Emo-style: What exactly rode us back then?

Oh wow, the emo phase. Yes, there have always been trends and subcultures, but hardly anything came with such a consequence from around 2008 to 2011, in which we colored the hair black and impressive side parting, squeezed and born into the closest possible skinny jeans and born belts. The whole thing was of course artistically captured with the small, pink canon camera and later posted at Tumblr and StudiVZ.

If you made your own emo-style your own, you were allowed to listen to a lot of bad jokes from then on. Because in the eyes of the outsiders “Emos” cried all the time, were extremely sensitive and also tended to (be careful: trigger warning) self -harm. For most, the emo phase was simply part of their youth and they combine them much more with celebrations and friendship than with sadness. So open ours Teenage fear Before us – probably also a consequence of the economic crisis from 2006/07, which fundamentally shaked our faith in the lifestyle of our now often unemployed parents – so we danced at parties to Billy Talent.

You have to recognize that there is probably no youth movement since the new-wave and goths of the 1980s as much effort for your look as the emo scene. Influences often came from goth culture, but also from skater fashion, the punk and from the rockabilly. In addition, elements of the Japanese Kawaii trend were found. A wild mix.

The body became a work of art, even the protagonist’s artistically arranged photos in personal blogs. Because the triumphal march of the digital cameras made your own life (and appearance) uncomplicated for the first time. That would also affect all subsequent generations – but the “Emos” quasi directly into a world of selfies, social media and duck faces.

And as an outsider, as an outsider, you could find the elaborate, often androgynic looks-the way in emo circles about feelings, sadness and also psychological problems, paved the way that we can finally speak somewhat openly about suffering such as depression or bipolar disorders. That had been stigmatized for a long time.

And then of course there is the music. The emo phase gave us bands like The used, My Chemical Romance, Silverstein, Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the disco. But also gentler sounds, think of Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, Patrick Wolf or Paramore. And, if you pull the circle a little further, there were also Tokio Hotel. Wasn’t Bill Kaulitz even the first celebrity, German emo boy?

In a way, the emo phase really heralded the 21st century: for no other subculture before, the Internet and the newly available technical possibilities were so formative.