Of all the youth subcultures, the most prominent and rapidly developing nowadays is the emo culture. Today emo can be found everywhere - young people willingly follow the new fashion trend. However, it is a mistake to believe that emo is just about fashionable clothes and stylish jewelry. This is a whole complex of various things, concepts and behavior patterns. Emo themselves call their movement a lifestyle. What is emo and where did it come from?
The history of the emo subculture
Like most modern subcultures, emo originates in the USA. And it started with music. In the early 80s, the so-called “Washington hardcore” - a mixture of heavy rock and punk rock - was still popular in the musical field. It was a very original sound style, with lots of noise and strong vocals. However, in 1983, the famous hardcore band Minor Threat broke up and the fresh ideas of the remaining groups began to wane... Bands began to move away from the original sound of hardcore punk and experiment in various directions. The songs began to acquire melody, and the vocals became even more sensual.The first emo wave occurred in the summer of 1985, when several rock bands with a melodic sound and new vocal elements emerged in Washington. The most notable among them is the band Embrace, where the vocalist is Ian MacKaye, the former vocalist of Minor Threat. Ien became the founder of the sXe movement, which subsequently gained wild popularity among emocore and hardcore musicians. The band's music was called "Emo", short for "Emotional". This emphasized the sensuality of the songs performed and the expression of the authors’ emotions in them.
Since 1986, many bands have begun to focus on emo elements. Artists such as The Hated and Moss Icon, in addition to the high-speed rhythm of the punk style, add vocals to their compositions that break into screams at the climax.
Finally, since 1990, the emo style has become very famous in musical circles and has become a separate subculture. New subspecies of this style are beginning to develop. The main ones can be identified:
- “Hardcore San Diego” (San Diego, 1992) - a mixture of classic hardcore and emo;
- “Screamo” is a heavier version of emo, more screaming and harder music;
- “French Emocore” is a softened version of “screamo”, characterized by melody.
Of course, like all subcultures, emo has a special style of clothing and appearance. This is a subject of self-expression and reveals to others the individuality of each emokid.
Let's start with clothes. The universal emo outfit contains clothes with black and pink stripes. Checkered designs are very popular. In general, black clothing is a cult item for emo, it helps to highlight the bright elements of their clothing - mainly pink and purple. Clothes with striped sleeves are highly valued. Clothes must be tight-fitting. Tight shirts, buttoned up with all buttons, will be in place here. T-shirts with children's drawings and names of various emo groups. Often the clothes use slightly too small jackets with a bunch of badges.
For girls, striped stockings are popular, usually in black and white or black and pink stripes. For guys, trousers that are torn and tapered at the bottom will come in handy. Black jeans are fine. During the cold season, you can wrap a striped scarf around your neck. The so-called three-stripe belt is very fashionable - it is a double belt, consisting of one ordinary belt and a second one with rivets - three iron stripes, hence the name. Sneakers, especially black and pink, are definitely a must-have in an emokid's inventory.
Black shoes with pink laces are also popular. Rough, heavy black shoes will also come in handy. Girls usually wear large beads around their necks. Glasses are also fashionable, preferably black and horn-rimmed. Emos often carry all sorts of handbags and backpacks with an incredible number of badges, patches, keychains and soft toys. Sometimes there are bracelets or wristbands on the hands, supposedly hiding vein cuts.
Now about style and appearance. Black hair is vital. Moreover, they are radically black - this can only be achieved by dyeing. You can also use dark chestnut. At the front, the hair should be cut so that the bangs cover half of the face. For both girls and boys, it is desirable that the hair be longer in the front than in the back. Black hair should look oily and greasy.
In general, the hairstyle is often deliberately careless and tousled. Individual strands of hair can be bleached to make them appear orange. Emos also often paint their nails black. Eyes outlined with black pencil and the use of cosmetics - foundation, lipstick to match the color of the skin - are very common. Moreover, this fashion is universal for both boys and girls. This is done so that the face looks pale, and against its background the eyes, thickly lined with black, stand out, which are the mirror of the soul, and therefore a manifestation of emotions.
Very often, emos decorate their clothes with many badges, stickers, keychains and small soft toys. Recently, emokid thinness has also become fashionable, down to the “skin and bones” state. This is largely helped by the vegetarian diet followed by supporters of the sXe movement. And any emoticon will always be happy with a homemade decoration, be it a beaded bracelet or a hand-knitted cord.
Here are the main components of emo fashion. Let us immediately note that the main thing here is not to overdo it with your appearance, otherwise you can be branded a poser, and emo people hate posers. Clothing and jewelry should serve as a means of self-expression, and not as a means of following general fashion.
Music was the founder of the emo subculture, so it occupies a special place in the soul of every true emo kid. All emo groups can be divided into several genres, clearly distinguishable from each other.
This style includes the work of the groups Moss Icon, Frail, Lincoln, Julia Silver Bearings, Hoover, Current, Indian Summer, Evergreen, Navio Forge, Still Life, Shotmaker, Policy of Three, Clikatat Ikatowi, the Hated, Sleepytime Trio, Noneleftstanding, Embassy , Maximillian Colby, Ordination of Aaron, Floodgate, Four Hundred Years, Shroomunion, early Unwound records, Native Nod, Merel, etc.
It starts in 1987-88. Sonically, there's a lot of dynamics between the soft vocals, the glam-sounding guitars, and the crashing dual lead guitars and screaming vocals. The style is quite intense - from normal singing in quiet parts to anguished screams, and sometimes even sobs. Interesting features groups playing in the Emo direction can be called their non-commercial orientation - basically, the prices for tickets and records only cover the costs of organizing concerts and recordings, and a bias against digital technologies - recordings are made using tube amplifiers and on magnetic tapes, as well as vinyl .
These include: Rites of Spring, Embrace, Gray Matter, Ignition, Dag Nasty, Monsula, Fugazi, Fuel, Samiam, Jawbreaker, Hot Water Music, Elliot, Friction, Soulside, early Lifetime, Split Lip/Chamberlain, Kerosene 454. Created this genre was at the dawn of emo culture - in 1984-85.
The main aspects of the sound of such groups are softer vocals than in Emo, without much screaming or strain, and the classic rock sound of the music. The main role here is played by guitars - mostly paired.
Emohardcore
Heroin, Antioch Arrow, Mohinder, Honeywell, Reach Out, early Portaits of Past, Assfactor 4, Second Story Window, End of the Line, Angel Hair, Swing Kids, Three Studies for a Crucifixion and so on. This is the latest emo genre, which started in 1990-1991. emo hardcore is hard not to recognize – it’s a frantic rhythm, distorted guitar riffs, and the vocalist’s screams at the top of his voice. The music sometimes reaches such a level of noise that it is impossible to recognize the melody, and guitarists produce bursts of noise and dissonance instead of chords. After each song of such a group, the team had to reconfigure all the equipment, and some even broke into pieces in the heat of the performance.
These are the main directions of emo music. Of course, in reality there are many more, but everything stems from these three. Among the Russian emo groups we can note 0 days of February, Ocean of My Hope, Origami, Room, Maio, 3000 miles to heaven, Idea Fix, and the like. In general, emo is not alien to other music, mainly rock, but they do not like poser music, in particular pop.
Every subculture has an ideological basis. It explains the essence of the existence of such a culture, defines its audience and sets a model of behavior. Unlike many other subcultures, emo culture claims to play a much larger role than just a set of certain characteristics. emo is a lifestyle, a way of self-expression, an attempt to change the modern cruel world.
So, what is the basis of emo culture? First of all, of course, in emotions. Emotions are an important component of human personality. Emos do not hide their emotions, they fully reveal their essence to the world and enjoy the fullness of their sensations, without being at all embarrassed by others. Sincerity is very important in expressing your feelings - emotions often cannot be faked. Any emo can sense the insincerity a mile away. But it’s not enough to just express your feelings - you need to be able to present them in such a way that they fill another person, make him feel what you feel. This is the essence of emo music.
Teenagers who promote emo culture are called emo kids; there is a division of emo kids by gender - emoboy (boy) and emogirl (girl). Nowadays, emo is mainly children and teenagers, since this ideology is most suitable for the flighty young generation. Emokid is often fickle in his feelings and emotions, he is subject to sudden mood swings and constantly protests against his parents and any other people trying to control him, forcing him to keep his feelings within generally accepted boundaries. Emos hate restrictions - they promote freedom of mind.
Every emokid is always open to others, he is happy to help his neighbor. emos are constantly evolving and strive to develop the people around them. The ideology of animal protection is not alien to them - many emos are against the unjustified killing of animals. One more distinctive feature emo is contempt for commercial gain - emo groups often perform for money, which only covers the cost of organizing a concert. Also emo people don't like to use modern technologies and prefer to listen to music on old cassette players and vinyl. The sXe (Straight Edge) movement occupies a separate page in the life of emo culture. This is a movement promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Straight edgers do not smoke, drink, do drugs, or engage in promiscuity. They also actively oppose racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination on any basis.
Stateders strive to expand their consciousness and constantly improve themselves. They are used to always going to the end in everything. If you see a nickname on the Internet that contains an X in front, after or in the middle, for example X_emoboy, then you know: the owner of this nickname is a straight edger.
The modern sXe movement is divided into two lines - softline sXe and hardline sXe. Hardline promotes strict adherence to the principles of the straight edge movement, the fight against discrimination and the protection of animals by any means, including violent and illegal. Unlike hardline, softline straight edge adheres to the rules of sXe without violently opposing discrimination. They prefer more humane methods of struggle, such as oral propaganda, publishing literature and organizing concerts.
Just as for every fascist there is an anti-fascist, so for every emo there is an anti-emo. More precisely, true (true, real) emo. True emos hate posers and all those who, following the general fashion, dress like emos, but do not listen to their music and do not strive to express feelings. Such people usually join the emo crowd, trying to look fashionable, so true emo people despise them and do not rule out using violence against them. Many people, trying to look emo, overdo it with clothes and expression of feelings, which immediately receives extreme disapproval of true emo. Many people confuse emo with goth. There is a huge difference between these two cultures. While goths express hatred for the whole world and disgust for cruel life, they do not see anything good in it, emokid takes the best from life, can rejoice at a wonderful moment or experience failure. The meaning of the emo movement is higher emotionality, exposure to not only bad, but also good emotions.
Today, emo culture has already gained momentum and continues to develop rapidly. Basically, emo is people no older than 25, that is, youth. However, of the entire mass of young people who follow the emo trend, only a third follows its ideology and is aware of the origins of this culture. Most people who listen to emo bands don't even realize they're listening to third and fourth generation emo. For the most part, young people today are more likely to try to be like emo than to actually be one, which, of course, is dissatisfied in the ranks of true emo. For many, a black and pink outfit and checkered sneakers are nothing more than just a fashionable outfit, while for emo it is a way of self-expression.
Emos are not liked in our society. Moreover, they are constantly mocked and openly hated. Perhaps this comes from their unwillingness to keep their feelings within the framework of morality, from the confusion of genders in this culture, because most emo boys look like girls, and many emo girls look like boys. Among emo people, bisexuality is often found, which is another reason not to like them. Emo people are often beaten, mostly by punks, rockers, skinheads and other aggressive young people. However, despite this, most emos remain true to their ideals.
If you decide to become an emo, or rather, if you have discovered it in yourself, then the materials in this article will help you get acquainted with all aspects of the life of emo kids, their fashion and music. emo is a movement for those who do not want to put up with the limited boundaries of modern life, despise constriction and promote open expression of feelings. Emos are not ashamed of their emotions - by and large, they don’t care about public opinion, because they live not for society, but for themselves and their loved ones.
And now that you know who emo are, answer me just one question: would you like to become emo yourself, or maybe you would like your children to become emo?
Where have the emo gone?
Where have the emo gone?
Veterans of the movement reminisce
In the mid-2000s, emo was the most widespread and visible of the youth subcultures. These were young people who listened to American emotional hardcore, wore side bangs, skinny jeans and numerous scarves and badges with black and white or black and pink prints. The State Duma was worried that emos were promoting suicide, skinheads saw the emotional subculture as ideological enemies, and among schoolchildren the phrase “emo-sax” was a universal answer to all questions. At some point the emo wave subsided. Unlike other subcultures that can be found in city parks and squares, emo is neither seen nor heard. VOS talked to veterans of the emo movement to understand what it was and where everyone went.
Jacob, 24 years old
Was an emo boy from 2005 to 2007. It all started for me, clearly, with unrequited love and a sea of alcohol. Then I heard about the music, and then about the direction. For me it meant being part of a good group of people who supported your musical tastes, wanted to stand out from the crowd, basically like any teenagers. There was no public position. It all looks more like a club of interests and just a hangout. We looked for registrations (vacant apartments of friends or acquaintances, where we could hang out in a huge crowd at night), went to concerts (gigs), drank cheap alcohol, Blazer and Jaguar. And the ideals in this culture itself are simple: to be sincere, not to hide your feelings and emotions, but, naturally, most people don’t care.
I dressed in skate shops, because in the 2000s it was wildly problematic to buy bright and tight clothes, especially skinny jeans. The main thing is to emphasize your thinness. From music I listened to emocore / screamo / emoviolence, because this music originated in the USA. Bands like The Used, Drop Dead Gorgeous, From First to Last, Orchid, Funeral for a Friend, Underoath. Russian alternative scene, but, in my opinion, we played exclusively nu-metal and metalcore, and not emocore, with the exception of the group “Origami”.
I left in 2007, when a bunch of so-called poseurs appeared, who simply made fashion out of this culture and it ceased to carry any meaning. I decided to simply remove the external attributes, piercings and long bangs, so as not to classify myself as one of them. But I still like this kind of music, I listen to it with pleasure. The subculture exists and has not disappeared anywhere, the time has just passed when every third person was an emo, all the fagots simply left from there, since it is no longer fashionable to look like that. In my opinion, there are still guys who are just in the know.
Ellina, 20 years old
I've been emo since about 2009. I was small, but I got very deep into this subculture. Everything serious started in 2012. Those were great times. At the moment, I don’t want to classify myself as a member of any subculture; each person is individual. But it was emo culture that made me understand this. You know, emo is the most peaceful subculture, I agree with all the positions it represents.
There was also misunderstanding on the part of people. But they are all a gray mass, they will never understand what it is like to express their emotions openly, they thought that we were abnormal, so be it. But we do not force ourselves into the framework of society and do what we want. The emo spirit will probably stay with me forever.
Anton, 20 years old
I became emo in 2008. At first, for me it was just a cool appearance, music, I felt that it was close to me. Later I delved deeper into the ideology of culture and became convinced that I needed it. The essence of culture was detachment from public opinion, non-following of stereotypes, templates and prejudices laid down by society, positioning oneself as an autonomous unit and not part of the system, freedom of expression, freedom of expression of emotions and opinions, fear of accepting oneself for who you are, openness.
I listen to emocore, both domestic and foreign, early post-hardcore, mall-emo, pop-punk. In 2008, I dressed in what I still wear now. Tight jackets, hoodies, T-shirts, shirts, sweaters, rather elegant and not brutal clothes.
The subculture is alive, evidence of this is emo publics with a large number of subscribers; fashion has simply passed and those who were in it only because it was fashionable. Now they belong to the subculture that is fashionable now. For me, they weren't emo, just fashionistas. Those who were ideologically in this movement remained in it. In fact, now this is also slowly becoming fashionable, “bring back 2007.” The whole essence of the subculture is in its views on the world, I have always said that emo are not made, emo are born. After all, without a certain worldview, a certain state of mind, a certain way of thinking, would this be interesting to me?
Three emo girls (in unison) Bangy,
Mardzhera, Polly_Di, each 22 years old
We became emo in 2006, I think. A certain party was formed, and everyone was hanging out at the Theater and Manega. And the rest - I don’t bother. All their workers knew each other. And the leftists, no matter what, came and we threw eggs at them. The main message was that it is important not to hide true emotions, to be who you are. Maybe it was a way to express myself, who knows. At school, all the teachers thought I was a goth. It was just fashionable. That's all. We were all Emorians, and we weren't much different. Just like then everyone started hanging out at Solyanka. And now it’s fashionable to go to techno parties.
Vasily, 20 years old
I have been in the emo party (I propose to call it a party) since 2007 - the peak of the popularization of this culture in the sense that this peak is associated with its heyday, acquiring the status of the dominant youth subculture at that time to such an extent that, due to its popularity, it ceased to be similar in this regard to a subculture, but has become a mass culture, embracing large sections of young people. This same emo wave did not leave me aside. Many of my friends and acquaintances gradually began to master a new style of behavior, clothing, and new music, adopting and copying all these attributes from each other. It was truly a wave that absorbed more and more new guys every day. As we know, it is difficult to resist the pressure of the wave, even being in such a weight category - at that time I was only 13–14 years old. And according to all the laws of physics, this same wave carried me far and for a long time. I succumbed to the general euphoria.
Now many have jobs and families, but for this minority, who remained in the party after the decline in its popularity by 2010, these ideals remained for life, and friends in the movement became friends for life. We still gather in large groups and organize gatherings. Everyone is no longer the teenagers they were then. But the so-called spirit still lives. Everyone remembers the past - the time of freedom and carelessness, childhood joy and childhood grievances, first love. This is probably why many of us have matured in mind, but have not aged in heart. We can say with confidence that the ideals laid down back then are still manifested in communication between us. I'm an emo as long as I have someone to see and spend time with. I'm emo until my soul and my heart grow old and die. There are fewer of us, but this culture will live forever. Despite the decline in the popularity of the emo movement, there are still teenagers who are interested in emo culture and get into the party.
Ksenia, 20 years old
It all started in 2007, I was 12, if I’m not mistaken, and continued until I was 14. How it happened, I don’t know. I often came to Moscow since childhood, saw it all, and was interested. And there were such people in our city. Now, oddly enough, they are successful, many have moved to America, are engaged in business, and I remember them with side-swept bangs and wearing tutus. Everyone already has families and children. I was the smallest in the company.
There were fights a couple of times. Boys would come up to us and start talking rudely, but fortunately for us, in most cases we could explain that there was nothing wrong with it. Once, my friend and I got into a fight with two boys, they were about 25 years old. A boy, an acquaintance of ours, came up and separated us. And at school there were many altercations with teachers and classmates. I didn’t care about the school uniform, and I wanted to wear black and pink leg warmers on my arms and shave my temples. I smoked, listened to rock, dressed strangely. Mom was against all this, she constantly cursed, but she decided that I would get over it - and that’s what happened. They cut off my side bangs one day and that was it. It's gone with that. I sat and cried, and by the evening I had calmed down and felt good.
It's very funny to say that I have grown up. It’s just that at some point you begin to understand that it’s not always good to show your emotions and let people know what you really think. And you don’t want to stand out, you want to do the same thing you did, but no longer stand out. There is no desire to gather in the city center dressed in pink.
It was fashionable to have bright color combinations, bright with black, thus showing positive and negative emotions, that everything in your life is striped. There were girls, they wore pink tutus, striped T-shirts, and leg warmers.
Thanks to the subculture, I began to understand people in many ways, their bad sides. At that time I stopped loving my hometown, I wanted to leave there. It seemed that all the people were kind and wonderful, but it turned out that they were not.
The emo era ended, and thanks to the acquaintances I made in the 2000s, I began to get tattoos; people appeared who set me on the path of a musician far from emo culture. At least the appearance remained similar. The funny thing is that many of the “chelkaris” I knew became completely different people. Someone is running around, painting carriages and walls. Someone became a football player. But still, the majority became musicians. Some even began to lead an ordinary, measured family life.
Emo - short for "emotional" - is a term for a specific type of hardcore music based on the crushing strong emotions in the vocalist's voice and the melodic but sometimes chaotic musical component. Squealing, crying, moaning, whispering, breaking into a scream - distinctive features this style. The lyrics are personal in nature - about the author’s experiences, as reported on the Wikipedia website.
Today this style of music is divided into: emocore, emo-rock, cyber-emo, punk-emo, emo-violence, screamo, French-emocore hardcore San Diego, etc. Fans of emo music, identified as a special subculture, are called emo kids .
The concept of emo is very common among modern youth. In addition to bright outfits, hair and makeup, these guys have other ways to express themselves. Through music and heightened emotions about everything that happens in their lives.
There are several theories about how the Emo movement began in general.
The first suggests that "emo" was formed in the 1980s, as a way to describe the branch of hardcore punk that emerged in the 1980s, and "emo" is short for "emotional hardcore", which eventually resulted in the grandcore-modified punk music.
However, most people who follow the emergence of new subcultures believe that "emo" means "nervous kids who post pictures of themselves on MySpace and cut themselves."
Others believe that the emo movement emerged in the early 1980s.
Wikipedia offers this story:
In late 1983, the hardcore punk scene that had erupted in 1981 seemed to be losing steam and fresh ideas within the emerging Washington hardcore sound. Minor Threat's dreary, posthumous LP Salad Days came out in 1984 and hammered the final nail into the coffin of Washington hardcore. Bands across the country began to look for new directions: DRI and Bad Brains began playing light metal, 7Seconds went to U2 for jungle alternatives, and so on. Washington's style began to change mainly towards melodic rock with a punk sensibility.
1984 saw the release of Minneapolis band Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade, a testament to their lush new sound, combining soft, negative vocal delivery and mid-range guitars with slower rock tempos and lighter, more chaotic songwriting.
In the spring of 1984, a new group called Rites Of Spring was formed from members of The Untouchables, Faith and Deadline. This band retains the punk speed and frenzy, but mixes in a whole new vocal technique. Singer Guy Picciotto maintains a frantic punk style of singing almost all the time, from time to time delving into very personal lyrics, colored by emotions and spiritual quests. At climaxes, his voice turns into a guttural, husky, girlish moan.
First wave (1985-1994)
The summer of 1985 became known as the "Revolutionary Summer" when Washington's punk music scene exploded. new wave bands with a diverse rock sound, focused on rock tempo, musicality and melodic vocals: Gray Matter, Soulside, Ignition, Marginal Man, Fire Party, Rain, Shudder to Think, etc. Some bands retained a fast hardcore sound based on punk with new vocal methods, with Dag Nasty being a notable exception.
Ian Mackay is one of the founders of the Emo movement.
Minor Threat vocalist Ian MacKaye sang for the band Embrace (compare the band's name to earlier DC bands Minor Threat, Void and State Of Alert), whose lyrics were emotional and introspective, but still clear and unambiguous. IN musically, the band (formed primarily by former members of Faith) makes somewhat noisy, mid-tempo music with a large number guitar pop techniques. Mackay's vocals retain their signature solid delivery, with occasional glimpses of emotional transmission. Iain Mackay is also the founder of the sXe movement, which has become popular among emocore and hardcore musicians.
The sound of these bands eventually became known as the "classic Washington sound." Part of this sound was ironically called "Emo", short for "emotional". One source claims that the term first appeared in a Flipside interview with Ian Mackay. Shortly thereafter, the Washington bands received the "Emocore" label.
A little later (in 1986) some groups began to focus on the "Emo" element as such. Apparently, the first to do this after Rites of Spring were The Hated in Annapolis (near Washington). Soon after, Moss Icon appeared in the same city, stripping the Emo element to its very core and adding no small amount of sophisticated, arpeggiated guitar melody (Tonie Joy, later in Born Against, Lava, Universal Order of Armageddon, etc.) with a strong accent. on loud and soft transitions. The vocals are also captivating new land, soaring to a real scream at the top of the lungs at the climaxes of the songs.
By the early 90s, this style had gained sufficient popularity in the independent musical environment and developed into a separate subculture; new subtypes of this style appeared.
Second wave (1994-2000)
In 1994, thanks to the release of the debut disc of the group Sunny Day Real Estate “Diary”, Emo became famous to a wide circle listeners. At the same time, he underwent significant changes in terms of music - he became more listenable, influenced by other styles, such as grunge and indie rock. Many groups appeared similar to Sunny Day Real Estate in style - Mineral, Christie Front Drive, Braid, Boys Life, etc. Thus, thanks to these groups, Emo got into rotation on radio and television programs.
Third wave (2000-present)
At the moment, Emo is firmly entrenched in youth culture, more and more commercially successful projects are appearing, such as The Used, Funeral For A Friend and others, but in sound they are already far from the original Emo groups. The emo style has spread not only to music, but also to the clothing of emo kids.
The most important desire of an emo kid is to find a big one. pure love. Having fallen in love, they surrender to an all-consuming feeling no worse than Romeo and Juliet (and do not forget that the main representatives of emo culture are approximately the same age as the heroes of Shakespeare's tragedy). But God forbid it turns out that they were mistaken and this person is not a real soul mate! There will be no limit to the suffering of emo kids; they will devote the next few hours to thinking about the imperfections of our world. But this is not forever: after crying for a couple of days, they rush to further search.
Love is an ideal feeling that cannot be hidden, say emo kids. Therefore, if the heart is torn into pieces, the emo will not be silent about it - he will openly be sad, worry and, if necessary, cry bitterly.
Music evokes especially strong emotions in emo kids. At emo festivals, crowds of emo kids in bright clothes are unable to cope with their emotions and almost flood the dance floor with tears. But these, of course, are extremes: true emo (true emo, from the English truth - truth, truth) can cry to a sad tune, but they will never make a show out of it.
Emo culture in Russia
Russian teenagers quickly picked up the Western trend of emo culture. It is obvious that there are many more detractors of this trend in our country than admirers. The first speak about the unnaturalness of such a phenomenon in Russia. In their opinion, tracing paper taken from the West contradicts the true culture of the former Soviet Union. Others argue that representatives of this trend are distinguished by their young age, and such experiences are precisely typical of young, unsuccessful and emotional teenagers, that is, one should not take such a culture seriously. Still others argue that the desire of emo kids to be “themselves” and at the same time strictly following instructions like “what a true emo should look like” is more than paradoxical. Admirers claim that in Russia there are several musical groups that founded the emo movement. For example, "Psyche". However, even the famous Russian singer Mara decided to release an album in emo style. If representatives of show business are betting on a relatively new movement, it means that it is becoming more and more popular in our country. On the Internet you can find a huge number of resources where they offer to order patches, T-shirts, badges, bracelets and even wall calendars in the emo style. Time will tell how this trend will take root in our country, “Russify” or leave its mark on the culture of Russia.
Today youth subculture emo heard by almost every teenager. About ten years ago, not fully understanding all the intricacies of a unique style, many boys and girls willingly grew bangs, dyed their hair, put on skinny jeans and behaved provocatively emotionally. Nowadays such teenagers, without a doubt, would be classified as posers. So, let's take a closer look at what life is like in emo style.
If you plunge into history...
The youth subculture of emo captivated Russian youth in the 2000s, although the musical “wave” swept over Western countries back in the 90s. In essence, the musical style combines a specific version of the performance of hardcore music, characterized by a frantic tempo and sharp transitions from a whisper to a squeal or to a roar (Growling\). The founder of this trend is considered to be the vocalist of the American group, Ian McCain. Today there are a huge number of emo groups, from which we can highlight -, etc.
Emo life
Teenagers who find themselves in this style are distinguished by their bright appearance, unusual makeup and unique hairstyle. Numerous badges and improvised patches are the main attributes of the subculture.
The essence of emo culture is the open expression of sincere emotions, opposition to injustice and a true sense of worldview. Therefore, it is enough large number adherents, unable to feel the purity of their own feelings, limit themselves only to external attributes. In a narrow emo environment, they are called posers (“imitators”) - deprived of a heightened perception of the world. In essence, a poser is a person who has superficial experiences designed exclusively “for the viewer.” Therefore, it should not be difficult for him to wear out and attract the attention of others at school or in other public places.
Are emotions dangerous?
Sincere expression of emotions is the basic rule of emo kids. They are distinguished by their special vulnerability, sensitive attitude and frequent depressive states. There is an opinion that emo kids who are constantly worried are prone to suicide. Let's figure it out, is this true?
Once upon a time, music became the meaning of life for many impressionable teenagers. But the emo ideology is not always understood correctly and quite often only the outer “shell” of the subculture attracts attention. Due to this, numerous ranks of posers compensate for the subculture and crowd out real (true) emo.
The “imitators” include teenagers experiencing mental oppression and suffering, depression and aggression. They do not hide their attitude towards suicide, they openly express it on forums, because they do not know (or do not understand) the meaning of their later life. As an example, the thoughts of one emo: “ ...Suicide is the way out strong people. Only such a person can send everyone to... and cross the line. I admire them! I want to be like this!..." With a high probability, there may be other followers with an unstable psyche who will quote these stupid and meaningless words.
Therefore, society openly expresses its hostility and sounds the alarm. However, for a few teenagers, the emo youth subculture is not only the meaning of life and state of mind, but primarily a musical direction. Therefore, enjoy your favorite works and do not pay attention to the stereotypes created by unbalanced teenagers that discredit the entire subculture.
The “emo” subculture arose in the late 80s of the last century among American teenagers and youth - fans of the emo musical style. Their main difference from other youth subcultures (especially from the Goths, with whom they are constantly compared) is their great emotionality. Even the name of the style comes from the English word “emotional” - emotional.
Principles of emo style
Emos call themselves emo kids (from the English “kid” - young man, child), respectively, the girl is an emo girl, and the guy is an emo boy. High sensuality, frankness and hypertrophied emotions, a vivid manifestation of joy and sadness - these are the main distinctive qualities of the emo style. Emos, although they reflect on death and the transience of life, but, unlike the Goths, strive for sublime sweet love and happiness.
A typical representative of the emo style is not particularly intellectual, is not engaged in self-education, and is unlikely to quote Baudelaire by heart, because he does not know who he is. But if an emo is happy, then he jumps with happiness and hugs everyone around, and if he is sad, then he may think about suicide. The usual state of emo is a state of bitterness, depression and resentment towards the world.
Real emo are sensual and emotional
Emo, like typical teenagers, have unstable emotionality and a subtle psyche, but the desire to emphasize their individuality made this style interesting and aesthetic. How to become one of the emo? Let's look at the main canons of style.
Canon one: hair and makeup
It is best to have a short haircut and dye your hair black. In this case, there must be bangs - long and asymmetrical, covering one eye and reaching the chin. The back of the head is cropped short, with hair sticking out in different directions. You can leave and long hair, but bangs are still necessary. You can dye colored strands, or dye your entire head - especially welcome pink hair.
Usually girls have pink hair, while guys prefer black or other colors. Also, girls often decorate their hair with black and checkered ribbons, hairpins in the form of pink hearts, bows and flowers, and wear berets. Also popular hairstyles for emo girls are baby high ponytails on both sides. Remember - the hair should not be soft, but it should be smooth! Therefore, sticking out sharp strands is the best hairstyle. The greater the volume of hair, the more it should stick out.
All emo kids use makeup, regardless of gender. This is necessarily black eyeliner; emo girls have pink lip gloss or lipstick with glitter. Rhinestones, shiny hearts, and transparent silicone tear drops can be glued near the eyes and on the cheeks.
Canon Two: Clothes and Shoes
Emo clothing, like goths, is dominated by black, but it is complemented by a large number of other bright colors, especially pink. The main thing in an emo's wardrobe is a tight black T-shirt and skinny black tube jeans. Ideally, all clothing should fit tightly to the figure. The T-shirt can be complemented with a print of your favorite musical group or a heart, stripes or checkered design. Also suitable are tight, bright shirts that all emo kids wear.
Tight tops and leggings with a short skirt instead of jeans are popular among emo girls. On your feet, it is best to wear black or bright sneakers, sneakers and any other Converse or alternative “low-top” shoes.
Emo style even influences the choice of shoes!
Canon Three: Bags and Accessories
Emo kids' bags look like military tablets or courier bags, black, painted with white corrector, with emo stickers and pins. T-shirts are also decorated with pins; the more pins, the better. You can wear a black, blue or pink backpack, decorated with checkered ribbons and stickers. Also very popular are badges with emo symbols, which are attached to clothes, shoes, and bags.
An emo girl's outfit must be complemented by a black belt with spikes and a headdress in the form of a beret, hat or funny cap. The headdress may not be combined with anything from the clothing, and it is even better for it to be on its own, the main thing is that it is original and attracts attention. Emo kids' jewelry includes bracelets with spikes and large plastic beads, necklaces in the shape of skulls, piercings and tattoos - everything that can emphasize your audacity and emotionality.
Emos are very fond of glasses, regular corrective glasses or sun glasses. But glasses can only be large or very large, for half the face. Emo boys sometimes wear aviator goggles - that's cool too. Fingerless gloves will also complement your emo look. All emo kids paint their nails black or silver, with sparkles, hearts and roses.
Canon Four: Music and Lifestyle
Chat with like-minded people, meet other emo people, attend emo parties and concerts of emo groups. Emos are distinguished by the fact that they do not listen to generally recognized musical groups. Each party has its favorites and its idols. Main feature emo music is its high emotionality, deeply personal character, which is expressed in performance: emo vocalists can cry, squeal, moan and whisper about their feelings and experiences.
Fans also react emotionally. Audiences crying and jumping at concerts are the norm. The basis of the emo style in music was rock, only more melodic and lyrical. Emo listen to underground and indie rock with great pleasure. Today, the most prominent representatives of the mainstream emo are A Static Lullaby, Underoath, Dance Gavin Dance, Alesana, Across Five Aprils, Alexisonfire, Dead And Divine, A Day to Remember, Mozart Season.
The behavior of emo kids also differs from the usual behavior of teenagers. This manifests itself in greater openness and display of feelings - e.g. social networks It’s customary to add as many friends as possible, change your status often, indicate your mood, share news and plans, and post a lot of unusual photos.
Being an emo, forget about boring selfies and get creative!
Photos need to be taken in non-standard ways - for example, one eye, legs photographed from above, or the sun through your fingers. Never look at the camera, stick your tongue out or make a face. Process the photo creatively, emo creativity is generally very welcome! Also post photos from all the concerts you attend - let everyone know about your passion for music.
Emos ignore grammar, so they write texts with double or triple letters and do not use spaces between words or punctuation marks in sentences. The rules are not for emo! Abbreviations, cool words and special slang are also characteristic of emo communication. Emos decorate their messages with an insane number of emoticons. Emos also love funny and cute nicknames that replace names.
Probably not everyone will like you as an emo. But, nevertheless, emo are invariably friendly, never rude or angry with others. Learn to let snide remarks fall on deaf ears. Remember - you are sensitive, introspective, thoughtful and quiet. And you believe in Big Love!