There goes this saying that when you’re upset or brokenhearted, apparently, everything turns to ‘Emo’. Some might be wondering what ‘Emo’ really means and what happens when you’re an ‘Emo’. Is it just the music that defines being Emo? Or is it the fashion trend that has black clothes, eyeliner and bangs? Perhaps it’s the lifestyle that a lot of people are now living.
The word ‘Emo’ is merely the shortened term of emotional as to what most would figure. But actually this all began in the 1980’s when the hardcore punk rock groups started a new vibe of music that associated violence and incredibly deep diary-like outpourings of emotion lyrics. Other bands were influenced by this new trend, and thus, the emo-music was born. Fast forward to the two decades, the term emo isn’t merely the songs but also the very lifestyle of the devotees to this extraordinary trend that evolved through the passage of time.
The fashion would involve tight jeans, dark colors , a lot of the bangs brushed to only one side of the face, eyeliner for both male and female, worn out sneakers, studded belts, tucked in shirts, rolled up sleeves, black horned-rimmed glasses and some would even go as far as piercing and body art. As far as lifestyle would go, the open practice of expressing one’s feelings trough action and writing is visibly seen. The occasional scribbling on paper when at worst of times is inevitable, as well as creating songs or poems that widely expresses emotional crisis. When the feeling that the world is out to get you or everything is frustrating enough to make you go on the verge of breaking down, some would resort to violence that involves razors cutting the wrist or practically anything that has skin on it, aggression, rage, anger, or anything in that range. Music would somehow come out, to some non-emo fanatics, as something subliminal or dark and depressing, or maybe simply self-expressing.
Sadly, in recent media, emo has been stereotyped as the people who are unnecessarily too emotional, angst, shy, introverted or depressed. A lot of people would immediately conclude that emo is associated with depression, self-injury, or suicide. When in the earlier years, emo was just music that because of the rapid advancement in the various lifestyles of different individuals in the millennium, emo evolved into something that many would perceive as deep, dark and violent. But as for the emo-fanatics of this generation, they might argue that being emo isn’t what most would define it is. Frankly, nobody can really give a concrete definition of what being emo in the millennium is anymore. It’s not just the music anymore; rather it’s the lifestyle too. Let’s just keep it that way.
We just have to remember that we are commanded to love one another. We are not here to judge them; we are here to show them the love that Jesus Christ showed us, regardless of our status, our personalities, even our belief.
