Georgetown Named Tenth Most Hipster Campus

Do we look hipster to you? Photograph by Chris Svetlik

It’s not exactly difficult to find flannel-wearing, bicycle-riding vegetarians in Washington. Whether browsing organic veggies at the Bloomingdale Farmers’ Market, knocking back Natty Bohs at Red Derby, or heading to quirky art shows at the Dunes in Columbia Heights, the social group everyone loves to simultaneously hate on and emulate has a strong hold on our fair city. A BuzzFeed study even ranked the District sixth in the nation in searches for the term “hipster.” But of all the Washington neighborhoods, there’s one I was quite surprised to hear called out as a hub of hipsterdom—Georgetown.

Yesterday, College Magazine released a list of the 10 Most Hipster Campuses. Though it comes in last, Georgetown University is on that list. As a proud Hoya (class of 2010, baby!), I wouldn’t say I’m totally shocked, but I’m also not sure I totally agree.

Sure, our baller radio program brought Girl Talk to campus long before he was cool. Leo’s, our only campus dining hall, won a spot on Peta2’s 2011 list of most the vegan-friendly small US schools. The student-run coffee shops roast eco-conscious Mayorga beans and hold weekly open mic nights, and a focus on liberal arts means course catalogues include classes like Labor, Sexuality, and Globalization, and the sociology of Jay-Z Hip Hop.

While all those seem like legitimate reasons to pin on the hipster badge, College Magazine instead seems more focused on Georgetown’s “ironic” preppiness. Hmm—let’s see here. The student center bookstore is overflowing with Vineyard Vines and North Face, and the male student body collectively owns enough khaki pants to fill a Gap outlet. The inside of the Tombs, the campus bar, is plastered with rowing memorabilia, and, in case you haven’t seen it yet, the Lilly Pulitzer– and monogram-obsessed College Prepster blog is penned by a Georgetown senior. Not sure about you, but the irony is, for the most part, pretty much lost on me.

Do you agree with Georgetown’s new “hipster” title? Let us know in the poll below.

Sarah Zlotnick

Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.