*Emo* - overrated? you decide.

In society today, there are many pressing issues involving teenagers. Most teenagers are all about "living it up & drinking it down". These troubled teens have no idea what they are doing to themselves.

*Emo* overrated? How many people can actually define the real definition of the word *emo*? Being that there are many different definitions for it, there is one that I stick to emotional. Emo is short for 'emotional'. In every school, grades are separated my the groups. There are always a 'popular group' of girls, there's the 'sporty' girls, there's the 'academic' girls, the group that most teens refer to as "losers" 'emo/goths'. I ask you, why? Why are emo's left in the dark? There used to be a time when people liked the music screamo/gothic/alternative and they could go to gigs and go crazy over the band. Now, they are labelled as 'emo'. Tell me, what do you think of when you think of the word 'emo'? i.e [the typical "labelled" emo]. band tshirts, chucks, skinnies, wrist bands, badges, heavy black makeup and usually black hair or "rainbow colours" cut uniquely, covering half of their face. This is a 'style'/'fashion' that these individuals prefer. Tell me, what do you think when you see cuts on someone's arm? immediately, you think "melodramatic, attention seeking EMO". But that is not the case, that is your view on that person. You cannot judge a person by the cuts on their arms and the style/fashion that they prefer. These people are just like everyone else, they are real people, who have a different outlook on life and live differently. They dont keep up with the latest fashion nor do they keep up with the celebrity gossip simply because, they are not interested. How can someone label another person when they have no idea what that person does? These people have no idea what that person has achieved, or what they have been through. Tell me how many of you have a person you would recommend as an 'emo' with tearfilled eyes, and just kept walking? Or seen the cuts on their arm and thought to yourself that they are seeking attention? These people DO NOT seek attention, these people may be going through heartache and you decide to pick on them, just because they are different than you. The truth is, these people just want friends that like them for who they are, and a family to love them. Most of these individuals have no shoulder to cry on, nor do they have a person to tell all their fears to. Most of these people write poems, very emotional poems, and they reflect on the problems in their lives.

So, the last question that I would like to ask you is 'is emo overrated'? I answer 'yes' it is. Because the word [emo] is just another plain old word just like [prep] and [jock] and [chav] they are all labels that people throw at individuals that are different to them. These people are human, and they do hurt, and they do feel. Take a look around you and think, have you labelled someone 'emo'?