Hipsters are people who listen to independent or underground music, attend shows at bars that headline little-known bands and have a distinct fashion sense.

"Fashion defines how you want to be seen," said Alexandra Barbier, apparel design sophomore. "Indie style is about getting attention, maybe not attention but [being] more unique...Not cookie-cutter Abercrombie."

Female hipsters renovate fashion by mixing otherwise incompatible pieces. They blend vintage clothing with newer pieces from stores like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.

"You want people to be able to identify your interests by your clothes: what music you listen to, what movies you like, your personalities and attitudes," Barbier said. "It's a competition to look more unique than everyone else."

"Black people see me as trying to identify with another culture, but when they talk to me they see I'm not... [White people] want to welcome you in with open arms because some of them see you as one of the good ones," Baptiste said of himself and other black hipsters.

Dr. Sue Weinstein, an English professor with cultural and hip-hop culture knowledge, brings extensive academic perspective to concept of race within musical subcultures.

Lang grew up in Mobile, Ala., where she attended a half-black, half-white performance arts school. She was required to take ballet classes and experienced cultural exchange. Her teachers encouraged students to bring music they enjoyed to school, Lang said. She later attended an all-black middle school and had different experiences.

"[Other kids] thought that I was trying to be white," Lang said. "Then they talked to me and said they used to think I thought I was better than them but I wasn't."

"People feel like you're an ambassador for blacks," Lang said. "[It's] like you can tell them everything about black people. When you're working with the skin, you have to think about it...There are just some things that white people can't understand."

Three years ago, she created Negroclash, an online community, to provide a place where black hipsters could discuss their unique experiences and controversial issues. Topics range from dating and sexuality to Indie music and fashion trends.

"Color or race is a sickness at the core of our culture," she said. "The reason why these things seem confusing is because there is a misconception that one is their color."

Society expects people to act certain ways based on skin color, she said. "When you are part of a historically oppressed group, you try to please everyone."

"In high school, the white kids listened to country and black kids listened to rap," Barbier said. "I never fit in with either...People wanted me to pick a side."

"I've kinda always been into different music. My mom listened to KLSU in the car," Barbier said. She also credits her uncle Lee Barbier, a local musician in the bands Myrtles and 2CV, for introducing her to new music.

Using an episode of "Chappelle's Show," Weinstein explained some of the environmental factors influencing a person's musical tastes. In the episode, John Mayer plays his guitar for different audiences. One audience consists of a black police officer and a white police officer. They both dance while John Mayer plays guitar. The black police officer explains he grew up in the suburbs, same as the white police officer.

Bilal Dottory, a former University student, grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood. Until he was 10 or 11, Dottory enjoyed R&B. He became interested in rock 'n' roll after watching part of a Nirvana music video.

When he attended his first punk rock show, Dottory was unsure about what to expect. Now, he feels relaxed when he goes to a show because he is doing what he wants.

"We are all trying to understand this legacy of race and all the complicated things that have been done," she said. "Anything that gets people to expand [their] thinking and talk is good."

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