Goth: The Gothic Subculture
“I am goth and proud. It’s not just a subculture. It’s a way of life. It’s not about depression or accessories or wearing all black (goths wear colors too). It’s about how you choose to express yourself” (unknown). Many people believe that goths are violent, abusive, murderers, and even satanists, but really they are a group of people who choose to express themselves in their own way. The gothic subculture is an accepting and family like culture that should be accepted by the community.
First, to know the basics of goth subculture, we need to go through the history, definition, and types of goths. The best place to start is with what goth is. “Goth in its simplest form is a subculture. A group of people who feel comfortable within …show more content…
each others company...People in the goth scene all have different musical tastes, follow different religions, have different occupations, hobbies, and fashion sense” (Elder 1).
So why did they become the way they are? According to Preston A. Elder, “Most goths become goths because they have been spurned by “normal” society because the way they want to live their lives does not fit in with how most people are told to live theirs.” Which is true; goths live differently from other people. They also have a different perspective on life that most people don’t have. “Goths are free thinkers, people who do not accept the moral rules of society because they’re told ‘This is how it is’ or ‘This is what God says!’” (Elder 1). Each goth has distinctive characteristics that separate them into the different types (from my research i have counted at least 23 of them). The Trad goth is basically the original goth. They value the traditional scene from it’s earliest days and hang out in public goth pubs or clubs. They listen to bands such as “Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Birthday Party, The Sisters of Mercy, and anything played in the infamous Batcave club” (Balanck). The Trad goth fashion is based off of punk. They wear fishnets, leather jackets, piercings, heavy makeup, …show more content…
lots of black, and have huge hair. They tend to not like other types of goths because they believe that goth is dead and they’re the only real ones left. Another type of goth is The Romantic goth.
They “focus on the dark, sensual, and mysterious world of gothic created by Victorian Literature and subsequent movies” (Balanck). Romantic goths are typically emotional, creative, and dreamy types. They dress in velvet and lace, flowy clothes (often victorian or medieval inspired) and they love poetry and literature. They listen to bands like “Love Spirals Downwards, All About Eve, Faith and the Muse, The Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, Bach, and Wagner” (Balanck). One last type of goth is a Cyber Goth. They “like bright neon colors, worship futurism and technology, and listen to dance music that is as different from Gothic Rock as possible” (Balanck). Now, you may say, “why are they goths then?” Well, the lyrics to the music they listen to are too depressing and deep for other people. Also, they have a hint of goth in the way the dress. Cyber goths fashion includes “insane pony falls, goggles, futuristic rave-inspired clothing, towering New Rock Platforms, and miscellaneous glowing bits and places” (Balanck). Other types of goths include The Fetish Goth, The Hippy Goth, The J-Goth, The Rivethead, The Perky Goth, The Mopey Goth, The Death Rocker, The Baby Bat, The Corp
Goth, The Victorian Goth, The Medieval Goth, The Metalhead, The Emo Goth, The Vampire Goth, The Geek Goth, The Gothabilly, The Cabaret Goth, The Steampunk Goth, the Faerie Goth, and The Tribal Goth. So where did all of these goths come from? What is the history behind this subculture? Well the answer to that is as follows: “The original Goths (this is Goths with a capital “G”) were a tribe of Germanic origin (largely from Sweden) that moved into the area that is now southern Russia in the second century AD” (Issitt 1). These barbarians (Goths) changed from distributed tribes into a large kingdom that left their tribal ways to become more civilized among society. This kingdom left an impact across the country of Europe. The definition of Goth came from the barbaric conquerors, representing destruction, mourning, and loss.
First, to know the basics of goth subculture, we need to go through the history, definition, and types of goths. The best place to start is with what goth is. “Goth in its simplest form is a subculture. A group of people who feel comfortable within …show more content…
each others company...People in the goth scene all have different musical tastes, follow different religions, have different occupations, hobbies, and fashion sense” (Elder 1).
So why did they become the way they are? According to Preston A. Elder, “Most goths become goths because they have been spurned by “normal” society because the way they want to live their lives does not fit in with how most people are told to live theirs.” Which is true; goths live differently from other people. They also have a different perspective on life that most people don’t have. “Goths are free thinkers, people who do not accept the moral rules of society because they’re told ‘This is how it is’ or ‘This is what God says!’” (Elder 1). Each goth has distinctive characteristics that separate them into the different types (from my research i have counted at least 23 of them). The Trad goth is basically the original goth. They value the traditional scene from it’s earliest days and hang out in public goth pubs or clubs. They listen to bands such as “Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Birthday Party, The Sisters of Mercy, and anything played in the infamous Batcave club” (Balanck). The Trad goth fashion is based off of punk. They wear fishnets, leather jackets, piercings, heavy makeup, …show more content…
lots of black, and have huge hair. They tend to not like other types of goths because they believe that goth is dead and they’re the only real ones left. Another type of goth is The Romantic goth.
They “focus on the dark, sensual, and mysterious world of gothic created by Victorian Literature and subsequent movies” (Balanck). Romantic goths are typically emotional, creative, and dreamy types. They dress in velvet and lace, flowy clothes (often victorian or medieval inspired) and they love poetry and literature. They listen to bands like “Love Spirals Downwards, All About Eve, Faith and the Muse, The Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, Bach, and Wagner” (Balanck). One last type of goth is a Cyber Goth. They “like bright neon colors, worship futurism and technology, and listen to dance music that is as different from Gothic Rock as possible” (Balanck). Now, you may say, “why are they goths then?” Well, the lyrics to the music they listen to are too depressing and deep for other people. Also, they have a hint of goth in the way the dress. Cyber goths fashion includes “insane pony falls, goggles, futuristic rave-inspired clothing, towering New Rock Platforms, and miscellaneous glowing bits and places” (Balanck). Other types of goths include The Fetish Goth, The Hippy Goth, The J-Goth, The Rivethead, The Perky Goth, The Mopey Goth, The Death Rocker, The Baby Bat, The Corp
Goth, The Victorian Goth, The Medieval Goth, The Metalhead, The Emo Goth, The Vampire Goth, The Geek Goth, The Gothabilly, The Cabaret Goth, The Steampunk Goth, the Faerie Goth, and The Tribal Goth. So where did all of these goths come from? What is the history behind this subculture? Well the answer to that is as follows: “The original Goths (this is Goths with a capital “G”) were a tribe of Germanic origin (largely from Sweden) that moved into the area that is now southern Russia in the second century AD” (Issitt 1). These barbarians (Goths) changed from distributed tribes into a large kingdom that left their tribal ways to become more civilized among society. This kingdom left an impact across the country of Europe. The definition of Goth came from the barbaric conquerors, representing destruction, mourning, and loss.