what's in a name?

Growing up smack dab in the middle of Mississippi, being called a "hippy" wasn't always a good thing. It's usually aimed at labeling someone as a "liberal" or "left-wing." I'll leave politics out of it, but I wanted to take a little time to explain to you where the name Mississippi Hippy came from.

The summer after my freshman year of college, Jason Aldean came out with a song called She's Country. The song talks about girls from various states in the south and picks a little adjective that basically rhymes with their state or something from their state. Mississippi's line says, "getcha flipping kinda trippy like a Mississippi hippy." I loved it.

My whole life, people have referred to me as a "hippy." I've always liked it. Granted, it hasn't always been a compliment. Most of the time, though, it was in reference to my free spirit, love for music, and tendency to like flowy clothes and flowers in my hair. Oh, and the fact that I'm obsessed with hippy culture. I left my wedding in a VW Bus for goodness sake.

Anyway...

When I decide to start a blog way back in 2012, it seemed like a perfect name. A lot of people think of Mississippians as back woods rednecks, and that couldn't be farther from the reality of most of its residents and myself. The definition of a hippy is a young person who rejects established social customs and advocates a nonviolent ethic.

Well...that's me!

I reject the established social custom of self hate and being violent towards oneself or others. I believe in choosing love over fear. I believe in loving yourself exactly as you are because you are already perfect. You get my drift here, right?

So there ya have it! That's where the name Mississippi Hippy came from, and the rest is history!...kinda.

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Tag me on Instagram (@ChelseaEli), Facebook, Twitter (@ChelseaTThomas), or send me a SnapChat @chelseaeli! I want to see your self-love! You can even add #MississippiHippy so I can see!

Image by Sully Clemmer