Fashion Statement or Lifestyle? Or Nothing at All?

We all hear people being called 'emo' and 'prep' every day. How are these labels judged? By how people look of course. You don't know if that kid over there that looks emo is actually happy as can be. And you don't know that the prep over there is extremely depressed.

So, this begs the question: Are labels fashion statements, or lifestyles? Or perhaps, nothing at all?

I think they're fashion statements, as well as nothing at all. Even the reputations of 'stoner' and 'jock'. Just because someone's wearing a basketball jersey doesn't mean they play sports, and just because someone smells like some narcotic, that doesn't mean that they're the one smoking them.

I'm not talking about the people themselves. Whenever we think of certain labels, we think of certain 'styles'. Example:

Punk- Combat boots, mohawks, crazy weird shirts
Prep- Mini skirts, polo shirts, Abercrombie, Hollister
Emo- Converse shoes, skinny jeans, band shirts
Jock- Varsity jackets, jerseys

So, are labels fashion statements, lifestyles, or just nothing? State your opinion.

Labels are labels.

Not a lifestyle.. just because you're labelled emo doesn't mean you're gonna go off and cut.

And its not a fashion statement, cause I'd hope you would dress a certain way or act a certain way because you want to, not because you want to fit a label... even if you are copying someone [like some people dress the same as Hayley girl from paramore] that doesn't immediately make you a label.

Some people do do that though.

And what I forgot to mention something.... -goes to edit first post-

Labels were created to fit a way someone dresses, so people didn't dress to fit a label, they dressed in a way and magically a label appeared... which is kinda stupid.

It annoys me that just because you listen to a genre of music that immediately changes your stereotype too.
I mean, I listen to punk and emo... oh noes. I must be an emo punk... yeah that doesn't work.

That's what happens to me, too. "I like Hawthorne Heights." "OMG EMO!" -.-

But that makes sense.

I meant what you said, not the whole 'music genre=label'

I swear no one even knew what emo was last year -__-;;

I guess it depends on whether people want to be labelled or not too, eh?

But like it or not, you'll probably get labelled in some way.

Yeah. No one at my school knew what emo was in sixth grade until I dressed that way for a change of pace -cough-toimpresssomeoneelseIreallyregretit -COUGH-, and since then, I changed, and they still call me emo -.-

But emo started in the 80s.

What people attempt to call 'emo' today, isn't what I'd associate as being emo... although then again, punk today isn't what it was in the 70s ¬_¬

Yeah. When people say punk these days, people think "Green Day" and "Good Charlotte". I'm not ragging on those bands, I love them both to death, but when I think punk music, I think "The Clash" and "The Ramones" :/

Everything just changes

When people say punk and say Good Charlotte it makes me laugh so hard.

Just because back in the day Benji had a mohawk xD

Yeah I know xD I remember his mohawk! It was pink there for a while... xD

Aw, that pink was so cute.

And then he had those liberty spikes that looked like they'd eventually get another member of the bands eye poked out xD

Those were cool! I wondered if he ever would poke someone's eye out

Probably O____O

Aw, dammit, I mucked my sig up *goes to fix it*

I never really got the point of labels and I couldn't tell what who was what if they were something o_o

But I guess if you WANT to be labeled as something and you live your life the way everyone says that particular label does then it can be a lifestyle.

what are you guys talking about?

labels are thing you put on stuff to tell you what they are

example

you put a label on a box that holds extremely sharp kitchen knives and write kitchen knives, careful on the label to tell you what is in the box.

*can't find 'who cares?' option*

People dress a certain way because it's cool in their own eyes. It doesn't necessarily reflect a lifestyle or create a statement.

I wear running shirts because their white and blue jeans.

My statement is I like to wear what I have. ^_^

I guess they are what you make of them. Labels are good. Labels are bad. Clothes I see are bad.