Be an Emo Girl in Middle School

Many people think emo - short for emotive hardcore - is being sad and self-harming, but the truth is that emos can be fun, friendly people; emos are people that take small reactions to a more dramatic level, like love, sadness, madness, caring, etc.

If you're only trying to be emo to "fit in", please be aware that it's a way of life, not an experiment or a "for fun" game. You have to put your entire lives into it. Otherwise, you're a wannabe or poseur. It's a genre of music and lifestyle.

Steps

  1. Make sure you are emo for the right reasons. If it's because you are depressed, self harming or having suicidal thoughts; being labelled it by people at your school or college or because you want to try and get an emo boys attention, it's the wrong reason. You should indulge in emo culture because it's who you are; a lot of your interests, music taste and hobbies should fit with emo.
  2. Understand What Emo Is. Research is one of the most important things you could ever do when trying to learn about something, especially about something as controversial as "emo" (which shouldn't be controversial at all). The first mistake a lot of people trying to get into subcultures do is not research the term and go off mainstream media definitions and what their friends say. This is your chance to find out completely what emo is, through reliable resources. Some basic facts about emo are:
    • Emo stands for "emotive hardcore punk" and it's out growth of hardcore punk[1] and post-hardcore[2][3][4] which originated out of Washington D.C in the mid 80s.
    • Emo was a reaction to the heightened violence in the hardcore punk scene, as the music had strayed from the original topic of politics and rebellion.[5]
    • The first emo band is considered to be Rites of Spring, even though they reject the term[6], and second, Embrace (US). In 1984, Guy Picciotto, who was a Minor Threat fan, formed Rites of Spring and broke free of hardcore's self-imposed boundaries in favor of melodic guitars, varied rhythms, and deeply personal, impassioned lyrics creating "emo".[7]
    • Emo was originally an insult given to people who listened to this type of music.[8] People who stayed true to the hardcore punk scene used to go to show and scream insults at the so called "emo" bands.
  3. Listen to emo music. Listening to emo music is one of the most important things of enjoying and being involved in emo culture, so without it, you cannot be considered "emo" as the music ties everyone together. Throughout the decades, emo has been reinvented several times, so here are a list of bands that are considered "emo":
    • Emotive hardcore punk/post-hardcore (old school emo)
      • Rites of Spring
      • One Last Wish
      • Embrace (US band)
      • Beefeater
      • Indian Summer
      • Dag Nasty
      • Gray Matter
      • Soul-side
      • King Face
    • Screamo
      • City of Caterpillar
      • Circle Takes The Square
      • Pg.99
      • Heroin
      • Funeral Diner
      • I Hate Myself
      • Pianos Become The Teeth
      • Orchid (Massachusetts band)
    • Indie emo
      • Sunny Day Real Estate
      • Texas is the Reason
      • Jawbreaker
    • Emo pop punk (the most popular type of emo, due to its mainstream success)
      • Jimmy Eat World
      • The Get Up Kids
      • The Promise Ring
      • My Chemical Romance (after debut)
      • Paramore (early work)
      • Fall Out Boy (early work)
      • Panic! at the Disco
  4. Learn about the different types. If you were to primarily listen to emotive hardcore then you would be an old school emo. If you were into indie emo, you would be a 90s emo and if you were more into emo pop punk then you would be considered emo pop, which technically isn't a genre of emo as it combines emo and pop punk[9], making it something different. This is why it's important to understand where emo came from and what's truly emo. Screamo is a subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 90s, that was pioneered by San Diego bands like Heroin and Antioch Arrow but developed further by East Coast U.S bands like Pg.99 and Orchid. Lyrical themes usually include emotional pain, romantic interest, politics, and human rights, which differ slightly to emo lyrical themes.
  5. Go Shopping at the Mall and shop for emo clothes. Don't buy an off the rack complete emo outfit straight away, ease into the fashion by buying single garments. Characteristics of emo fashion include:
    • Band shirts (before you buy, make sure you know the band inside out otherwise wearing the band shirt of a band you don't listen to would make you a poseur)
    • Skinny jeans
    • Sweat/wrist bands
    • Eyeliner
    • Converse or Vans
    • Hoodies (can feature band logos, too)
    • Black rimmed glasses[10]
    • Studded belts[11]
    • Plaid shirts
  6. DIY your own clothes. This is important because since punk is DIY, it means emo is too, so it's important to show your creativity when putting your outfits together. The statement "they claim to be individuals yet listen to the same music and dress in the same clothes" comes about because people have been going to malls and getting all their clothes from chain stores like Hot Topic. There isn't any creativity in that. It just means you and thousands of others have the same outfits, when the idea in a subculture was to take inspiration from your idols instead of directly copying them. Try buying patches of your favourite bands Etsy.com, eBay.com or another creativity website and try sewing them on.
  7. Take good care of your hair. Make sure what you want to do doesn't clash with the school uniform rules and regulations, but that's only if you go to a school that has one. Emo hair tends to be dyed a dark color, usually black and choppy. Bangs are swept across one eye and straightened.[12] Don't be afraid to dye it different colors; there are thousands of online pictures you can use for inspiration.
  8. Prepare yourself. Some people still don't understand what emo is, and continue to poke fun at those who are. People in middle school especially often tease others because they are insecure. If someone bullies you, it's most likely because they are insecure and shouldn't get away with it. Report these people to one of your teachers or someone of higher authority.

Tips

  • Be prepared to deal with parents and teachers, too.
  • Never forget your roots and where the "emo" term came from. You wouldn't be part of the subculture if it weren't for Ian Mackaye and Guy Picciotto.
  • Listen to emo music. It's the most important of being "emo".
  • Do not do anything you don't want to do because "it's emo". You shouldn't force yourself to like anything you naturally don't.
  • Be prepared for teasing, but don't take it to the heart; kids can be very mean.
  • Wear clothes that you feel good in. Almost any shirt can be emo if you add skinny jeans and a black or gray hoodie.
  • Be prepared for some questions and possibly some teasing. You can always report it if it gets out of hand.
  • Be yourself. Just because you change your style doesn't mean you have to change your personality. Your subculture should not determine that as it's an individual quality.
  • You don't have to wear dark colors and jeans every day, it's okay to wear a skirt or a light t-shirt. Originally emo wasn't about the fashion, it was about the music. Don't get too caught up in wondering if your hair or eyeliner looks good; it's not a contest!

Warnings

  • You don't have to go down a bad path. Doing drugs, smoking, and getting bad grades only gives emos a worse reputation.
  • Do not associate yourself with the stereotypes. This includes being depressed (just to try and be "emo", it's a different matter if you are actually diagnosed with depression), self harming or attempting suicide. It won't make a difference to how "emo" you are.
  • Don't get piercings or plugs if you're under the legal age, especially if your school does not allow them. And do not try to pierce anything yourself as this can lead to serious complications.
  • Although the list above is not emo, there's nothing stopping you from enjoying those bands anyway. You should not put yourself in a box and only listen to emo music, just make sure there's a large portion of it in your music taste.
  • Bands like Black Veil Brides, Pierce The Veil, Asking Alexandria and Bring Me The Horizon are not any type of "emo" bands. For the most part, these bands fit into "core" genres like metalcore and deathcore. Metalcore is a fusion of hardcore punk and metal and deathcore is a fusion of death metal, metalcore and sometimes hardcore punk.[13][14] Learn your music genres. Knowing your music separates you from the poseurs.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/style/emo-ma0000004447
  2. ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/post-hardcore-a-definition-2803470
  3. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22026044
  4. ↑ emotivehardcore.com
  5. ↑ Greenwald, Andy (2003). Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. New York City: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 9–11. ISBN 0-312-30863-9.
  6. ↑ www.allmusic.com/artist/rites-of-spring-mn0000282800/biography
  7. ↑ http://tsudeep7.blogspot.co.uk/
  8. ↑ fuckyeahemo.tumblr.com/post/612345363
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110903200539/http://www.allmusic.com:80/explore/style/emo-pop-d13770
  10. ↑ http://www.kidzworld.com/article/24134-fashion-how-to-go-emo#
  11. ↑ http://emo-fever.com/emo-clothing.htm
  12. ↑ http://emo-fever.com/emo-hair.htm
  13. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/desolation-of-eden-mr0002871032
  14. ↑ http://www.revolvermag.com/news/dan-kenny-of-suicide-silence-picks-his-top-five-underground-death-metal-bands.html

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