Hoodies and Emos

A couple of years ago Richard did an article for the Big Issue, the homeless magazine, in which he asked people not to stereotype hoodies, i.e. people, usually youngsters, who wear a particular type of hooded jacket top. As I result I knew what a hoodie was when a young girl recently said – “Just because I’m a hoodie I’m not a gangster and just because I wear glitter eyeliner I’m not an emo.”
Time to update myself again I thought. What is an emo?


This proved harder than expected. There seem to be various definitions,
Emo is, for example, a particular style of hardcore punk rock and the people who are part of its fashion and subculture. Alternatively it is any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional and an individual or group of people associated with the fashion and subculture of such music. Thirdly it is used for a young person who is considered to be over-emotional, especially sad or ‘emotionally lame’.


I could just about cope with these definitions (and the images which went with them – of short-haired, eye-painted, brightly tattooed youngsters.)

But then I read about emos being attacked in Mexico by punk rockers. Perhaps folk my age shouldn’t try to understand after all......