You Look Soo Scene
By Elisa, age 15, California
The other day I caught myself using stereotypical names. I thought about this incident until I went to bed that night. Everyone knows these stereotypical names. Prep, Gangster, Jock, Emo, Freak, Nerd, Drama Kid, and the new "Scene Kid". High school is the home of stereotypes.
So what is "scene"? You hear the sayings, "Let's make a scene" and "Did you see that scene in the play?". Where did "scene" come from? I decided to ask a few people.
Robin: "I think 'scene' came from the saying 'We make a scene'. Because that's what this trend looks like. Lots of eyeliner, eyeshadow, and really tight clothes."
I decided to look up this "scene" on an image hosting site and found many pictures of what Robin had described. Long hair with many colors in it and lots of makeup. What does "scene" have to do with this trend?
Next, I was curious about whether everyone (race, religion, body type, etc.) was accepted by this trend. I asked a girl (who asked to remain anonymous) this question.
Me: "Is everyone (race, religion, body type, etc.) accepted in this trend?"
Anonymous: "Definitely not. When I first tried hanging out with these 'scene kids', they called me a fatty. I was 136 pounds and 5'6". I noticed all of them were 5'7" and 100-120 pounds. I knew I would never fit in and I stopped trying."
Thanks Robin!
What about race? I asked Rachael P. (an African-American girl)
Me: "Does 'scene' accept other races?
Rachael: "Sometimes. It depends on who you are. Like, I was kinda shunned at first, but after a few weeks the people in the group, like, accepted me into it."
Religion?
This time I asked Kaylee J. from Missouri, a Jewish girl, on Myspace.
Me: "Is religion accepted?"
Kaylee: "Definitely. Everyone likes religion. The weirder your religion is, the cooler you are. For example, I'm Jewish, and every time we get on the religion subject everyone like turns to me for answers - it's chill."
What do people who are called "scene" do to stand out? Jayla B. from New Jersey answered this.
Jayla: "Piercing and tattoos. That's all I have to say. Plugs, bull nose rings, and a million lip piercings. Makeup. It goes all the way to their brows."
Judgment. We use "their" as if these people were a different species.
So I decided to ask Mary-Lauren, a girl with a friend count of 10,000 who looked "scene".
Me: "Do you like being called 'scene'?"
Mary-Lauren: "No, no, no! People judge and say, 'Oh, you're 'scene' because you look like this or hang out with these kind of people, and you have a lot of friends on Myspace! It definitely pisses me off. No, I'm not scene, never have been, never will be. So stop being so judgmental and get to know me!"
I've asked the questions. They've provided answers. So now it's your job to ask yourself ... Is "scene" really the coolest trend? And, should we be judging these people by the way they look? They are people just like us.
Editor's note: This article reflects the views of the people who responded to Elisa. I'm sure there are many views on this subject. "Scene" may mean something else to you, whether you consider yourself "scene" or not. Elisa and Sweet Designs Magazine invite you to send in your own thoughts on this subject using the form below.
