This is a topic that has been bothering me for quite some time now. Seeing this picture online prompted me to finally publish this blog. I hate emo kids. I really do. I hate that because of them, I can't wear black and fuchsia together without someone asking me if I am emo. Seriously?! To be fair, my beef isn't just with these lame ass emo kids. My problem is with the whole idea that we all have to have some kind of social label. And if you don't conform to that specific label and what it deems acceptable, you're a poser. Now I know that social labels will never cease to exist. I am a realist, and I realize that cliques and labels are just a part of the dealio. My problem really is what they represent.
The whole "I'm Emo/Goth/Punk/Scene/whatever" deal started because someone didn't want to be part of the majority. They wanted to be unique, stand out, to be a non-conformist. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Everyone wants to be an individual. But by becoming emo/goth/punk/scene, you're not being an individual. You're being an emo/goth/punk/scene kid. Part of a group. A group with rules and standards and boundaries. Which, is going against your wanting to be non-conformist in the first place. See my point here? Say for example you're an emo kid. If you don't have a zillion bracelets on your arms, listen to all the right bands, wear the right colors, wear skinny jeans, etc... everyone calls you a poser. You can't be considered an emo kid unless you conform to what the emo culture says makes you an emo.
Now I know that any of you who have known me for years are going to start complaining and saying "Natalie, you were a goth kid in high school. You're no better than the kids you're complaining about." And you'd be right. In high school I was so desperate to stand out from the cookie cutter jock and bimbo population at my local high school, that I tried WAY too hard. Looking back on it now, I see just how foolish I was being. I was different from the majority of the kids at my school, but I was exactly like very other goth out there trying to be different. I had become what I was trying to avoid being, part of a clique. Now days, I don't try to be anything. There are certain people in my life who, to this day, want me to uphold a specific label so they can say that they have a goth friend. I don't care. Are there things that I like that would be considered goth? Sure. There are also many other parts of me that would have me labeled girly, punk, tomboy, and even preppy at times. The main thing is, I don't care. I am going to like what I like, no matter what. On one hand I love wearing black and watching horror movies, and on the other I love listening to Katy Perry and watching "The Hills". I am, and always will be, a mutt. I am a little of everything thrown into one female, and I don't care.
So the next time you catch yourself doing something or not liking something because you're afraid that someone will call you a poser, DO IT ANYWAY. The only true way to be a non-conformist in this world is to be who you are, like whatever you like, and not let other people tell you otherwise. That my friends, is true individuality.
No comments:
Post a Comment