When people think about emo style, they think about black clothes and skinny jeans. When it actually goes way beyond that.
Having the emo look has to do with makeup and hairstyles. For makeup, the big thing would be eyeliner and for hair most emo people have it in a fringe layered kind of look, having side bangs that cover their eyes. Their hair could be any length but the side bangs is what mainly ties the emo look together.
Being emo also has to do with having certain beliefs, more specifically being more leftist. and listening to a type of music genre. The style was created in the mid 1980’s but was most popularized in the 2000’s-2010’s.
An eighth grade student, Samantha Maciel had to say, “I don’t think black is really emo, I think it depends on how you
wear it. I think being emo has to do with the way they dress.”
Maciel, along with other students had said no when it came to the question. Almost all the students had said no except for one student.
Eighth grader at SEMS Jayla Allen said, “Yes, I think black is emo. I mean you’re wearing all black that’s pretty dark. I just think it’s like in between either you just wear it or style it and the color.”
Emo is a part of the alternative scene, it has to do with dressing a certain way, as in studded belts, skinny jeans or baggy jeans if its the modern way of dressing emo. Also wearing band shirts (mainly of emo bands.
The color black is usually associated with the style emo because the main color people who dress alternative because black is usually an out-of-norm color. When the style became a thing, most people wore the color black.
Like for student Kimberly Gonzales, “I wouldn’t consider black as emo, I think if they dress as the style. I don’t think labeling a music style to the dress style is considered emo. But some songs could be emo because they’re literally meant for emo people.”
Some ‘emo’ songs/bands, Pierce the Veil of one of the most popular emo bands. Some of their songs include “A Match into Water”, “Bulls in the Bronx”, “Caraphernelia”, “Emergency Contact” etc.
Another band is My Chemical Romance who made the songs, “Helena”, “Teenagers”, “I’m Not Okay”, and “Dead!”, “Bulletproof Heart.” Both of these bands are considered the face of emo music.
What makes emo songs and bands considered emo is mainly because their songs are filled with sad and depressing topics.
Which is what the style has been considered with since the 2000’s. A stereotype that has been formed around aesthetics, most emo people are depressed or angsty.
“I think it depends on the person, because some people really look like they want to be emo- in the alternative sense. They wear more alt jewelry,” eighth grader Danna Perza said. “Emo has never been about just their physical style, it’s about their beliefs and what they support.”
Another part of the emo look is makeup and hairstyles. For makeup, the big thing would be eyeliner and for hair most emo people have it in a fringe layer kind of look, having side bangs that cover their eyes.
Students have mixed feelings about black being considered emo. A selective group in SEMS and DREAMS are alternative, like some of them could be seen as emo.
It matters what people would think about the color, so if they do have a positive feeling about the style emo. People at the school can feel like they have a safe community and space to express themselves and their styles, instead of trying to feel like they have to hide who they are.
