Common Labels Among Teens

As if there isn’t enough pressure in society, there seems to be a new label invented every day for a certain style or music. Teens all over the world are now being branded into different categories, and of course this brings a lot of different opinions on the different labels. It’s just like racial prejudice- some kids don’t like another group of kids because of the way the dress or act, or the music they listen to. The labels are getting out of hand quickly, but this article is an explanation of the different groups and the conflicts between them. (Note: This is based strictly on my observations and other articles I’ve read on the topic, but there are no opinions.)

Preps

First and foremost, we have the “preps.” In most areas, the majority of the student population is considered to be “preppy.” This term, like many of the others, has been around for decades, but it has taken on a new meaning. The preps are kids that dress cleanly and nicely and appear to come from well-off families. Their clothes are usually bright or pastel colors, and most often designer names or clothes from very popular and expensive stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister. Often their taste in music follows whatever is mainstream and popular at the time, ranging anywhere from rap, to hip hop, to pop rock.

These are usually the kids you’d think are clean cut, because of the activities they’re involved in. They go to football games, there are a lot of cheerleaders and football players, and they have a lot of school spirit. They’re very involved in school and usually get good grades.

Based on their appearance, the preps are typically judged to be “good” kids, when in reality, they do just as many- if not more- illegal things as the kids that aren’t judged so kindly. On average, not a week passes without a party or other gathering where there are usually drugs or alcohol to be found.

Punks and Goths

Secondly, we have the “punks” and the “goths,” also known as “the hardcore kids.” These are the kids you see wearing all black every day (or black and red), often having piercings all over their bodies, banging their heads to the music blaring over their headphones. It’s not uncommon to see them in a rock t-shirt from a recent concert, or wearing metal spikes around their wrists and necks. These clothes and accessories are found at stores like Hot Topic (see link in Resources). They listen to mostly rock music of all varieties- classic rock, punk, metal, black metal, and so on.

They get looked down upon by most adults based on only appearance, and they’re often blamed for things they didn’t do. Of course, this isn’t always true, but due to prejudice, there are many incorrect ideals as to who was in the wrong. Authorities see these teenagers and think automatically that “these kids are trouble.” But it’s really not always so.

There will forever be conflict between the preps and the hardcore kids, not because of just clothes and material items, but because of their attitudes. Like S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, fights always arise where difference creates dispute. Some people think that the preps are snobby, and that they think they’re better than everyone else- but any statement like this is only true to a point. There will always be someone outside of the stereotypes.

Many people suspect the hardcore kids of doing illegal things and being up to no good whatsoever, and again, this is only true to a point. For example, school shootings are usually plotted and carried out by kids that wear all black and seem to be misunderstood in society, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

Emos

This label is fairly new to society, unlike the preps and punks. Emo is short for emotional (surprise, surprise!) and can be described in many ways. The emo kids are often teased by everyone because they constantly talk among eachother about how horrible their lives are, and how much they hate everything… People assume this is to get attention, thus making them automatic objects of ridicule for the other groups. Sadly enough, people don’t realize that this can drive them to self-mutilate, or even commit suicide.

The emo boys can often be seen wearing tight pants, sometimes even pants made for girls. Common among both sexes of emo kids is hair that covers at least one eye, and often half their face. Their hair is usually dyed black, or a combination of colors involving black. Most of their clothes are skin-tight and they listen to emo bands that most people have never heard of. They often attend concerts, and if the music effects them deeply, they don’t hesitate to cry in the middle of a show.

A lot of emo kids are “straight edge,” which means they don’t drink, smoke, do drugs, or have sex. Although this is a good thing, they never hesitate to preach to non-straight edge kids about how wrong what they do is, which becomes highly annoying to them quickly, again inflicting arguments, or physical fights.

Although most kids can be grouped into these labels, most of them are completely inaccurate. Actually, if you do label yourself, you’re considered a “poser” and that causes even more conflict.

It’s terribly sad the amount of added pressure that these labels put on teens. With pressure from parents, teachers, and their friends, being labeled is the last thing they need. Unfortunately, they do exist in society, and they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Racism may be a dying issue, but prejudice based on these labels certainly isn’t.