Fashion Tribes

◎供稿：英國大使館文化教育處

The goths

The goths we saw were easy to spot in the park where Hannah pointed them out to me.On one of the sunniest days of the year this small group of teenagers were dressed from head to toe in black-black hair, black T-shirts, black jeans, black fingernails, black make-up(boys and girls). Hannah told me that the goths think of themselves as ‘dark, romantic and mysterious’ and listen to dark, romantic, mysterious music in their dark, mysterious bedrooms.

The ‘emos’

More difficult to identify than the goths were the ‘emo' teenagers. They can be recognised by their tight jeans and T-shirts and their haircuts which usually have a long fringe, often covering one or both eyes. Different hair colours are visible. Not the green that I had as a teenager but some pink and blue hair contrasts with the black of the goths. The name ‘emo’comes from ‘emotional rock’, a type of music with heartfelt lyrics.

New-rave

In a nearby shopping centre we saw some ‘new rave' kids. They were difficult to miss.Looking like an explosion in a paint factory, these teenagers were wearing very bright colours—greens and pinks and yellows—and, unlike the ‘emos', the clothes are loose. These kids listen to electronic dance music and go to ‘raves’-parties where they can dance all night.

On the bus home, Hannah pointed out members of other teenage groups. The boys playing annoying music on their mobile phones were ‘hoodies’, named after their hooded sweatshirts. The girl sitting at the front looked like ‘a(chǎn)n indie kid’ (a kid who likes to differ from the norm, and wears alternative clothes and listens to alternative music), said Hannah, but she couldn’t be sure without knowing what she was listening to on her mobile. So, what did I learn?I learned that ‘old’ people like me (I’m 32) aren’t supposed to understand youth fashion or to think it looks good. It’s a language that young people speak and older people can’t learn.

Activity

Match the fashion items and activity to the right group, goths (G), emos (E), new rave(NR) or hoodies (H)

1. black clothes 2. bright clothes 3. a fringe 4. dancing all night

5. tight clothes 6. dark make-up 7. sweatshirts