I've been called a hipster sometimes (especially online), but I feel it's wrong. There's a difference between being a hipster, and liking to music from past decades.
Here are the 5 main reasons, some people tend to ignore pretty often.
1) Hipsters tend to listen to modern Indie bands mostly. Not old (and often popular more or less) bands and artists.
Just out of curiosity I took a look here to see what "hipster bands" are. Most of them are unknown (maybe more known in hipster circles), and after having a look in Wikipedia, I notice most of those bands referred there, are modern. Also no of the bands I listen to made it on the list.
2) I don't follow hipster's fashion.
It's their own fashion and they follow it perhaps. I wear no glasses and I'm clean shaven. So I'd not pass as a hipster.
Neither I have those weird earrings, wear checkered shirts or carry a backpack (I don't know why they do, but I have seen pictures of "typical" hipsters where they carry a bag.
3) I don't follow most hipster personality traits.
According to this list here I follow only 3 out of 40 among these traits of a "typical hipster". Particularly #8, #29 and #40.
#8 since most people around my age group, might not know those artists, even if they were known 30-40 years ago. So it comes spontaneously.
#29 when I talk about a certain artist I tend to mention them by the first name. They are humans like everyone after all.
#40 because I was never into studying.
4) I actually know the bands/artists I'm listening to, and what genre I'm listening to.
Most hipsters are usually saying "I listen to (enter the name of the band or artist here)", when actually they know them just by their name, without searching his/her/their discography. Just in order to make impression. Also I have noticed they tend to refer to the music they listen to as "Indie" or as "Alternative", which is a generic term.
5) I don't feel I belong to a certain subculture.
Subculture is questionable in hipster's case. It's actually a trend since 2010s started. Like emos in late 2000s. Although I'm not the most mainstream person myself, I don't feel I belong to a subculture. I go my own way.
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