- It's a deep side part.
Yes it is.
I'm Nina, and I'm gonna be dressing emo for a week.
When I was in high school,
it was like the height of emo-ness.
That's when Fall Out Boy was big,
Panic! at the Disco, My Chemical Romance.
I loved the aesthetic.
I felt dark inside.
I just wanted to be a part of that.
I would wear band t-shirts here and there,
but I wouldn't go full on massive side part bangs,
straightened hair, studded belts.
I couldn't fully commit because I was just too
self conscious about drawing attention to myself.
I am a little nervous for people to suddenly be
looking at me a ton
while I have such a strong aesthetic on.
I feel like I have to be dark now.
I feel a little bit ridiculous,
but also really good,
'cause this is how I always wanted to look
when I was in high school.
When I step out that door, I don't know
what it's gonna be like.
(rock music)
Would you be friends with me in high school
if I looked like this?
- I would try to have dated you
because I was not out.
Hot Topic just threw up all over you.
- [Nina] People keep using that phrase.
(laughing)
- Now I'm scared of you.
- Yeah, now you intimidate me.
- People were definitely noticing me.
I don't know if they were mocking me
or thought I was ridiculous.
It definitely made me stand out more to strangers.
I was not mad about it.
Are you a fan of this look?
- Yeah.
- [Nina] Do you think it suits me?
- Yeah, I can dig it.
- Lots of people did like the look,
probably because it reminded them
of their high school selves
or people they knew in high school.
This is my second day of being emo.
I've teased my hair a lot.
I think I got a lot of volume out of it.
Like, I'd do it a bit, and then I'd be like, no, more.
And so I'd just keep teasing and teasing,
and that eats away at all your time.
I am wearing a Fall Out Boy shirt
that I've had since I was 18.
I'm wearing my same studded belt from yesterday.
As ridiculous as I kind of look as a whole,
I feel super confident and super badass.
My sadness.
What do you think I look like?
- Scary.
You look (censored) up.
(laughing)
In a good way.
I like that you're being more vulnerable in your appearance.
I think that's really cool.
- Lots of people told me that I looked scary,
and I was like, good.
I want people to be a little bit scared of me.
I mean, there's nothing really that scary about being emo,
it's just different.
It's like this very Wednesday Addams-like dress.
I don't hate the way it looks,
and I might have to adopt this whole teased.
I never tease my hair, like, ever.
How do you feel being seen with me?
Ho-ho!
- Being scene with you!
I just feel like I'm hanging out with someone
I would hang out with when I was 13.
- It's like, oh my God, that's how I looked when I was 14.
- It was very interesting to see,
especially who would come up to me,
and then you look at them now and you're like,
"You don't look like you were a former emo."
This is probably my least favorite outfit
out of all of them 'cause I feel kind of uncomfortable.
I just feel very schoolgirl.
I wouldn't say that I'm ready for it to be over,
but it is a lot of effort in the morning,
for me, anyways.
I was late to work every day that I did this
because it took so long.
I don't think young me would've had the time, at all.
'Cause I was taking AP classes.
I'm ready to go back to my normal aesthetic,
just so I can not put quite so much effort in.
But I do like how confident this look makes me.
Today is my last day of being emo.
Right now I'm wearing things that I wear all the time.
This holey t-shirt is one that I just bought
at Forever 21 a few months ago.
I don't necessarily wear all black all the time,
or necessarily pair certain pieces together,
but they're all there in my wardrobe,
just waiting for me to realize my true emo-ness.
Some random person today who just saw me in the hallway
told me that I looked fierce.
I've never spoken to or seen this person in my life.
That made me feel good about myself.
I'm definitely gonna take elements of this look
and continue to use them in my life.
It's gonna be sad when
I have to come in and look normal tomorrow.
I got to live my high school fantasy
and it was amazing!
I just felt like I could take on the world.
I was more assertive with people.
100%, yes I do recommend it to other people.
It really is like a fantasy roleplay
where you just embody this aesthetic and this mood.
Just based on the sheer amount of people who talked to me
who never talk to me,
I was like, oh, this is a really uniting force
that a lot of people around my age felt.
It is like wearing a costume for a week, and it's fun,
'cause then you just get to take it off after a week
and it's like you're back to normal.
But maybe you learned something in the process.