Posers and misconceptions about subcultures

If you're someone that has done as much as existing anywhere near subcultures, you'll likely be very familiar with the -somewhat controversial- term "poser". For those of you that haven't tho, "poser" is a term to describe a person who flaunts being part of a subculture, without truly being part of it. This can range from people not actually listening to the music from a music-based subculture, to people not respecting the lifestyle principles that a subculture is based on.

The term gets thrown around a lot, and very often misused in a way that discourages newcomers, which has lead to it not being seen in a particularly good light by a large portion of alternative people. I feel like I have to preface this blog by saying that, despite having been emo for a decent amount of years, I have somehow managed to avoid the label of "poser" all my life. So I don't have first-hand experience with it, and I encourage others to share their own experiences in the comments. Lastly, I wanna specify that although this is a blog on subcultures in general, it's definetly framed through my perspective as someone who's emo, so it might not be 100% accurate to other communities. ^_\\ Now we can get started.

I have conflicting feelings about the term "poser". I've seen people who are genuine posers, and I've also seen people being called "posers" when they are just newcomers, or kids that don't know any better. I've seen people saying that calling people out for being posers is foundamental to avoid subculture being diluted, and others saying that using the term "poser" is inherently gatekeeping. And in my opinion the truth is somewhere in the middle.
In this blog, I will explain my opinion on the term, while also explaining common misconceptions about subcultures and giving my two cents to beginners.

Let's start with why the term poser even exists in the first place: 
Subcultures are NOT aesthetics. They are not just keywords to look up online to make a style inspiration Pinterest board. They are cultural movement rooted in either music, lifestyle, political ideas, or fashion. Often times in multiple of those things. Because of this, there are some sort of "unspoken rules" when it comes to being part of a subculture. For example, I'm sure we can all agree that a punk cannot be pro-consumerism, that an emo has to like emo music, and that a biker cannot dislike motorbikes. 
The sentiment that there are no "requirements" to be part of a subculture is misguided. Although I'm a big proponent of the idea that being part of a subculture can look vastly different for different people (and I'll talk more about this later), there has to be a limit at which someone is considered a poser. This is especially important for those subcultres that are not strictly fashion-based and had their respective fashion styles become "popular", like punk, emo and goth. All of these subcultures are rooted in music and some degree of politics. So labeling the people in it only for the fashion "posers" is totally justified. Some would even argue that it's necessary to keep subcultres alive and healthy, although I don't fully subscribe to that idea (another thing I'll expand on later).

However, just because I believe there are real cases of people being posers, it doesn't mean that I believe every time the term is used it is justified. Elitism is a very real phenomenon in alternative spaces. I'm sure that most of you that have been in these spaces will have met the kind of person that treats being part of a subculture like a competition. And this is a phenomenon that goes beyond music-based subcultures, with many people into j-fashion reporting being shamed for not being able to affort the "original" -and often expensive- brands and having to compromise by thrifting. 
A lot of people are, what I would call, "excessively gatekeepy" (because yes, some forms of gatekeeping are indeed justified): They are quick to label anyone who does not meet their personal standards a poser, even when it's just someone new to the subculture. 
To me, there has always been a very noticeable difference between beginners and actual posers. It's hard to put it into words, and I think it's a combination of different factors. Newcomers tend to be young, and they tend to be misguided at times, but their interest in the subculture is genuine and they are open to learning more. Yes, they might have wrong ideas on the subculture, or ignorant to certain aspects of it, but they'll eventually learn just by being around other people. Overall, newcomers just remind me of myself when I was younger and I was first starting to approach alt spaces. They are looking for community, and, despite their knowledge being partially incorrect, are excited about having found somewhere they belong. 
Genuine posers rarely self-label as beginners or newbies, often preferring to portray themselves as established members of the subculture. They rarely have genuine ties to the scene, and go against core principles of the very samesubcultures they claim to be a part of. Unlike newbies, when confronted posers rarely apologize or show interest in developing a more accurate understanding of the subculture.

Many people, unfortunately, do not make this distinction between newbies and "actual posers" that I do. They argue that someone claiming they're part of a subculture they don't understand inherently makes them a poser, regardless of the motivation behind it. I firmly disagree on this, because we've all been newbies at some point. Some of us just were lucky enough to have landed in a welcoming community that did not discourage beginners. There is no need to label newbies posers, because they eventually become "actual" members of the subculture as they learn more about it. This is why some subcultures have specific names for newcomers, like "baby bats" in the case of goths: it helps identify new people, and encourages others to offer them guidance.

People on the gatekeepy side often argue that it doesn't matter if newcomers get labeled a poser, and even that it's even a good thing. They argue that it's a way to keep the original identity of the subculture intact, by keeping out the people that don't fit the label. And I do see where they are coming from. As I previously stated, subcultures have meaning, and if a whole lot of misguided newcomers arrived all at once, leaving them unchecked could be bad. When you have a lot of misguided people hanging out in one place by themselves, they will start to spread misinformation to each other. Obviously that's not a good thing, and it could cause subcultures to lose their meaning overtime.
Here's the thing: the solution to this is not going around calling these people posers. The more they get called posers by people in the subculture, the less likely they are to interact with the actual scene, and actually learn more about it. Labeling newbies as posers just pushes them towards other newcomers that had that same experience, because that's where they are going to feel the most validated. It's just creating spaces run by beginners, which is a perfect recipe for disinformation. 
If your reasoning behind calling a newbie a poser is keeping the subculture alive, then what you're doing isn't productive. If you truly want to do good to the broader scene, you should be welcoming them in and pointing them in the right direction. Everything that I've learned about subcultures as a newbie has always been through someone more experienced than me. So why would you deprive well-meaning people of that experience? 
If you are truly interested in keeping the identity of the subculture intact, be the one to educate others. Make guides, DIY tutorials, share manifestos, recommend your favorite bands, etc. Believe me, that has a much more meaningful impact than playing gatekeeper.

There is one instance in which I do think calling people posers is warranted and important, tho. And that's when the targets are influential people who are hijacking a subculture for profit. I'm not going to start naming names -mostly because I do not want to give these people more notoraiety- but celebs and influencers alike are no strangers to adopting aesthetics derivative of subcultures for publicity stunts.
That's a situation where I truly believe that shouting "poser" is the best course of action. Because a random kid on the internet claiming to be a punk won't singlehandedly change the meaning of the movement, but someone with a platform could make misinnformation spread like wildfire. 

I also want to make a note about how I believe it's always fair to gatekeep a subculture from people that would make it unsafe for others. It's always fair to keep out a racist, or an homophobe, or any other bigot. And it's totally justified to call them a poser when it comes to subcultures rooted in progressive values.

At this point you might be wondering: "what even is the big deal with being labeled as a poser? Why is it a problem?"
Here's the thing: the vast majority of subculture are centered around community. They are not something you passively consume from afar, but rather something you actively take part in. Wether it's local shows, or meet-ups, or conventions, or even forums, interacting with other people in the scene is a fundamental aspect of one's experience in a subculture. So whether ot not you feel accepted in a space definitely matters.
I once saw a user, here on Spacehey, arguing that gatekeeping was not a real issue. I've looked for the post, and it is now private, so I'll be quoting it from memory here. From what I remember, they believed that being labeled a poser could not truly stop someone from taking part in a subculture because, at the end of the day, it's not stopping them from listening to the music. The thing is: listening to the music on its own, passively, won't make someone part of a subculture. And this goes even for music-based ones, like emo. If you interact with a subcultre purely as an observer, without interacting with other people, with the "scene", then are you really part of the subculture?

A lot of people, expecially the ones who grew up before the internet age, argue that the only way to be part of a subculture is partecipating in the local scene. I personally disagree. Not everyone has the luck to have a scene they can take part in locally. Some people are disabled, and venues and meet-ups could be inaccessible to them. Others just.. genuinely do not have a local scene! I know this last argument is often labeled as an excuse online, with many people arguing that there is always a local scene if you look hard enough. But that's simply not the case. I have firsthand experience of this because I grew up in a small village in the countryside. I have been to local shows, thanks to some friends with a car giving me rides to nearby towns. A friend of mine even used to play with his band at local bars and pubs, and me and the rest of our friend group would often go see them play whenever we could. But what we had in our small villages could hardly qualify as a scene, and it definetly wasn't my type of scene (as previously mentioned, I'm emo. It was hard to find any punk bands, which have a richer history here, let alone emo ones). Fast forward to the present day: I'm now a weekly commuter. I spend the week in a major city to attend university, and then go back to my parents' house every weekend. Let me tell you.. the difference when it comes to available shows is MASSIVE! There's so many more opportunities for live music there, even on weekdays, that the choice is almost overwhelming for me.
So I know this might be hard to picture for people that have lived in town or cities all their lives, but trust me when I say this: some places really do not have a local scene, no metter how hard you look for it.

So.. How do you participate in a subculture? It goes without saying that interacting with your local scene should always be your first option, but, as we have established, that is not always possible. Online communities can do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to getting in touch with other people in the scene. There's plenty of dedicated forums, groups and online spaces where you can find community. And if direct socializing isn't your thing, there's still many other ways to partecipate, from making DIYs, to reviewing music and showting out small bands. I can't stress this enough: anything other than just being a passive viewer "counts". You could make posters to hang in your town, or zines (either digital or physical). You could create your own playlist of music from your subculture, put it on a USB drive, and spread it around to your friends. Research the history of your subculture, and write an article on it for a community magazine or your own blog. Wear the fashion. If you are a musician, start a band. Make something, spead the word, be loud and proud.

Being new to a subculture can be very confusing. So if there's any newbie reading this, here's my message to them: it's okay to make mistakes when getting into a subculture. A lot of kids I've met stress a lot about getting something wrong.. Even pretty insignificant stuff, like getting the genre of a band wrong. But none of us walked in already knowing everything. We've all started somewhere, and you don't need to wait until you are "knowledgable enough" in order to enter subculture spaces. Most of us have learned along the way. Jump in, make it clear you are new, and listen to what experienced people say! <3
And, believe me, it's fine to take small steps. I've seen the sentiment of "if you are scared to dress alternative, than being alternative isn't for you" going around a lot, and I think that stuff is bullshit. It's normal to feel socially anxious when you're first starting to stand out. Get out of your comfort zone little by little, and eventually you'll be able to dress how you want, I promise! Some people just need more time than others. I mean.. I surely did! I got bullied quite a lot for being "odd" when I was younger, and it took me years to build back enough confidence to be able to dress how I wanted. But I got there eventually, and so can you!

And here's my message to anyone who has, in the past, told kids they were posers: I get it. None of us want to see a community we care about change for the worse. But the best way to keep a subculture alive is to educate others on it, not scare newbies away. The best thing we can do to keep it going is to write on the history of the subculture and our experiences, recommend small artists, and welcome in people who are genuinely interested in learning.

Long story short: calling kids posers is unproductive, we should call out true posers and not newcomers, being part of a subculture means you have to actually take part in it, and that looks different for everyone.