how to be alternative

this is more of a rant than an informative blog post, but i hope this still can inspire anyone or be a nice "guide" for those interested. i am not experienced in blogging, this is just me ranting about thoughts that have been living in my head recently that i want to share, so don't expect this to be a perfectly formed entry.

first of all, i want to make it clear that i am not one of those "elitists" who will call you a poser if you listen to a popular band or don't fit into one strict subculture. in fact, i am probably a poser in many people's eyes. and i'm fine with that!

i see many people saying "what can i do to look more alternative?" and "i wanna be alt so bad". but what exactly does it mean to "be alt"?

How to be alternative:

• BE YOURSELF.

when many people think of the word "alternative", they probably think of black ripped clothes, chains, spikes, studs, skulls, etc. and that's fine, i was there too. i mean, that's what comes up when you look up "alternative fashion" on google, pinterest, tiktok, anything.

desperately trying to "look alt" is in fact everything but alt. being alt is about being yourself, experimenting with what feels right for YOU. being alt is NOT about looking tough, edgy, cool or hot. alt is supposed to be weird, cringe, and outstanding. (however you can ofc find alt people cool or hot as people)

now, on the other hand, im not gonna judge anyone. i used to not grasp what "alt" meant, i went through many phases of trying to find myself, and for a while, i was the biggest poser. and i guess that's also part of being alt. because come on, if you've never gone through at least one cringe phase, have you really lived?

alt can be whatever you make it to be. you can be emo, scene, metalhead, goth, punk.. you are also not obligated to fit into one specific subculture! make your own subculture, do what feels right for you. alt is also not about darkness, depression and worshipping satan. (i fucking hate the "emos are depressed" stereotype. i consider myself to be emo and im probably doing the best mentally i've been for the past, like, 8 years) you can be a happy, outgoing person, with neon pink hair and colourful clothes, and still be alt. 

i also felt the need to bring this up: those "goth mommies" on insta reels and tiktok ARE NOT GOTH. they are dressing in black clothes and makeup to sexualize the subculture and turn it into nothing but a fetish.

tl;dr: to be alt, be you, be weird, not cool.

(before anyone says anything i do know politics and morals play a big role in "being alt" aswell. this entry is mainly about the fashion aspect of it)