Teen Spotting

Click to enlargeTeen Spotting

They’ve Got the Look, But What Exactly Is It?

Written By Rosanne Dunkelberger & Mary Dunkelberger
Photography by Scott Holstein ­
Illustrations by Marc Thomas & Daniel Vitter

It was so easy to be a teen back in the olden days (and by that I mean ’60s, ’70s and ’80s). There was one hairstyle at a time (bouffant; long, straight and parted in the middle; and big, respectively), and it was easy to separate the Goths from the greasers from the bohemians from the jocks. But today, high schoolers are tossing around all sorts of esoteric words to describe themselves and others. Even us old coots can figure out some of these (preps are forever), but it takes exceptional powers of observation to discern the differences between those who style themselves as indie, emo or scene.

After years of aggravating my high school-age daughter with questions (“What do you call kids who have facial piercings?”), she is now off to college. As a parting gift, Mary has agreed to, once and for all, break it down for me. And in the spirit of enlightenment, I share this 411 with you, our readers. Keep what you know on the down low, though. If the youngsters find out we’ve cracked the code, the styles will automatically be determined to be over and done with and a new set of mystifying fashions will appear to perplex us.

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Emo

Look
Goth is dead (irony, anyone?), but luckily for the new generation of dark-dressing teens, it left behind its disaffected spawn: emo. More lachrymose (look it up) than morbid, emos dress darkly with depressing themes and, no matter the gender, they often wear girls’ skinny-pants and black eyeliner.

Habits
Emos enjoy staying at home writing blogs about the dismal abyss that is their lives peppered with (bad) poetry while uploading photos of themselves looking sad to their MySpace pages. When placed in social situations, the emo will sit slouched, with the face almost completely covered by black bangs.

Hangouts
Emos prefer the indoors to keep their signature pallor and can be found around local malls, specifically Hot Topic stores, which carry emo clothing and accessories.

Music
Emo music stems from emotional hardcore punk (emocore). Mixing with pop and indie influences, emo has evolved today into a less threatening, sappier version of its former self. Some emo bands are Dashboard Confessional, AFI, The Used, Coheed and Cambria, and The Get Up Kids.

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Indie

Look
If you take a hippie and cross it with Kurt Cobain and an IT specialist, what you end up with looks something like an indie. Indie kids try their best to look like they are not trying at all. Call it studied dishevelment.

Habits
Indies enjoy finding causes to care about (yet not do anything to help) and lording their ideals over others. It is not uncommon for an indie to be vegetarian or even vegan for at least a few weeks out of the school year.

Hangouts
To achieve their slightly worn and dirty look, indies shop in thrift stores and Goodwill. They can also be found in large concentrations at local coffee shops with their older (college-age) hipster counterparts, and at limited-release or student-made movies.

Music
The indie look and name originated from independent (indie) music. They enjoy performers and bands such as Bright Eyes, Modest Mouse, Halifax, Iron and Wine, and Franz Ferdinand. Never heard of these? That’s the point. Indies also are large consumers of college radio.

Click to enlargeScene

Look
Scene is emo’s chipper, rainbow-colored cousin. Like emos, scene kids wear tight pants and excessive eye makeup, but everything is more exuberant and colorful. Scene hair is layered and choppy with straight bangs, and crazy hair colorings and patterns including a horizontally striped dye job — the “coon tail.”

Habits
Scenes are social creatures and are all about the social networking site. They also enjoy photographing themselves from various angles and in mirrors. Scenes have a unique texting language shared between each other. For example: “LYKE, EI <333 DINASAWRS!!!!” (“Like, I love, love, love dinosaurs!”)

Hangouts
Scene culture is strongly rooted in music, particularly in live shows. Any local place that offers alternative band shows is a likely place to find a scene kid.

Music
Since scene kids are more concerned with concert culture than the actual music, their musical taste varies and crosses a wide span of alternative rock and punk. The scene kid revels in liking bands no one else has heard of and going to those bands’ concerts.

Click to enlargePrep

Look
Too clean cut to wear Abercrombie and too rich to shop at Goodwill, the preppy kid enjoys labels such as Lacoste and Lauren. Imagine a fresh from the country club look: cardigans, tennis skirts, Keds and polos. You’re looking at the future yuppies of America.

Habits
When taking a break from running student government, preps enjoy rousing games of lacrosse, badminton and croquet, or — when at the beach house — sports like waterskiing and jet skiing. They also fancy comparing status with other preps and holding parties where only a select few (other preps) are invited.

Hangouts
It is mandatory that every prepster spend his or her weekend at the beach house. However, during the weekday, a preppy can be spotted in club (mainly Student Government Association) meetings, and keeping up grades and appearances for their parents (aka: the Money Dispensers).

Music
Although there’s no clearly defined musical taste for preps, they tend to trend toward alternative rock-type bands. Kings of Leon is definitely on the playlist.

Click to enlargeAberkid

Look
The Aberkid wears all things Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister. Look for the stitched moose on clothes for Abercrombie, or seagull for Hollister. The clothing is overall simple and similar, and the girl’s clothing tends to run tight. The Aberkid of high school is the frat boy or sorority sister of tomorrow.

Habits
The Aberkid has come to represent what used to be regarded as jock, or the all-around “popular” kids (at least in their own minds). They enjoy creating and spreading gossip via text during school and usually date within their own group, causing the drama and tensions they thrive on.

Hangouts
Since the Aberkid flourishes in the high-school social scene, they can be found at most any school event – dances, games, etc. Aberkids are usually involved in sports such as football, cheerleading and baseball and usually spend their weekends partying with their friends.

Music
Aberkids listen to popular rock, rap and pop. They tend to favor singles rather than specific artists.

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Fashionista

Look
Although all other teen looks mentioned here are pretty specific, none are completely immune to the lure of the trend. Trends can last weeks to years and can span from simple accessories to complete outfits. The fashionista acts as arbiter of such styles and subsequently becomes slave to them.

Habits
Since the fashionista must constantly be on top of what’s hot, it is not uncommon that she or he has an obsession with the fashion world and celebrities. The fashionista knows everything about Yves Saint Laurent and Hermes, and can pronounce their names correctly to boot.

Hangouts
To keep up to date, fashionistas must shop at any time possible. They prefer off-the-beaten-trail boutiques and vintage shops but are not above looking for chic steals at the chain stores.

Music
Please. When your finger is on the pulse of fashion every second, the only music you listen to is on the catwalk.

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Flyy

Look
Imagine being assaulted by every bright neon color imaginable paired with tight white pants and the biggest, shiniest, metallic-est accessories known to mankind. Are you picturing Rainbow Brite in drag? Then you get the flyy kid, for whom coordination, color and fabulosity are ideal.

Habits
Flyy kids spend an inordinate amount of time perfecting their looks. From hair to toenails, the Flyys pride themselves on looking fine at all times. Flyy kids command (and demand) attention everywhere they go. Flyys live to turn heads and ruffle feathers.

Hangouts
Flyy kids favor public areas so that others may bask in their (self-perceived) awesomeness. Therefore, malls and movies are good places to spot them.

Music
The poster child of flyy “swagga” (deportment, if you will) and style is the often-controversial yet always entertaining Kanye West, whose style of hip-hop music favors the pop and techno undertones that Flyys favor.

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Country

Look
If you wear a Guy Harvey shirt under your Browning jacket, and use fishing hooks as accessories for your camo hat, you might just be country. Some looks span every age and time; country is an enduring example of this.

Habits
Three immediate things come to mind: huntin’, fishin’ and spittin’. But aside from the essentials, the country kid enjoys the simpler kind of life with a wide array of outdoor activities, such as paintball, wrestling, bonfires and mudding in his or her four-wheeler.

Hangouts
When not out in the great outdoors, country kids are fond of grouping their trucks (and all will have the Browning deer-profile sticker on the back window) together in public places, and can be found in and around your local Wal-Mart parking lot.

Music
Country kids listen to country music (of course). They favor blasting popular and recent country artists out of their truck stereo systems while cutting class. Think Sugarland, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley.