As someone who’s been dying their hair black for a little too long, and won’t be seen dead in an outfit sans a studded belt, here are my top reasons that the emo way of life is a good thing:

It encourages young people - specifically men - to be in touch with their feelings, which cannot be a bad thing, right? Most musical genres present male role models with a sense of bravado and arrogance, but not so with poor little emo. It’s a term that’s been bandied around by everyone, but few people know that the term ‘emo’ originates in the 1980s, from a particular offshoot of the hardcore punk genre (emotional hardcore). Performances by emo bands were characterised by the strong emotions running through their sets, often leading to the musicians spontaneously breaking down in tears whilst on stage. You wouldn’t catch Sean Paul doing that now would you?

Admittedly, the music may err on the unoriginal, and the likes of My Chemical Romance are veritable hard men compared to the emo bands of yore, but with strong links to the ‘straight edge’ movement, the lyrics and ethics of emo are not a bad thing to take heed of. Anything that discourages abundant casual sex and copious drug/alchohol use has my stamp of approval. Don't despair parents, Johnny may be turning to eyeliner and black hoodies, but at least he won't be getting his sixteen-year-old classmates pregnant! That industrial size box of Kleenex next to his bed may not be for the sordid purpose you first thought. He’s probably just been mopping up the tears after hearing the latest Dashboard Confessional album.

You have to admit that the image is pretty cool. Ah the countless stripes, the skinny-yet-baggy-round-the-bum jeans, those smelly plug earrings. Of course, one of the main factors contributing to the rise of emo fashion is Primark. God, Primark is the retail equivalent of a Woolworth’s pick ‘n’ mix to the emo teen. Where else could they pick up four studded belts, a stripey scarf and some fake Converse for the sum total of their weekly pocket money? It’s a classic response from cynics to say that in trying to look original, emo kids end up appearing identical. Well maybe so, but the end result is certainly impressive! There’s no such thing as a scruffy emo follower my friend. Nope, they hone their look so perfectly that they look like an army of teeny-weeny cartoon characters parading down the high street of a weekend!

It goes without saying that the whole emo thing is just a fad, but when it comes down to it, it’s about a lot more than thick-rimmed glasses and sweepy fringes. Emo is to do with free expression, both emotionally and aesthetically, and for that reason, I hope that it stays on the scene for another twelve months and then some.

Ellen Forster