and wild, too, and experienced many of the same things that you are experiencing now, including love, war, different points of view, and a persistent existential threat.
6. Try to keep up your hippie ideals. Pollute as little as possible. Hippies love Mother Earth and do everything they can to keep her healthy.
   • Volunteer and learn about bartering. Hippies in the 60s believed in barter more than money.
7. Learn the language. At the time, hippies had their own language, just like every generation. Here are some words that belong in the hippie vocabulary:
   • Incredibly cool
   • Groovy
   • Hip
   • Mieters
   • You know
   • Totally wow
   • Mad
   • Why?
   • Very good
8. Wear the right clothes. Or not. Clothing is optional for hippies, and even if you have to, hippies are all about not caring about material things. It's about the attitude, not the clothes. So you don't have to scour eBay to find the right round pink sunglasses, wide leg pants or tie dye shirts. It's just as good to go to the local thrift store. As long as it is comfortable and colorful, you are hip.
   • Wear clothes made from natural materials, especially hemp. Hemp is a plant that emits the most oxygen, which prevents pollution. Colorful ponchos and Afghan coats are also great pieces for your hippie wardrobe.
   • Shop thrift stores, flea markets, and make your own clothes and jewelry.
   • Hippies are known for their tie dye outfits, bead necklaces, long wide skirts and wide leg pants. Men let their hair grow long and their beards.
   • Women usually wore no bras and no make-up. The image of the barefoot hippie exists, but they also wore sandals, moccasins or even sneakers.
9. Do your part to make the world a better place. Protest wars and campaign for a freer society on topics such as legalizing drugs and combating discrimination against minorities.
   • Most hippies think that prohibiting drugs does a lot more harm than using them.
10. Let your freak flag fly. Let your hair grow and go to the hairdresser as little as possible. Keep it clean, but use natural soap and care products. There are many natural, organic care products, such as de Traay, Urtekram and Weleda. If possible, make your own products. Dreadlocks are also a popular hippie hairstyle.
11. Too wow man, look at those colors. Some hippies smoked weed and used psychedelic drugs such as mushrooms and LSD. Today, ecstasy is also used in hippie culture. Is that legal. Not at all. Is it dangerous? Opinions are divided on this. Ultimately it's a choice you have to make yourself, with all the knowledge we have in the 21st century now, but it was definitely part of the hippie culture of the 60s. You can only wonder what becomes of bands like The Beatles and The Grateful Dead would have ended up if they hadn't experimented with hallucinogenic drugs.
    • That said, you don't have to take drugs to be a hippie! Keep in mind that many hippies, including Frank Zappa, did not want to take drugs and liked the "natural high" more, which they tried to achieve through meditation, listening to music, colored lights, dancing, traveling, and other healthy activities.
12. Become a vegetarian. Some hippies only eat organic, vegetarian and vegan foods. Keep in mind that in the 1960s, "organic" was not yet a food category, and veganism was not common. Most hippies were too poor to be very critical of what they ate.
    • Today, organic, free-range and healthy food are part of the new hippie movement; you might find some hippies at your local health food store.

Tips

• Do not pollute.
• You don't have to follow the steps above to become a hippie. It is a general guide to how hippies were the previous generations. It is very stretchy and you can experiment with your own style.
• Be yourself. Believe what you want. There are no set rules you have to follow to be a hippie.
• Protest violence, weapons, racism, unfair laws and discrimination against minorities.
• Keep the peace in every conflict. Be the mediator in case of problems and see if you can help people by listening and offering advice.
• Since the old hippies smoked weed, you don't have to.

Warnings

• Don't tell others they are no good because they are not hippies. Everyone can think what they want.
• Most people are not fond of hippies. You don't get much approval on the street, but you shouldn't change because of what others think of you.
• Be careful when experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs. Many resources are illegal. In addition, you must use your common sense and do it in moderation. There are also known unpleasant or even serious side effects, such as a bad trip. Marijuana can trigger psychosis in some people. It can also make you paranoid and anxious, which can last for years in some people.
• Watch out if you start protesting. You can be arrested.