When I say Hot Topic is dying, I don't necessarily mean by their overall sales (mainly because I didn't delve that far into my research). I mean that their old purpose is disappearing.
If you were a teenage outcast who listened to music that nobody would understand, only wore black because "pink is gross", and begged your parents to buy you really overpriced band merch, you, too, will understand my pain.
Hot Topic was once a place for emos, scene kids, and rebels. It was a place where people who were different could fit in. It's where you got all your Sleeping With Sirens and Bullet For My Valentine bracelets that you definitely HAD to wear to school the next day. It was a wonderland for the black hearted (pun not intended) weird kids.
But lately, one of my favorite stores has become less of a priority when I go to the mall. I've been thinking and thinking, trying to figure out why I fell out of love with this store. Maybe my style changed, maybe I just grew up.
But the more I thought about it and the more I looked around my store, I found my answer.
The things my subculture of weirdos used to love are being replaced. Where you used to find band merchandise from heavy metal bands now lies shirts from weird indie anime. Where you could find fishnet and studded collars, there are cat ear headbands. Where you used to find pins displaying your pessimism and negativity toward the world, you will now find pins adorned with mainstream bands and flowers on them.
All in all, the Hot Topic we used to know and love, the store we once saw as a haven for our dark lives has changed. It went from My Chemical Romance, Black Veil Brides, Five Finger Death Punch, and dark Black Heart lipsticks to Panic! At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots, "Sailor Moon", and tons of Disney merch and pastel palettes.
Don't even get me started on "Rick And Morty".
Now, as critical as I seem, let's be honest here: This isn't a bad thing. Hot Topic may be dwindling away from it's old source of publicity, but it's still serving its prior purpose. Hot Topic's job is to make people feel like they belong. It's exactly what they're doing.
As times change, so does the emo subculture. Whereas we were into screamo, 4 pounds of eyeliner, and thick rubber bracelets stacked up to our elbows, that just isn't how today's tribe of outsiders are. What used to be 'out' is now 'in'.
Being emo or scene used to make you a weirdo, a social outcast. Now it's cool to only wear black clothes and converse. It's trendy to dye your hair in vibrant colors. Strange music is mainstream.
The store we knew is changing, but it's changing just the way it should. It's evolving to fit the wants and needs of its target audience. That audience being the more strange of the middle school kids and younger high schoolers.
So, as upset as we may be about how much our beloved store is changing, we have to realize that this is just how things are. As we get older, our tastes may stay the same, but the tastes of our overall subculture won't.
