New to the emo scene? Don't wanna look stupid in front of your emo friends? Don't worry! Everyone starts somewhere, even the most well known Emo MySpace models were once awkward baby emo's taking their first steps into skinny jeans!
Below you will find the basics of making you look like you stepped out of 2005!
A lot of these tips can be used by anyone, male, female, nonbinary and more! That's the beauty of Emo Fashion, it's all very easy to fit to how you like!
You may think "I'll just wear black clothing, that's Emo right?" well, no...Emo is much more than that, and it's also not just fashion, it's music too, but that's for another post, right now we're focusing on the style.
So If you wanna learn, continue reading!
Hair
For the most part Emo hair is fairly straight forward. Choppy layers and bangs that fall over the eyes (though I type this with terrible eyesight from having my hair in my face for years...I still do it though so my advice with that is terrible...), dyed black with a complimentary colour (such as pink, blue, green or red etc.) and often back combed and hair sprayed for volume. However this isn't the rule, just a guideline. POC hair styles are often hard to style this way (14 year old me knows this very well) and even those who are not POC may struggle also, so don't feel like you can't wear wigs, or adapt your own hairstyle to fit the Emo style. Think outside the box. Hair accessories sometimes make the hairstyle more than the actual hair does! Speaking of which, good hair accessories for Emo hairstyles are clip on bows, skulls, razors and bones, anything with a dark twist to it.
Tip - Engage readers right away
Makeup
Like the hair, Emo makeup is fairly straight forward. Thick black eyeliner and eyeshadow is never wrong! The darker the better, we want those eyes to look hollow like your soul. This goes for everyone, male, female and anyone in between, dark eye makeup is it! There are other variations, some like to add red or pink outside the dark eyeliner and shadow, to add a little colour...but not too much. That's the thing with Emo fashion, it's dark, but it has that little flash of colour now and again.
Early 2000's Emo makeup didn't tend to include lipstick or blush, it was mostly foundation, (the paler the better) and dark eye makeup. Pretty simple if you ask me!
Clothing
Now we reach the main attraction, clothing! As you can see, Emo clothing is mostly black with interesting designs and patterns on. Band shirts, other emo clothing brands (*cough* *cough*) and characters such as Jack Skellington are very prominent in the style, plus the jeans don't HAVE to be skinny, they can be baggier too, and skirts and shorts are also an option. It all comes down to how it's put together. A band shirt with some jeans and some battered converse shoes with maybe a couple wristbands, is a fine choice of an outfit, and it's very simple! "But what if I don't have a band shirt yet!?" I hear you yell, simple! Any shirt with a dark design on is fine, skulls, crosses, checkerboard, stripes and broken hearts are great choices if you don't have any band shirts yet. Along with those things, hoodies are a must have in any emo's wardrobe, because the hood hides our crying faces...Or something deep and meaningful like that. A plain black hoodie, a shirt with a dark themed graphic on and some jeans (good if they're black but no worries if not!) is a great starter outfit. Add your headphones, your newly styled emo hair and maybe a simple chain or leather cord with pendant as a necklace, and you have a nice outfit for someone just starting out dressing in the Emo style!
Tip - Explain more
Final Thoughts
So, here we are. You've learned about the hair, the makeup and the clothing. You LOOK the part, but being emo is much more than just how you look. Music is a huge thing in the Emo subculture, and so is art and expressing yourself and your emotions. Drawing, Poetry, Singing, its all valid in the Emo world. Emo kids feel their emotions strongly, and sure that means the sad emotions, but that also means the happy ones too. The Emo community has some of the kindest and most friendly people in it!
Comment what you think of this blog post, was it helpful? If not, please, I encourage adding your own tips to help those reading too!
what do emos listen to??