Paper short abstract:

The paper will focus on subcultural practices concerning the body among contemporary Czech emo kids. In addressing the issue of how is the body used, I will show its potentiality to subvert social norms of dominant society and, at the same time, to reproduce to some extent its hegemonic masculinity.

Paper long abstract:

Emo is one of the most recent youth subcultures today, experiencing its boom after the year 2000. Emerged from punk and hard core subcultures, it has been also heavily influenced by both goth subculture and otaku participatory culture, all of which have made a lasting impact on perception and use of body among contemporary emo kids.

The body, by means of style and embodied subcultural capital, plays an important role in formation and reproduction of subcultural identity of many emo kids being an important tool for manifestation of their authenticity. Both emo boys and girls transform their corporeal capital to subcultural one by the notion of body as a project which is shaped, enhanced and transformed to gain its "proper" form and look.

In my paper, I will focus on diverse subcultural practices of contemporary emo kids in Czech Republic, which concerns the body. In addressing the issue of how is the body used is emo subculture, I will show its potentiality to subvert social norms of dominant society and, at the same time, to reproduce to some extent its hegemonic masculinity.