By Tara Hedayat-Zadeh

What is being hip?

Jessica, 17: "How you are as a person. Someone is hip when they're charismatic, even if it's in a quiet way. Hip is being independent, having a good sense of everything—not just trends, or yourself, but others too."

Tobe, 19: "It's a fake idea. It's a phrase put on something that others don't understand, and yet strive for."

Fuzz, 20: "It's a noble lie."

Marjorie, 59: "To be open and ready for change."

Kate, 37: "Listening to your inner voice, not necessarily other people's rules."

Enana, 13: "Being yourself, but being happy with it. Caring about how you look, but being okay with it."

Adam, late 30s: "Being clairvoyant in some sort of way. Having the courage to acknowledge what you see, and go after it."

Dorothy, 81: "Being open to new ideas, the old and the new."

Scott Cohen, 40: "Being comfortable with who you are."