If Marcus High School had its own zodiac calendar, I’m pretty sure 2012 would have been the Year of the Hipster. Of course, if you ask any one of these “hipsters” if this is true, they will deny it immediately.

It’s the thrift store clothes, the Ray-Bans, the button-up, collared shirts, the sudden interest in unknown bands and, in some cases, the strange obsession with mustaches. More than anything though, being a hipster is all about being different. Hipsters seem to pride themselves in having a non-conformist attitude. When everyone else is wearing the latest kicks, hipsters are rockin’ an old pair of combat boots.

But with the sudden influx of hipsters, it’s become increasingly harder for me to distinguish who is truly an individual and who is just conforming to a non-conformist way of life. Let’s face it: hipsterness is trending. But which ones are authentic?

We’ve always been told to just be ourselves. But faking individuality doesn’t count. So wear what you want to wear, like the bands whose lyrics stick in your head and, please, don’t wear glasses unless you need them.

More than anything, though, just be honest with yourself and everyone else. Sure, it may be cool to be a vegan while everyone else is eating McDonald’s. But if you’re craving a Big Mac, let the calories stop you, not what other “hipsters” will think about you when you order one.

So, don’t dare to be different just for the sake of being different. Like what you really and truly like. That is more honorable and “cool” than any hipster-wannabe ever will be.