If you ask Google to define bohemian the first result is:
Bo·he·mi·an
bōˈhēmēən
adj. a person who has informal and unconventional social habits, especially an artist or writer.
Call us what you want: hipsters, hippies, stoners, nerds, dorks, weirdos or losers. Really, we don't mind because we are weird. In a sea of stereotypes from Long Island and New Jersey, we stick out like a sore thumb. But no matter the looks we get, nor the comments made about our deliberately ostentatious behavior, we just can’t help finding happiness in being different. We are who we are, and can’t bear to live any other way.
Clothing
Above all, this is where your bohemian style shines through. While the guys around campus sport their Timberlands and Vineyard Vines, you show up to class in blazers from Savers. You frequently choose comfort over style and wind up creating yet another genre of yourself, because you're just that stylish. OK, maybe it also has something to do with the fact that any shirt from Lacoste costs about the same as your weekly income. But it’s probably for the best; the six guys on campus currently wearing that $50 V-neck seem to have enough competition as is. From the outlandish hat you refuse to acknowledge as anything but fabulous, to the short-shorts you bought at the thrift store because you just know that your neon white thighs will look dazzling on display; you can’t be told what is and isn’t cool. Your responsibility to be a fashion pioneer to your peers can sometimes feel like a burden.
Music
You'll listen to any type of music because you feel compelled to tell your friends what good music is. You rotate through new musical addictions weekly mostly because you listen to said music on repeat until you're so sick of it, you just have to find something new. It's not like you’re avoiding the mainstream...OK, maybe a little bit, but hey, all this new music sounds like garbage anyway. Whether it’s the “nae nae” or Trap Queen, you just don’t buy into meaningless lyrics. Rather, you’re a connoisseur of music, more intrigued by the artist’s intent than their fame. Lyrics with stories are a common theme throughout your library because you crave a real connection with the artist. To you, it’s just a coincidence that an artist’s appeal is inversely proportionate to their wealth and fame.
Attitude
Everyday is what you make it, and no one knows that better than you. You’re not much for complaining, in fact, your friends often remind you that it wouldn’t kill you to stress a little more when you fail a test. No, even when you fail, you know that all you have to do is make a change to find success, but it’s not going to do you any good to freak about it, either you’ll find success or fail until you make the right change, wither way, life goes on.
Social Awareness
However, what you annoy your friends most with is your quirky take on social norms. You have no problem talking to strangers; your favorite pastime is actually meeting new people, no matter the scenario. You talk openly and in detail about any topic that rolls through your head as though everyone needed to hear every single thought. From what you ate for lunch to your best friend’s sex life, nothing is off limits to you. I mean, why wouldn’t you tell your new friend about that time your best friend forgot you were passed out on his couch and he brought a girl back? Seems logical to you.
OK, so this wasn't really an ode per say; maybe more of a collection of musings on the commonalities between the bohemians around Hofstra. But I don't really know what the heck an ode is, so that one's on you Hofstra.
We dress like fools, listen to rubbish, ooze positivity, embarrass ourselves carelessly, and are completely oblivious to social norms.
And we always will.
Because, as Steve Jobs elegantly declared 1997, you can't ignore us. We are the crazy ones who change things. We're the leaders of tomorrow, patiently waiting for the opportunity to make the change we seek in the world. We understand what society seems to have forgotten: It is not our commonalities, but our differences that allow us to learn from our peers and grow as a person, as a generation, and as a society.
So smile on bohemians, smile on.
