Hi Abby, people think I'm "Emo" because I listen to bands like My Chemical Romance and Black Veil Brides. And yeah I wear clothes that are dark but that's what I like to wear. So what should I do? What can I do to make them stop?

Dear PhanGirl,

I understand what's going on! I wear black skinny jeans, listen to alternative music, and frankly I have a permeant frown on my face. My close friends used to think I was going goth, or 'Emo' .

I'm not.

I had to open up and be myself at school more often. I had to talk more in class and talk more to people I wouldn't speak to on a regular basis to prove that I was just like them.

I had to show people that I wasn't the dark, depressed 'emo', they thought I was. I still wear black skinny jeans, listen to my music, etc. , but I had to show people that I'm not what they thought I was.

You're going to have to be yourself around these people and prove that you aren't 'emo', unless you don't care what people think about you. Then you could ignore them. It's a hard goal to accomplish, not caring what other people think of you, but it can happen. I don't necessarily care what people at school think, unless they're a really good friend of mine, or they are someone I look up to. You need to find the people that matter most to you and focus on them, not the random by standers who couldn't care less.

Hope this is helpful for you.

-Abs : )