Mom Stops Daughter from Attending Sister’s Wedding: Not with an Emo Dress and Skull Jewelry
You must have already heard the word “emo.” But are you sure you understand what it means?
Chances are, just like many people, you associate the word “emo” with being “emotional.” But according to Today: “Emo means different things to different people. Short for emotive or emotional (depending on whom you ask), emo, being amorphous, enrages those loyal to their version.”
It was during the 1980’s when emo punk rock bands first became popular, characterized by lyrics of personal heartache, suffering, and self-pity. Over time, the identity of the subgenre got diluted with some emo bands evoking disapproval and even contempt. Also, the word “emo” became a fashion trend and attitude that have deviated from the original inspiration in music.
Then, in 2000’s, Today related that the word “emo” caught attention again in Texas. At a teenage punk show featuring Cat Scratch, there was a girl in the audience who sported choppy hair with black-framed nerdy eyeglasses and a fatigue jacket. A patch on her jacket read, “Cheer up, emo kid.”
Those words captured the curiosity and fascination of music geeks, and the rage was on once again — from music and fashion to attitude and lifestyle. According to Today, “These days, ‘I’m sad’ is the most common definition associated with emo. It’s a lighthouse for kids who feel like outsiders and an insult tossed out by those who believe themselves stronger.”
The mother in this viral story on Reddit has a teenage daughter whose belief and style are emo. She has accepted her identity. But there are still ethics and dress codes on certain occasions to which she expects her daughter to comply if she is in attendance.
On the day of her eldest daughter’s wedding, this mom was forced to tell her teenage daughter not to attend the occasion when she insisted on going in emo fashion.
With the username u/Salt_Path5157, she shared the story on Reddit’s r/AmItheA–hole forum to consult the community about whether her decision was wrong: “I have two daughters, Ashley (26F) and Alex (15F). I’m gonna start by saying they don’t get along that well and it is due to the age difference. Recently though, they have been getting closer since Ashley let Alex help plan the wedding. It was really nice of her to include her in this. Well, the wedding was yesterday, and everyone was supposed to wear formal attire, so before this, we both got long dresses. Alex was supposed to wear the dress she got, which was sage green. Alex normally wears emo clothes at the moment, which is fine.”
But the thing was, OP did not expect that her teenage daughter would turn the long sage green dress into an emo outfit. Alex made a long slit on the dress up to her thigh that could show her underwear when she walked fast. She also paired the dress with an enormous skull necklace, earrings, and punk rock boots, along with seriously dark makeup.
OP wrote, “I told her to take that jewelry off quickly and give me the dress so I could fix the slit or at least make it shorter. Alex got mad and said it was fine and was in the dress code. I told her no and that she would stand out. She refused again, and I told her if she won’t fix it, then she can stay home. She refused again, and she missed the wedding.”
Well, the bride understood why her younger sister did not make it to the occasion. In fact, she agreed with her mom that Alex should not show up with her emo outfit at such an important day in her life when they talked about dress code prior to the ceremony. Like every sensible person on the planet, they believe that there’s a right time and place for everything.
However, OP’s husband was furious with her decision, while Alex still refuses to talk to her mom.
What’s the verdict of the AITA community on OP’s situation? A resounding NTA! And those votes come from people who believe in self-expression and being respectful at the same time!
