Photo: Teddy Roosevelt, hipster.
Hipsters are so in right now. Which probably has them upset because hipsters loathe being in. With the Presidential election just months away, Presidents are in now, too. The only thing more in than hipsters and Presidents is...you guessed it! Hipster Presidents! Here's a list of 5 Hipster Presidents (Well, 4 hipsterPpresidents and a First Lady) who are giving Bon Iver and The Black Keys a run for their money.
+ Theodore Roosevelt (26th President, 1901-1909): The Nature Guy
The Nature Guy is a staple in hipster circles. He's the one whose profile pic is of him reading in a tree, or meditating on an elephant, or doing anything in a grand, outdoorsy setting that makes it very hard to make out how hot he is if you are not Facebook friends with him. Damn privacy settings.
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was born a hipster. If a man with a stuffed bear's name does not qualify as hipsterific irony, I don't know what does. It seems only natural that a man named after an animal would go on to protect them. As President, the conservation of America's natural resources was one of Roosevelt's top priorities. In 1903, he made Pelican Island, Florida, the U.S.' first National Wildlife Refuge. He went on to protect nearly 230 million acres of land. Pshhhh…And the hipster with a tomato plant on his windowsill calls himself a nature guy!
+ Richard Nixon (37th President, 1969-1974): The Troubled Musician
The Troubled Musician is no good for you, but you want him anyway. Probably because he looks so good in skinny jeans. Also because he becomes hopelessly irresistible every time he plays a musical instrument, even if it's just the triangle. I once fell in love with a guy after he drunkenly played me "Chopsticks"! I told him I couldn't make out with someone who wasn't my boyfriend, so he changed his Facebook status to "In A Relationship with Alexandra Govere"--just for the night--and the slobbering ensued. Not my finest hour…
Richard Nixon was certainly troubled ("Watergate" would make an awesome hipster band name), but did you know he was also a skilled pianist?! He wrote an entire concierto, titled "Richard Nixon Piano Concerto #1," and played it on T.V. in 1963.
+ Chester A. Arthur (21st President, 1881-1885): The guy with the facial hair
Mustaches were reserved for dads, grandpas, and mountain men until hipsters made them sexy. But they became, like, way mainstream when sorority girls started taking group photos with their index fingers over their upper lips. It's only a matter of time before the hipster boys start shaving again…or so I hope. I don't want to kiss a boy, but feel like I'm kissing Chewbacca. Chewbacca is essentially a hipster who gave up on shaving, bathing, and hair-cutting altogether.
Every hipster with facial hair has an Instagrammed picture of Chester A. Arthur on his bedside table. Arthur was promoted from Vice President to President after the death of the 20th President of the United States, James Garfield. Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883, which awards government jobs on the basis of Merit. In my opinion, his facial hair was the highlight of his presidency. And oh, what a highlight it was!
+ Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (First Lady, 1961-1963): The Vintage Fashionista
Every hipster prez needs his First Hipstress! One look at Jackie O., and you'll have no questions as to why she was THE First Hipstress. Wife of 35th President John F. Kennedy, Jackie was known for her amazing fashion sense. Hipsters love to discover things before they're cool. Jackie wore vintage clothing before it was vintage…and was photographed in it back when cameras had built in Instagram! Need I say more?
+ Barack Obama (2004-????): The Hipster Maybe
I'm still up in the air over Obama's hipster status. Although his administration hasn't yet wowed us with its environmental policies and there's no awkward mustache in sight, his love of education (Hipsters read/pretend to read a lot. Most of them just put philosophical covers on their Hunger Games books.) and recent display of musicianship on Jimmy Kimmel Live have him in the running. But here's the problem: do hipsters listen to slow jams??
What do you think? Is Obama a hipster? Let us know in the comments section below!
