I Remember a time, not so long ago when hip hop was all the rage. God forbid anyone turning up in Gadong wearing anything that actually fits because then, social ostracision will ensue!
The girls, not totally unfazed by this development, on the other hand, discovered cleavage, and wore it with the obligatory cornrows. This was the day when hairdressers took long cigarette breaks to alleviate their finger cramps, obtained from simply too much braiding. Piercing the ear is suddenly passe. I believe new heights of localising and managing infections was achieved during this era, as people get more daring to which part of their flesh should they stick cold, unsanitised metal into. Oh and lo and behold, suddenly we realise that there is a deluge of young Malay boys who likes to rap. They rap about their "bling bling", their "boo", and the fact that they‘re "keepin‘ it real".
But just as we thought that it is possible that we‘ll get rapped to death, we wake up one Sunday morning to the not-so-pleasant sound of your neighbours "jamming" towards the tunes of rock band, Guns and Roses. Not that there is anything wrong with the band, or the songs they play, I might add, but I admit the experience would probably be a lot more enjoyable if any of the band members can actually play the loud instruments involved. As I relate the tales of my ruined Sunday mornings to my peers, I realise that I am not the only one with shattered eardrums! They too, have unfortunately been deafened by the joyous sounds of the electric guitar. But a more pleasant development ensued, the smaller clothing sizes on the young boys. Oversized is officially overkill. Over on the girls front of fashion, skimpy is still oh-so-in, of course, but they‘ve lost their cornrows, making way for long straight frightfully fried orange-coloured locks. Apparently, "punk‘s not dead" but my ears are.
A few months later, while contemplating eardrum replacement surgery, I thought I became colour blind. I suddenly could only see the colour black on everybody. Black shirts, black top, black jeans, black leather, black boots, black stockings, black hair, black nails and gasp! Before I could comment on the colour‘s "slimming effect", the youths discovered the joys of wearing the black eyeliner. They wore it thickly on their eyes like there is no tomorrow, and possibly as lipstick as well. This, I was informed by my more socially aware friends, was the beginning of what was known as the Goth culture. Black, is literally, the new black.
I was sure that this wouldn‘t last too long: all that black must get really tiring, after all, these are Bruneians. The love of colour is innate! And I was right: now faded blue jeans are all the rage again. I‘ve found that as a rule, it should be worn tight and skinny, both for the young boys and girls, paired with long, wispy bangs (appropriately coloured and highlighted inappropriately), a tight-fitting top and vintage sneakers. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you, the "emo" culture.
"Emo" basically comes from the word "emotion", which means a person‘s state of mind, or current mood. From my uneducated understanding, when you say someone is "emo", you are basically saying that someone is really enduring some form of emotional anguish and discomfort.
This is a culture focusing on pain, and unfortunately for me, a lot of it is related through songs. Songs about being heartbroken, being in pain, which translates as songs which are whiny. To me, that translates as: put a CD on so I don‘t have to listen to this and enjoy Stevie Wonder.
So what is in a trend? With the culture, comes couture, and thus began the administering of trend-appropriate hairstyle. Is it just to do with fashion, the way a person dresses, does his/her makeup or style their hair? Is it to do with the music they listen to, no matter how distasteful? Or is it to do with behaviour and delinquency, the desire to be different from everyone else?
One thing for sure, it is fun to watch as an outsider. One day we see teens adopting one culture as if they were born that way, and the next, we see them denouncing those convictions they once embraced. I see it as a part of growing, a phase where the youths just desire to be accepted among their peers. Others see it as a social problem.
But let us not twist our panties just yet: next fad is just around the corner. To follow, or not to follow, that is the question.
Source: www.bruneitimes.com (5 Juni 2007)