While he might accept being labelled as Emo, there is one thing 16-year-old Alex Koutrodimos stresses above all else.
"I do not wear skinny jeans!"
The Year 11 Inaburra School student has been into Emo music and fashion for four years.
"I'm told I'm not the happiest of people, so for me Emo is a reflection of how I feel on the inside," Alex says.
While what is classed as Emo music and what isn't can differ depending on who you ask, the Emo bands that Alex is enjoying right now are My Chemical Romance, The Used and A.F.I.
Alex says his fashion has evolved since first getting into Emo.
"First it was just the black shirt and black nail polish. Now it's black suits and eye liner and spiked wrist bands," he says.
Surprisingly, it is teenagers who react strongest to Alex's appearance.
"You should see the looks I get! It's mainly teens who have this horrified look when I walk passed. Some will yell "Get a hair cut, you stupid Emo!'" Alex says.
For Alex, being Emo is definitely an attitude.
"It's a reflection of my mindset, generally a black or angry attitude, but that doesn't stop me from trying to give life a go," Alex says.
"There are some who look at life thinking that it's hopeless or that no one understands them, which is hard to accept because they have such a powerful God looking out for them."
Alex, who attends Menai Anglican Church, a Christian school and grew up in a Greek Orthodox family does indeed have a sincere Christian faith.
"As a Christian I gain a certain joy or fulfillment when I'm doing good by God. It means He and I are on the same page. If I'm making Him happy, I'm making other people happy, and that's an encouraging thought," he says.
However, Alex admits that being Christian and Emo can have points of conflict.
"I've been at gigs where people are making out left, right and centre. Some Emo people use drugs so they can be happy. I do my best to avoid these things, even if it comes at the cost of not going to some music events."
Alex acknowledges that some Emo music can be unhelpful music for Christians to listen to.
"When you're down you tend to head straight for the most emotionally stirring music, which just makes you feel worse. There is a lot of swearing in the music I listen to and sometimes I sing along and start swearing without realizing," Alex admits.
However, Alex says he does not let music rule his life.
"It's a major part, but I live my life for Christ and those I love, not the bands I listen to. I do my best to be like Jesus" just very black," he says.
Alex says Christians can be Emo and effectively witness to others within that culture.
"Like Christians, Emo people are different. They reject certain ways of the world. We're not so different," he says.
"And most "Emos' usually don't like to be called Emo. If anything, they just want the recognition God gives them as humans regardless of what they were or what they listen to."
Cutting
Cutting oneself has become the most highly publicised aspect of Emo culture.
It is the deliberate injury inflicted by a person on one's own body without suicidal intent.
"Cutting can be by used people used as a measure of control to inflict on themselves the damage they see fit, or as a release to let the blood come out as a symbol for letting go of their pain," Alex says.
"Some also do it as a cry for help because they don't feel they have the power to ask for it."
Alex says Christians must be there to meet the needs of Emo teenagers seeking help.
"As Christians, it is our brothers and sisters who are falling and we're losing people because they're alone and hurting themselves," he says.
"As Christians we have to stand up and make it clear that cutting is not the right way! No matter how much our friends hate us for it, it's the right thing to do."
Emo " The Controversy
Emo hit the headlines in April when two 16-year-old friends, Jodie Gater and Stephanie Gestier, were found hanged in a Dandenong Ranges national park.
A day before they went missing a post on their website read "RIP Jodie & Steph".
On the site the girls often talked about their fascination with the Emo subculture.
Short for "emotional', Emo is known for its angst-ridden music and moody introspection. Many parents are concerned that the Emo subculture celebrates self-harm and glorifies suicide.
In a recent opinion piece, Melbourne MP Lindsay Tanner, said "Emos sound a lot like kids who typically get bullied and excluded," and urged parents to pay more attention to their kids and bullying.
Emo (definitions compiled with the assistance of wikipedia.org)
Emo (music): A term originated in the 1980s to describe a genre stemming from the hardcore punk music scene. The term has become broader with time and is loosely understood to mean "rock music with emotionally-based lyrics or effect'.
Emo (fashion): The fashion is characterised by the colour black. It includes tight jeans on males and females, a long fringe often brushed to one side of the face, dyed black, straightened hair, tight t-shirts bearing the names of rock bands, studded belts and skater or old-school Converse shoes.
Emo (personality): Characteristics include candidness about one's emotions, sensitivity, shyness, someone who is introverted, glum, and often quiet. The Emo personality is often connected with writing poetry which addresses confusion, depression, loneliness, and anger all resulting from the world's inability to understand the author.
Popular Emo bands
AFI, Alexisonfire, Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Something Corporate and The Used.
