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If you woke up this morning and decided that you would like to become Emo, the chances are pretty good that you already are. Emo has become a fairly broad term in defining the way a person looks and behaves, and has even started to become interchangeable with another subculture, 'Goth'.

Emo, as well as many other genre titles, originated with music. It was a term created in the 1980's to describe rock music with emotionally based lyrics. Now there are even sub-genres of Emo, such as 'Screamo', which has a heavier rock/metal sound with the same emotional base. Whichever style of Emo music you prefer, you will still be labeled as Emo for listening to it, or more accurately for how you're dressed and what the expression on your face is while you're listening to it.

Emo as a fashion is pretty basic and could be described as a muted punk look with a retro 50's twist. It generally consists of tight jeans, studded belts, music t-shirt or other t-shirt with ironic saying, skate shoes or converse style shoes, and black rimmed glasses as an added accessory. One of the interesting things about Emo fashion is that it is very much the same for both males and females. In that sense at least it seems to be a sub-culture in which males and females have a very level playing field. Whether you are male or female, the steps for "becoming emo" are largely the same.

My first suggestion for becoming emo would be to pick up a few albums that resonate within the Emo subculture. You will get a better understanding of what Emo originated from and the music will surely help to put you in a more 'emo state of mind'. Be forewarned that an emo state of mind could be described as clinically depressed, or in the very least apathetic. It's quite possible that you already are very familiar with these ways of thinking and being, which means you are well on your way to classifying yourself as 'emo'.

Some bands to start with would be Rites of Spring, Hoover, Heroin (screamo), Jimmy Eat World, and Dashboard Confessional.

Now that you have a feel for the music that started it all you may as well start shopping for clothes. Vintage shops are a good place to start. You'll want to look for shirts that have a tight fit to match the tight fit of your jeans or slacks. Make sure that your jeans are blue. Avoid shorts and black jeans. Accent the look with a studded belt or two, or even three! Choose a flat shoe with a Converse style or a classic skate shoe. You may want to finish off the look with an Adidas

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