Embracing Stereotypes
Not so long ago in a land not so far away someone asked a rather common question; "What is Emo?" and I swooped in, like I do, with any answer. Any answer would have done but it occured to me, while reading over the youthful answers, that most kids don't een understand their own social sub-groups so today I'm going to take you on a little trip, embracing silly teenage stereotypes and tryingto further explain things.
There are nuances to any social situation and highschool is no exception.
Goth
Goth kids. Now, this is a widely disputed arena as it's currently experiencing an resurgance in popularity by the self-proclaimed.
One of the funny things about the alternative sub-genres is that it's unbelievably difficult to get in or out of them. You can buy the cd's, don the clothes, smoke, skulk, and still not be accepted but once you have been annointed, there is no escape.
The signs your character is going off the goth deep end? Pancake make-up and pale skin. Clothes that actually contain D-rings. There is generally a lot of poetry writing here and an afinity for red, black and grey as a color combination. Goths, unlike the more traditional metal kid with which they are confused, tend to sport newer clothing - because black fades, and fast.
They usually really like the word 'requium" and can often be found blaring Cradle of Filth without regard for the fact that their last two albums sucked royally.
Metal
Metal kids :) Ah, how I love thee. Metal kids are my personal favorite so you will have to excuse me for spending perhaps a little bit too much time here.
Metal, much like Punk, is probably one of the most difficult groups to fall into. Why? Because you can't buy a metal look.
The first rule of metal is that you must play an instrument - and, no, the violin doesn't count. Bass. Electric Guitar. Drums. These are instruments that will be considered for admission. Why? Because you will, at one point or another, be privy to a really bad garage band session in which you will be expected to take part in one capacity or another. I cannot tell you how many hours of my life have been 'wasted' away sitting on a cold concrete floor listening to four teenagers blasting over half-stacks.
The second rule is equally random but equally important. Black clothing. That said, unlike the Goth crew, which is also universally known for their afinity with the color, yours must be faded, worn in, and where possible, contain at least 10 original tour t-shirts from the late 80's and early 90's Metallica tours. This is extremely important. Point of fact, Hot Topic does not sell anything a 'real' metal kid wouldn't hit you for wearing.
Metal kids are not big on the whole "make-up" thing. Yes, you will see metal girls sporting the traditional girl make-up and i've, at one point or another, piled on more eyeliner and mascara then most girls, but it is nevertheless frowned upon as melo-dramatic for men (ahem, gerahard) to wear make-up. Get the notion that Draco is going to wander around listening to slipknot with caked on eyeliner out of your head.
As additional aspects to this, you're supposed to smoke. I have made it thorugh 9 years of metal-dom without ever pressing lips to Marlboro but I am a rarity.
Metal bands, fortunatley, give you some of the largest leeway as far as what you listen to. There are the staples, Metallica and co and then there are the offshoots of metal which you can foreey into as often as you like. There is the slipknot/mudvayne set, despite the fact that their last two albums have sucked. Iron maiden, etc...
Oh, and if you don't know who Pushead is, go home.
Metal has one additional subgroup which we've, none too affectionately, named New Metal. This consists of a lot of pop-culture caused crap. Evanessence, Seether, and most disgustingly, My Chemical Romance. Goth, goth can be about depression and death. Punk, punk is about a general dislike of rightwing causes, but until relatively recently, Metal was a scene all about being angry. And then...well, there was New Metal. Suddenly, we're throwing emo lyrics over a modified metal riff and calling it a single, then throwing on some Billy Jo eyeliner and a Lip Service outfit along with a little red eye-shadow and, hey, look! It's a hit album.
If my treatment of the subject is not obvious enough, those of us who have been diligent metal-heads since birth find it more than a little loathesome.
Most important thing to remember; Real Metal Doesn't Cry.
Point of fact, these are slipknot lyrics. " Insane - Am I the only motherfucker with a brain?/I'm hearing voices but all they do is complain/How many times have you wanted to kill/Everything and everyone - Say you'll do it but never will" - Eyeless
Punk
Punk is the fun sub-group. Where Metal, New Metal and Goth focuses largely on skulking and brooding, punk kids are a blast.
The punk movement, born of Berkley, focuses, in great portion, on property destruction and a general disdain for the right wing. Punk, much like metal, is not sold in stores and cannot be bought. It is a movement that relies heavily on hand-to-hand sales for new artists - and that's where all the good stuff is - and it takes years to properly break in a pair of dickies.
Contrary to popular belief, Green Day is no longer considered a punk band, and havent been since Dookie. They were, like so many others, also born of Berkley fame and I, to this day, adore them. (Yes, I would sleep with Billy.) Their last rock, pardon, punk-opera album, American Idiot has done more than enough to bring them back for a third time and has, for the dedicated fans, made up for the disaster that was International Pop Super Hits but they're still not NOFX.
The Misfits, mohakws, Dickies, and combat boots. Ah, yes, the wonder years.
It takes more than a black mini-skirt, a green day t-shirt and a pair of pink fishnet nylons to make a punk kid.
Emo
Oh how I loathe emo kids. They cry.
Emo is a trend born of the punk movement, but without all of the jumping up and down and fun.
Dashboard Confessional. *shudder*
Argyle is the pattern of choice - most particularly when paired with stripes or polka dots. Tight jeans that are often too-short or cuffed. Black shoes - usually doc martins or tennis shoes. The Emo kid tends to be wafishly thin, product of their animal-friendly vegan diet. Moppy haircuts and dramatic make-up (girls or boys) with a touch of horn-rimmed glasses.
Did I mention that Emo kids cry? Oy.
As i'm meeting with America's youth, the new metal movement, most goths, and a medly of the new punk kids, i'm finding that most of them are Emo Kids in disguise. Food for thought.
Preps
Preppy kids are another bunch I know about. Product of one of the United States most presitigous prepatory highschools, I've known my fair share.
Doc Martins, Louis Vuitton and pretty much anything else that is trendy and comes in Khaki, the prep is a unique beast. It's a clean bunch where everyone knows how to tie a bowtie and blasers are a regular part of the wardrobe, so long as they come in the finest wools.
To scale back on that, to the average American highschool, you'll find a lot of the same look, just more reasonably priced. These kids tend to listen to a lot of what's popular, no matter what that is. Michelle Branch used to be a must have and their CD collection always represents the pure American Heart.
Seriously, get these kids some apple pie.
Jocks
Jocks are generally a sideswing from the prop group in most highschools. The captain of the football team is always popular - right? That is the rule, isn't it? With the jock group, you will tend to see a lot more fo the tennis shoe/jersey combo but, for the most part, it's the same formula, in my experience.
More to come...
There are nuances to any social situation and highschool is no exception.
Goth
Goth kids. Now, this is a widely disputed arena as it's currently experiencing an resurgance in popularity by the self-proclaimed.
One of the funny things about the alternative sub-genres is that it's unbelievably difficult to get in or out of them. You can buy the cd's, don the clothes, smoke, skulk, and still not be accepted but once you have been annointed, there is no escape.
The signs your character is going off the goth deep end? Pancake make-up and pale skin. Clothes that actually contain D-rings. There is generally a lot of poetry writing here and an afinity for red, black and grey as a color combination. Goths, unlike the more traditional metal kid with which they are confused, tend to sport newer clothing - because black fades, and fast.
They usually really like the word 'requium" and can often be found blaring Cradle of Filth without regard for the fact that their last two albums sucked royally.
Metal
Metal kids :) Ah, how I love thee. Metal kids are my personal favorite so you will have to excuse me for spending perhaps a little bit too much time here.
Metal, much like Punk, is probably one of the most difficult groups to fall into. Why? Because you can't buy a metal look.
The first rule of metal is that you must play an instrument - and, no, the violin doesn't count. Bass. Electric Guitar. Drums. These are instruments that will be considered for admission. Why? Because you will, at one point or another, be privy to a really bad garage band session in which you will be expected to take part in one capacity or another. I cannot tell you how many hours of my life have been 'wasted' away sitting on a cold concrete floor listening to four teenagers blasting over half-stacks.
The second rule is equally random but equally important. Black clothing. That said, unlike the Goth crew, which is also universally known for their afinity with the color, yours must be faded, worn in, and where possible, contain at least 10 original tour t-shirts from the late 80's and early 90's Metallica tours. This is extremely important. Point of fact, Hot Topic does not sell anything a 'real' metal kid wouldn't hit you for wearing.
Metal kids are not big on the whole "make-up" thing. Yes, you will see metal girls sporting the traditional girl make-up and i've, at one point or another, piled on more eyeliner and mascara then most girls, but it is nevertheless frowned upon as melo-dramatic for men (ahem, gerahard) to wear make-up. Get the notion that Draco is going to wander around listening to slipknot with caked on eyeliner out of your head.
As additional aspects to this, you're supposed to smoke. I have made it thorugh 9 years of metal-dom without ever pressing lips to Marlboro but I am a rarity.
Metal bands, fortunatley, give you some of the largest leeway as far as what you listen to. There are the staples, Metallica and co and then there are the offshoots of metal which you can foreey into as often as you like. There is the slipknot/mudvayne set, despite the fact that their last two albums have sucked. Iron maiden, etc...
Oh, and if you don't know who Pushead is, go home.
Metal has one additional subgroup which we've, none too affectionately, named New Metal. This consists of a lot of pop-culture caused crap. Evanessence, Seether, and most disgustingly, My Chemical Romance. Goth, goth can be about depression and death. Punk, punk is about a general dislike of rightwing causes, but until relatively recently, Metal was a scene all about being angry. And then...well, there was New Metal. Suddenly, we're throwing emo lyrics over a modified metal riff and calling it a single, then throwing on some Billy Jo eyeliner and a Lip Service outfit along with a little red eye-shadow and, hey, look! It's a hit album.
If my treatment of the subject is not obvious enough, those of us who have been diligent metal-heads since birth find it more than a little loathesome.
Most important thing to remember; Real Metal Doesn't Cry.
Point of fact, these are slipknot lyrics. " Insane - Am I the only motherfucker with a brain?/I'm hearing voices but all they do is complain/How many times have you wanted to kill/Everything and everyone - Say you'll do it but never will" - Eyeless
Punk
Punk is the fun sub-group. Where Metal, New Metal and Goth focuses largely on skulking and brooding, punk kids are a blast.
The punk movement, born of Berkley, focuses, in great portion, on property destruction and a general disdain for the right wing. Punk, much like metal, is not sold in stores and cannot be bought. It is a movement that relies heavily on hand-to-hand sales for new artists - and that's where all the good stuff is - and it takes years to properly break in a pair of dickies.
Contrary to popular belief, Green Day is no longer considered a punk band, and havent been since Dookie. They were, like so many others, also born of Berkley fame and I, to this day, adore them. (Yes, I would sleep with Billy.) Their last rock, pardon, punk-opera album, American Idiot has done more than enough to bring them back for a third time and has, for the dedicated fans, made up for the disaster that was International Pop Super Hits but they're still not NOFX.
The Misfits, mohakws, Dickies, and combat boots. Ah, yes, the wonder years.
It takes more than a black mini-skirt, a green day t-shirt and a pair of pink fishnet nylons to make a punk kid.
Emo
Oh how I loathe emo kids. They cry.
Emo is a trend born of the punk movement, but without all of the jumping up and down and fun.
Dashboard Confessional. *shudder*
Argyle is the pattern of choice - most particularly when paired with stripes or polka dots. Tight jeans that are often too-short or cuffed. Black shoes - usually doc martins or tennis shoes. The Emo kid tends to be wafishly thin, product of their animal-friendly vegan diet. Moppy haircuts and dramatic make-up (girls or boys) with a touch of horn-rimmed glasses.
Did I mention that Emo kids cry? Oy.
As i'm meeting with America's youth, the new metal movement, most goths, and a medly of the new punk kids, i'm finding that most of them are Emo Kids in disguise. Food for thought.
Preps
Preppy kids are another bunch I know about. Product of one of the United States most presitigous prepatory highschools, I've known my fair share.
Doc Martins, Louis Vuitton and pretty much anything else that is trendy and comes in Khaki, the prep is a unique beast. It's a clean bunch where everyone knows how to tie a bowtie and blasers are a regular part of the wardrobe, so long as they come in the finest wools.
To scale back on that, to the average American highschool, you'll find a lot of the same look, just more reasonably priced. These kids tend to listen to a lot of what's popular, no matter what that is. Michelle Branch used to be a must have and their CD collection always represents the pure American Heart.
Seriously, get these kids some apple pie.
Jocks
Jocks are generally a sideswing from the prop group in most highschools. The captain of the football team is always popular - right? That is the rule, isn't it? With the jock group, you will tend to see a lot more fo the tennis shoe/jersey combo but, for the most part, it's the same formula, in my experience.
More to come...
posted by Kay at
8:10 AM
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