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Being 'EMO' is more than just listening to the music. It is a way of life, a style, an expression and a sometimes even a cry out for help. Going back a couple of years, most people did not even know what EMO was and now you hear it everywhere. Even news programs are trying to label so-called emo's often giving them a much worse label than most of them deserve.

The problem with any sub-group of individuals is that if there are some members who follow a trend, enjoy the music and dress that style, and those individuals perform some questionable act, suddenly the entire sub-group is labelled negatively. This has happened possibly more to emo's than any other group. For example, two girls were recently found hung in a farmers paddock. It was a pact suicide and some of their friends were aware of the intention. They had even made reference to their plan on their Myspace pages. However, because they were EMO suddenly this becomes the reason why these girls are depressed enough to comitt suicide, but has anyone considered that perhaps they became EMO because they were depressed and not depressed because they were EMO?

EMO means emotional or emotive, usually linked to a form of emotional punk-pop music, with bands such as AFI, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and even the likes of Blink 182, who have been bursting out in that pop-punk style for years. However, where the music begins, the trend follows. Suddenly being emo is more than just about listening to that style of music. It is about how you dress and how you act.

Most of us can spot an emo quite easily in the crowd. They are the all black wearing youths, with the sweeping fringes and black eyeliner. They like to dye their hair black, sometimes with streaks of red of blond, with their hair working almost like a curtain over their face, to hide from the world. They love icons like Emily The Strange and have a love for the black horn-rimmed glasses, cute Mary Jane shoes and striped socks.

While this is certainly not the case for every individual who follows the trend and loves the music, EMOs have gotten a bad reputation because often they seem depressed and miserable with life in general. People make jokes about how emo's like to cut their wrists and cry, always threatening suicide. Some blame the emotional nature of the music they listen to, but realistically, we listen to the music we like, because we like it. Maybe because we relate to it prior to liking it. Personally I believe that is the link between the emo

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