Bohemian and hippie are two fashion styles and statements that could also be called the belief of people. These are considered an ancient type of fashion and are a rare sight in today’s world.
But still, some people wear bohemian as well as hippie-styled clothing and flaunt their beauty in it. They seem to consider it the ultimate clothing fashion.
Key Takeaways
- Bohemians prioritize artistic expression, creativity, and non-conformity, while hippies emphasize peace, love, and communal living.
- The bohemian style reflects various cultural influences, while the hippie style incorporates natural elements and tie-dye patterns.
- Both movements reject materialism and consumerism but have different philosophical roots and cultural associations.
Bohemian vs Hippie
The difference between bohemian and hippie is that bohemian is a fashion style that requires the wearer to mix up the clothes and accessories used by them irrespective of the time of origin of those clothes and wear them. On the other hand, hippie is a much ancient form of freestyle dressing where there is no mixing up of clothes instead the wearer could just be themselves and wear whatever they want in the hippie form.
Bohemian fashion style is much loved and is a trend that comes on and off over the decades. Its emphasis on what a person is and their inner self is expressed through the bohemian style.
Bohemian dresses come in very light or neutral shades of many colors and it accentuates the small differences made by the slightest change of hue.
Hippie is a fashion statement that began as a revolutionary form adopted by the youth in many communities.
It doesn’t just refer to a sense of fashion that is in clothing styles but instead, hippie represents an entire lifestyle and communities of people who follow and lead others depending on what their hearts feel like.
This is also a style that has come on and off over many years.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Bohemian | Hippie |
|---|---|---|
| Came Into Existence First | No | Yes |
| Includes Many Colors | No, includes light shades with similar hues | Yes |
| Reason For Origin | Aesthetic | Political |
| Has Many Natural Elements | No | Yes |
| Is More Of A Lifestyle | No | Yes |
What is Bohemian?
Bohemian is a fashion style that emerged early but it was completely established throughout many parts of the world by the 18th century.
The basic idea behind bohemian fashion is that it lets one be comfortable in their skin and helps them embrace who they are without feeling guilty.
People who follow the bohemian style are called bohemians and these people express themselves in their lifestyle and clothing which are an expression of themselves.
Bohemians wear the clothes of their style not to make a point or to stand up against anyone, but to make themselves happy and feel good about themselves.
It is hard to see a bohemian losing their temper and getting angry because just like everything else about them, their aura emanates peace and calmness.
What makes the bohemian styles resurface over and over again in many years is that it has an aesthetic sense to them which seems to cool people down.
The roots of boho fashion can be traced back to the hippie communities of the world.
But most bohemians prefer to fill their lives with light and calming shades of colors and add in plants and wind chimes around their houses.
The general concept of bohemian styles has been mainly targeted towards women who are psychologically more prone to go for it.
Even the clothes that are boho are more preferred by women and it accentuates the feminity in them.
Boho styles, be it the fashion or the lifestyle decor seems to be of that kind which would be preferred by women more than men.
But that doesn’t mean men don’t use bohemian-styled clothing of decor. Because they do.
The bohemian fashion which is highly bent towards females, includes free-flowing skirts and corsets with lace and hand embroidered work.
It is hard to overlook the bohemian style as it represents an individual’s heart and what they stand for with all of the earthy colors and the lovely hues of nature representing everything.
What is Hippie?
Hippie is not just a fashion statement but it is a revolutionary form of lifestyle adopted by many people to fight against things they considered were not right in the community.
It isn’t just a lifestyle but it is an expression of freedom for many.
People who identify themselves as hippies come together and join forces, thereby creating small and scattered hippie communities all over the world.
They don’t worry about what other people think about them and dress the way they want and live the kind of life they wish.
Their fashion includes incorporating as many colors and natural elements as possible because it is seen as a path to free oneself.
The natural elements used in hippie fashion include flowers and pampas grass and many other twigs and vines and which are all twisted to form beautiful accessories.
The beginning of hippie culture is due to many factors of the society that seemed to be disagreeable to them.
After many people started adopting the hippie culture, they started realizing each other’s presence and formed many smaller communities.
These communities started reproducing within themselves eventually growing their numbers.
Such a large increase in population gave them power and money which led to many other additions in the community along with development.
Hippies live a life where nothing stops them from doing what they want and from being themselves.
These characteristics quality of the hippie community have led to small issues and discords.
A life filled with happiness and drugs with late-night parties and freedom from all sorts of restrictions of the outer world gave them enough to be out of control to a point.
Their main style tends to be unisex where no gender discrimination prevails and almost all wear flared pants and long scruffy hair and many colored shirts.
Main Differences Between Bohemian and Hippie
- While bohemian styles indulge in incorporating different styles together to create something magnificent, hippie clothing on the other hand doesn’t believe in mixing and matching.
- The colors used in hippie clothing are of a wide variety and include many hues but on the other hand, bohemian styles use most lightly colored hues with many earthy touches.
- Hippies started as a revolution and an open stage for people to express their opinions while bohemian on the other hand is not of a revolutionary origin but instead has an aesthetic origin.
- Bohemian clothing styles have a general bend towards feminine clothes and styles whereas hippie clothing tends to make everything unisex.
- Hippie styles came into existence much before bohemian and it is fair to say that bohemian style emerged from hippie.
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8691.2006.00392.x
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/000271626938200106
Last Updated : 15 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
