why is it that everyone thinks being emo is looking, and dressing a certain way?

lol, well im an emo goth, and i dont use that term coz of how i look, i use it coz im a very emtional person and i like the darker side of life, its true u dont have to dress a certain way to become a emo its just that those who are emo tend to dress a certain way so it becomes stereotypical that the dress sense identifies u as an emo, if that makes sense, basically emos like to dress a certain way, it gets them noticed and its coz thats the only aspect u notice of them that there thought of being emo

It's just a stereotype. Movies portrayed emos to be dark and wear more makeup than Avril Lavigne. HA! They want to get the dark depressed massage across so they stereotype it. Otherwise they'd have to do some gory scene where there's depression and all that crap and possibly wrist slitting. And it might be a family movie. I mean, they can't just slap an "EMO" sticker across their forehead, can they?

well im scene/emo but i dont realy care what people say about me.i hate labels. only because you dress in a certain way and have black hair that hangs over your eyes doesnt mean you do the things that so called 'emos' do. most people turn into things because they wont to be like other people, like the style or its just the way they are and there not going to change not for anybody.
its how everyone in this world interpretes it and it bugs me!

Yeah, true, I'm like scene/emo, too.Emo is pretty much emotional for me.
I'm not sad all the time, just sometimes.