Introducton
Emo is a subculture that has existed for a long time and is not popular in 2021, but in the 2000s this subculture was one of the most actively discussed. The interviewee was once part of the Emo subculture. During the interview, both negative and positive aspects of the Emo culture were voiced from the point of view of the participant in the interview, as well as personal judgments about the correct participation in such subcultures.
Background of the Subculture
The interviewee noted that most of the participants in the subculture in reality “had nothing to do with the original meaning of the culture”, in many respects it was reduced to the visual component. The subculture included a certain style of hair, which was most often black and slicked to the side, black and pink clothing, aggressive behavior, and other similar outward manifestations. The interviewee herself never delved into the essence of the culture until 2015, although from 2009 to 2011 she proclaimed herself Emo. Only later did the interviewee begin to learn more about this topic, and found out that the Emo subculture itself was primarily based on the confrontation of injustice in this world.
However, the interviewee claims that the vast majority of people previously participating in the subculture were adolescents, who, like her, were not interested in the prehistory of the emergence of culture and the meaning of its existence, but only followed external stylistics. The interviewee believes that this is a “great disadvantage of subcultures of the modern world”, since people join one or another culture or subgroup and do not understand its essence or purpose. The interviewee also emphasized that in recent years it has become easier to find information about any direction, while in the 2000s and 2010s it was difficult due to the lack of access to open Internet sources, which led to such a large number of people joining popular at that time subcultures without understanding their essence.
In addition, the interviewee also mentioned other popular subcultures in those years such as goths, hippies and punks. However, according to the participant in an interview, most of the participants in these subcultures also did not know the origin of the culture and did not adhere to the goals of the subculture’s existence (Varnel, 2021). Thus, it is not known whether anyone who called himself a participant in one of the subcultures can be considered its real representative.
The Value of Love
Another value of Emo culture, which the interviewee mentioned, is the struggle for pure and sincere love. Emos are people who want to find a soul mate with whom they will go through their whole life. The Emo subculture does not imply active actions to find a soul mate, but it praises romanticism and love relationships in their purest manifestation. The interviewee says that if she knew about this essence of the subculture, it is quite possible that she would have appreciated it even more, through empathy for such values. However, at that time no one conveyed this information, since most of the people from whom others learned about the Emo subculture themselves did not understand its deep meaning.
The interviewee believes that love as seen by Emo is a very valuable point of view. In the modern world, few people are able to perceive romantic feelings with an open mind because of their “own negative experiences” (Varnel, 2021). At the same time, Emo held the value of love as a pure and important feeling, even if the relationship ended in failure.
Depressive Mood
The interviewee does not support the depressive and sad moods of the subculture. She believes that this is exactly what made this subculture absent as a cluster in the following years. Emo already stood out through style, radical statements and outlook on life. However, one of the characteristics associated with Emo these days is precisely the sadness that accompanied them constantly and created a depressing atmosphere during their presence. The interviewee also emphasizes that in reality, Emo were not always sad in everyday life (Varnel, 2021). In 2010, many of them did not even know that such a mood is associated with this subculture.
The interviewee believes that she has taken from the Emo subculture the most valuable thing for herself, the style of clothing, and emphasizes that any person can become a member of a certain culture by taking from it only some aspects that are close to him in spirit (Varnel, 2021). Thus, people can combine several cultures at once.
Profile of an Emo
Summing up, the profile of the Emo subculture emerges, which includes a sad mood, a special style of clothing and hairstyles in black and pink colors, as well as a belief in selfless pure love. At the same time, many participants in the subculture in the 2010s did not have an idea of its meaning, but only adopted certain aspects of their appearance or mood. The peak of popularity of the Emo subculture fell in the 2010s and in the modern world it is no longer relevant.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Emo subculture was most active in the 2010s. The interview participant spoke about the purpose of the subculture’s existence, her own experience of participation and impressions. An important conclusion from the interviews is that it is not necessary to fully adopt the culture. The Emo subculture includes many aspects such as appearance and demeanor, and only beneficial characteristics can be adopted if necessary.
Reference
Varnel, A. (2021). Personal interview.