All about the scene: style and more
So what it is scene, you may be wondering? It can be many things, but those involved with this culture would say that it is a form of expression. They would also tell you that scene is NOT emo They are related, but they are NOT the same thing.
As far as I can tell, the biggest differences between the two are clothing, personalities, life perspectives, and perception of themselves. For starters, most scene kids don’t discuss or admit to being scene. (Why? According to some of them, only “poses” [fakers] be called scene, which makes it seem less cool. That, and the fact that scene kids don’t like to be labeled, not even as “scene.”) Many of them tend to wear brightly colored clothing, accessories, and hairstyles. They also have very sassy, bubbly, outgoing, and confident personalities, and are generally quite content with life. Emo kids tend to wear darker colors, are very thoughtful and often withdrawn socially (except maybe with other emo kids), and seem quite unhappy with life. And so this article mainly focuses on the scene, NOT emo
This subculture supposedly started between 2004 and 2006, initially fueled by MySpace. The contestants dressed (and still do) in colorful clothes and voluminous yet showy hairstyles. They then take their own photo or ask a friend to take photos for them. The images are then posted online, on whatever social networking sites they participate in (MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Buzznet, etc.). I should point out that sometimes the photos are a bit exaggerated, with some girls posing in a t-shirt and underwear or a bra and underwear. But most of the images are simply of teens and 20-somethings in their usual stage clothes and scene-style hair.
Some of these same people have now become online/internet celebrities, famous for their photography, fashion sense, hair, and personalities. Some of them even have their own clothing and merchandise lines. Girls seem to be dominating scene culture right now, although there are some famous scene boys as well. The most famous girls are often called “queens of the scene.” Among them, Audrey Kitching, Jac Vanek, Hanna Beth, and Kiki Kannibal, just to name a few. Google any of them and you will find several of their websites and fan sites.
Stage fashion involves three things: clothing and accessories, hairstyle and makeup. When it comes to clothing and accessories, if you Google “scene style” and then click on the images, you’ll see that most scene fashion involves a lot of color and often eccentric taste. The basic staples of this fashion genre include brightly colored clothing and accessories/jewelry, vintage t-shirts, DIY clothing, the “diamond/scene gem” symbol (like the jewelry seen in the photo above), the “brass knuckles” symbol (silver piece of jewelry located near blond at bottom right is one example), and more. Other famous brands among scene makers (and elsewhere) include Skelanimals, Hello Kitty, and Jessica Louise.
The makeup and hairstyles are as colorful and eccentric as the fashion. The hair can be any color: bright pink, green, blue, purple, and is often (but not always) styled in a bulging crown on top of the head, with straight ends. Hairpieces and extensions are sometimes used to make the hair look thicker and fuller. Raccoon tails are sometimes used, which look like raccoon tails, but are worn in the hair. Hairpieces with leopard or zebra prints are sometimes worn instead of coontails. Makeup staples often include heavy black eyeliner along with different colored eyeshadows and/or lipsticks. There are plenty of YouTube video tutorials on stage hairstyles and makeup for those who want ideas.
Then there is the music. Not all scene kids like to listen to the same music, but there are some bands that are very popular with them, like Panic at the Disco!, Fall Out Boy and more. The mix seems to be a little pop-punk, some indie, some nu-metal, and then just plain popular rock music.
And there you have it: a quick tour of the culture of the scene. But if you want to learn even more about the scene (more about who is popular, what music is played, etc.), just google more websites, or you can check the link below.