Let's take a journey back in time, about 10 years back. Yep, let's go to 2007, a time when the music was good, Gerard Way was king, the jeans were tight, and the eyeliner was thick. I'm talking about the emo explosion that was in full swing, and I'm more than proud to say that I was fully immersed in that culture.
While Myspace and Livejournal were some of the places to find more information about emo culture, there were a couple of books that were essentially emo bibles; one of those being "Everybody Hurts" by Leslie Simon and Trevor Kelley. The book breaks down every last little thing that could be defined as emo. From the clothing, to the music, right down to the very history of the culture. It easily became a piece of holy scripture for angst-filled, piss and vinegar, high school Kirstie. This piece of iconography recently turned 10, and I decided to go visit it again and see what, if anything still held true for me.
The book covers literally every aspect of emo culture and it would take me all day to talk about it all, so I'll just hit the big stuff.
Obviously, the biggest part of emo culture is the music. When I was in high school, bands like My Chemical Romance, Brand New, and Taking Back Sunday ruled the world around me. I would listen to Bright Eyes, even when I was happy, just because I loved feeling. Even though I've grown in my music tastes in the last ten years, you can definitely still find me listening to some of the same bands that shaped the little emo girl I once was. I can put on Armor For Sleep and still be able to sing all of the words. I still cry when I think about watching My Chemical Romance play 'The Black Parade' in full (with me being two rows back). One of my best friends and I have lines from Taking Back Sunday's 'You're So Last Summer' tattooed on our bodies; it all still means so much to me. Luckily for me, we just had an emo revival, with newer pop-punk bands writing songs that bring out the same feelings as early 2000's emo, and you better believe that I am all about it. With bands like Real Friends, Have Mercy, and Modern Baseball, today's youth can kind of get a taste of what emo used to be and hopefully lead them back to the glory days of emo.
Every subculture movement has its less than appealing aspects. With that said, let's move on to what could have been the embarrassing aspect of emo culture for some of us: fashion and lifestyle. Now, not all emo fashion was embarrassing or terrible. Cardigans, skinny jeans, and vans are all still very much so a part of my wardrobe. I even still wear the occasional band tee. But the days of black and red striped ties with white collared shirts are behind me. My eyeliner skills are much better and I no longer draw x's over my eyes to mimic My Chem's Frank Iero. I still color my hair unnatural colors on a regular basis. Studs and wallet chains have long since rusted away from my life and I'm more than okay with that. The first piercing I ever got, a tiny stud on the left side of my lip, has been retired leaving a tiny scar (don't worry, I've added several more to take its place, but that's another story for another time.)
Emo culture was and is a place for those who don't belong. From the time I started middle school, I learned very quickly that I didn't fit in with my peers and probably never would. I found a home and a family full of the best friends a gal could have in the emo culture.
