Being punk USED to be original, but it's become a bad cliche over the past few years... There's this kid who goes to my school who's a punk, and when he first came to the school only the other punks would talk to him. Now in the space of three years he's worked himself into the "popular" crowd, even though he still wears all the leather and has cool hairstyles and shit.
i don't try to be cool at school ( i am a Freshman ) and i do not really fit into a label. Some people might think i am geeky, but my friends and i are pretty cool. We have started a band, and we do some cool Jackass type stunts, but we never flaunt our coolness at school. I am in Honors classes, yet my friends and i always pull pranks on the popular kids at school.
Originally posted by KidRock
we have our "skaterboarder" kids at my school (i hate them).
Theres not really alot you do like is there kid?
Anywayz, there was a time when punks were the cool things to be but they have always been an alternative fashion statement. And theres quite a few different types of punks nowadays and for the people who can't tell the difference......(may only apply to UK)
-Goth (Duh!)
-Greb (Rocker)
-Mini-Mosher (Young/Fake Rocker)
-Old-School Punk (Like the 80's types)
-New-Gen Punk (Similar to surfers)
-Pop-Punkers (Similar to mini-moshers)
-Skaters (Skateboard/BMX/Blades etc...)
I agree with backfire, don't dress like a goth/punk/whatever and then complain when people label you. You labeled yourself by making yourself identical to the other members of that group. And goths/punks label people more than anyone else in my experience, anyone who doesn't dress/act like them is a prep or conformist.
I like being a punk. I reminds me that I am alternative, that I am not following a "cool" fashion but my own fashion. Originality is whats seperates us as humans.
It isn't your own fashion if you dress to some ascribed definition (i.e. punk). Originality should come from behaviour or beliefs more so than appearance.
People judge, everyone does it. Those who say that they don't are either lying to themselves or to everyone else. We are social beings and judging others is a way that people decide to which group they will congregate to or avoid in order to feel safety or acceptance. People judge others to define or rank themselves in a social situation. People judge others to reaffirm or challenge their own beliefs.
Accepting the fact that others will judge you and label you is one of the first steps to becoming a content person. I know that people will look at me and judge me. I am very tall (6'9) with a muscular build, people either avoid me or are attracted to me because of that. That's beyond my control so I don't worry about it. However, the image that I put forth by the means that I communicate with others and how I dress is under my control.
If you put youself in a situation that isolates you based on beliefs or appearance you will be judged, but what is more important is how you respond to it. To be judged is one thing, to confirm or challenge others' beliefs based on their previous judgement on you is your responsibility if you so choose to accept it.
I was always labeled as a nerd/geek in high school...but that was more because of the things I liked (sci-fi, anime, Star Wars, RPGs, cosplay, video games, etc) and the fact that I never really kept quiet about these interests of mine, than how I dressed. I still got picked on all the time because of the stuff I liked, though. Then again, I went to a VERY clique-oriented high school and didn't care less about the stuff that was popular...