Emo-Style Prom Dresses, Hairstyles and Accessories

"Yeah, I might go" said Ben, my 17 year old nephew " But it's all b.s. ya know. All the prom is is a place for 'preps' to show off how much money their parents have." Ben continued, "But Emily and I might go to watch them make fools of themselves." Emily is Ben's emo girlfriend. Although his mother, my sister, doesn't know it or what it means, Benji is an emo kid too.

"Emo", the best I can figure is a new style/lifestyle for nihilistic but sensitive, not quite punk, not quite Goth kids. Emo kids write morbid or depressing poetry, find clinical depression attractive, wear heavy eye makeup (both girls AND boys), and then cover those heavily made up eyes with their way too long bangs.

I asked Ben what he and his girlfriend would wear to the prom, that is, of course, if they go. Ben said he might wear the jeans he was wearing. He was referring to his 14 year old sisters jeans. He then asked me if he could borrow my The Crow T-shirt. I'll let him borrow the shirt, but not for his prom. Despite appearing not to care about the prom now, he will hopefully have fond memories of it when he is my age.

I, being the supportive aunt that I am, decided to do some research of my own. To help Ben make the most of his prom I needed to understand emo style. I first questioned my best friend who teaches high school; then prowled the Internet including my space. I learned that dark eye make up and long bangs are just the bare essentials to emo fashion. I found lots of examples of typical emo style on http://www.emobucket.com . This is a website for self-described emo kids to exchange pictures, especially on fashion trends, including clothes and hair.

I learned that this seasons young male emo might wear any too tight girls straight leg jeans, although any tight, straight leg jeans will do. A punk style studded belt or two accessorizes those tight jeans. Tight seems to be the fashion for T-shirts for boys too. Striped shirts are in fashion for both girls and boys. Although the style has Goth overtones, emo style reminds me of Japanese Street fashion with bright colors and quirky and odd combinations of style and color. http://www.japanesestreets.com .

An emo boy like Ben wouldn't wear a traditional tux, but could be convinced to wear a short sleeved button down shirt with a skinny tie. He might even wear a well fitting jacket too. For a special occasion like the prom Ben might wear new black Vans high tops to cover his feet, despite the fact that he won't need comfortable shoes to dance. Emo's don't dance, they unenthusiastically bounce. An emo girl like Emily who wants to dress up might don a ballerina style tutu with bright neon horizontal stripes tights. She could finish her look with mix- matched colored Converse All-stars. Emily could dye parts of her straight and Asian inspired hair different colors too. Her handbag for the night might have a cute but dead animal pictured on it that surprisingly enough, is no where as disturbing as it might sound. http://www.skelanimals.comTo complete the romantic prom tradition Ben might pin a single dark red rose on Emily's shoulder.

If you want to find more information on emo style, http://www.shoutmouth.com. Shoutmouth is an emo music community and blog covering emo bands, punk, alternative and emo music news, plus fashion tips and advice.

Through my research I found that although Ben may not satisfy his moms expectations for prom photos, he will save her a bundle on the cost of a tux rental.