History Main / Goth

* The gothic subculture began with a certain genre of music, which we now recognize as Gothic Rock but was originally considered no different than other {{Post Punk}}. As such, listening to both Gothic Rock and some Post Punk are a basic requirement for participation within the subculture. Examples of gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure. Post Punk bands popular with goths include Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees(Siouxsie Sioux being a major fashion inspiration for gothic women even now) and Killing Joke. Many other genres of music are popular in the goth scene as well, including Darkwave, Deathrock, Ethereal, New Wave, Synthpop, Positive Punk, Horror Punk, Gothic Metal, Shock Rock, Glam Rock, Dark Glam, Batcave, Industrial and classical music. Examples of bands from these other genres can be found on Last.FM or Google. Certain other groups are sometimes seen as being goth, such as Marilyn Manson or Evanessence, but these bands do not have a clear musical connection to the two essential genres and are therefor not goth.

** Because of the emphasis on creativity, there are several clothing tropes embodied by Gothic fashionistas. Some of the more common are: ImpracticallyFancyOutfit, OfCorsetsSexy, and, of course, PimpedOutDress. Applies equally to male and female outfits.

** Because of the emphasis on creativity, there are several clothing tropes embodied by Gothic fashion. Some of the more common are: ImpracticallyFancyOutfit, OfCorsetsSexy, and, of course, PimpedOutDress. Applies equally to male and female outfits.

** Because of the emphasis on creativity, there are several clothing tropes embodied by Gothic fashion. Some of the more common are: ImpracticallyFancyOutfit, OfCorsetsSexy, and PimpedOutDress.

* Subverted by Melanippe from ''[[http://amazoness.co.uk/index.htm Amazoness!]]''; while she ''looks'' like a stereotypical goth, the comic takes place in ancient Greece, and she's really a Goth... as in, the tribe of barbarians who would go on to sack Rome.

* Severus Snape In ''HarryPotter''. DeadpanSnarker? Check. Family drama (namely, abusive father and (possibly) negligent mother)? Check. Nihilist? Check... As a teenager. ([[AlternateCharacterInterpretation At least, he comes off as one at times.]]) Wears all black and is an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette? Double-check; cosmetic though they may be, they certainly help qualify him. And if the sub-plot with [[spoiler: Lily being his lost love]] doesn't do it, nothing does.

* A lot of "[[JerkSue Bitchiwitch]]" {{Mary Sue}}s in the ''HarryPotter'' fandom, at least for a while anyway, when they're not punks, tend to be goths. (Usually, they'll also have a hatred of either punks or "preps".) Though of course, a lot of them are [[TrollFic Troll Fics]] still trying to jump on the ''MyImmortal'' bandwagon.

* Goths are likely to be artistic, there are many who take an artful pride in their wardrobe, in making music related to their subculture, or any other creative field. Although it is very rare, however, non-artistic goths can still exist. Goths tend to value individuality and thinking differently, and this is where the distinctive wardrobe comes in. Black is the most popular colour of clothing in the scene, but many other colours are used, and back in 1978(the year goth was born) when people complained about the "depressing wardrobe" of Joy Division fans they were complaining about grey, not black. Spooky clothing is popular, as is Avant-Garde fashion, and punk rock style DIY and haircuts. That being said, individuality is important, dressing to the nines 24/7 is not.

* The [[LonersAreFreaks Lone Psycho]] Goth: At best, this character may have an obnoxious level of {{Wangst}}. At worst, this character will be well off the deep end of LonersAreFreaks, a card-carrying NietzscheWannabe, and may even be AxCrazy. It's worth pointing out that this formerly obscure stereotype was [[TheNewRockAndRoll pounced upon and dragged into the spotlight]] after the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} tragedy, simply because the shooters wore black trenchcoats and were erroneously reported to have listened to MarilynManson(who is contrary to popular misconceptions not related to goth at all whatsoever).

->'''Waldorf''': Hey Statler, how would you define Goths?\\

'''Waldorf''': So are you saying we're Goth?\\

* The first {{Pico}} flash, ''Pico's School'', a group of goths led by Cassandra grow tired of the conformist school system and estart a Columbine-inspired massacre. Pico retaliates with an AK-47 to teach Cassandra and her lackeys what non-conformity truly means [[spoiler:only to find out that Cassandra is really a hermaphroditic alien monstrosity with "other plans"]].
* [[http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&q=violetta+draculette#/d4y6nkx Violetta Draculette Tepes Inima Hemoragie]] by a devianArt user

Note that a majority of these are required- not all of them. Just because someone doesn't dress Goth doesn't mean they aren't- as long as they fulfill most of the other qualifiers on that list, they are indeed Goth (some people just don't like the style. In fact, Claire's markets to the "preppy Goth" niche, crossing what are usually opposing factions). Also, Goths are going to fluctuate as to what degree they display each trait. The last 5 are the most important- at least 3 of these should be displayed full force (preferably 4). Any less than that, and you're probably not dealing with a Goth.

* A religion.

* A phase- a true Goth is not in any phase.

* Goths may be seen as nerdy. This probably has something to do with liking a few somewhat obscure genres of music to the point of obsessively identifying themselves with those genres. Although there are likely many more goths in fandoms in relation to the total population then in "mainstream society", however since goths are not space aliens the fandoms that they do enjoy are not likely to be different then ones popular outside of goth.


* One of the themes that will recur is basically "non-mainstream". Most Goths do not adhere to the mainstream because a lot of what mainstream decided was close-minded and stereotypical. Most Goths keep an open mind about things, ranging from the deep (religion, philosophy, whatnot) to the shallow (programs, games, etc). Mainstream largely decided that [[AnimationAgeGhetto cartoons were for children and adults couldn't enjoy them]] (or else they were immature), but most adult Goths lament what adult non-Goths are missing (never mind the fact that cartoons were originally for adults!). Just like mainstream has decided that anyone different is bad, even though Goths know that most Goths are some of the nicest people around, and that liking children's media (especially with ParentalBonus) doesn't make you immature- most Goths are capable of sometimes being more mature than non-Goth in serious situations (like a non-Goth may scream a BigNo, while a Goth may stand there [[TheStoic stoically]].)
* Goths are likely to be artistic, there are many who take an artful pride in their wardrobe, in making music related to their subculture, or any other creative field. Although it is very rare, however, non-artistic goths can still exist.
* One of the core values of Goths is individuality. All Goths are their art to some extent. Most Goths style their dress as something symbolic to them, or something that expresses who they are. Wearing all black, sharp jewelry, white/dramatic makeup, and outrageous clothing aren't a requirement. Although there is a certain style of clothing most Goths wear, these are not mutually inclusive- you can wear all black non-Goth clothes, or non-black Goth clothes, or both, but hardly ever does neither pass for Goth.
* Not every Goth is just rebelling. Any "Goth" that is rebelling isn't a likely Goth- they are a non-conformist at best, and a non-religious Satanist at worst. Non religious Satanists aim only to shock (usually authority figures) and seem "bad" or "cool" when this truly is just a phase. Should you quiz them and they get hostile or give stereotyped answers, then this person is not a Goth. It's possible, though unlikely, that they are a beginning Goth and will learn the true nature of the Goth lifestyle, but odds are it is something they will grow out of. Goths are Goths for pretty much the rest of their lives.
* Usually, a true Goth didn't choose to be Goth. Either they slowly transitioned to Goth and found their true natures, began hanging out with a Goth and realized that was their true nature, or the Goth lifestyle chose them. Some may have "chosen" it initially and found that they were meant to be Goth, others went the ways listed above. Some may have been raised Goth, but others that were raised non-Goth usually "discover" they are Goth.

* Goth is not a religious thing, but a secular youth culture based on a shared taste in music, books, and some fashion much like The Mods of the 1960s. However, one of the things that is very goth is open mindedness. Therefor, people such as Neopagans and yes, even Satanists found themselves drawn into the creation of the early scene as they often felt liek outsiders in "normal" society, and are still prevalent today. This can lead to nasty stereotyping that all goths are 'devil worshippers', however this is still a rather large minority of goths. Despite these people being a minority, their presence is one of the things that make the modern scene as distinct and colourful as it is. The 'open minded' part of being goth has also lead to the subculture having a higher than average number of LGBT individuals and BDSM enthusiasts. Being a bigot will not do you far in this scene.

* Goths may be seen as nerdy. This probably has something to do with liking a few somewhat obscure genres of music to the point of obsessively identifying themselves with those genres. Although there are likely many more goths in fandoms in relation to the total population then in "mainstream society", however since goths are not space aliens the fandoms that they do enjoy are not likely to be different then ones popular outside of goth.

* Every Goth believes differently. There are Christian Goths as well as other Monotheistic faiths, Neopagan, Atheist, and Agnostic. Even within these beliefs (or lack thereof), Goths may disagree on certain facts, just like the non-Goth population of those. There are very few followers of Religious Satanism, and the Goth vs. non-Goth population of Religious Satanists will probably be equal. Goths got stuck with the stereotype that they are devil worshippers because of the ability to see the dark sides of life, and either turn them into art, turn them into a life lesson, or find the perverse humor in them. Goths appreciate the negative side of life as well as the positive, and can balance these out. Although most choose to see the beauty in the negative because it's much easier to find the beauty in the positive, and finding beauty in the negative is a challenge. Although sounding more heinous than it is, Goths appreciate the peacefulness in death, the irony of the oncologist getting cancer, the lessons involved in painful experiences, and take the opportunities to make these things into something better.

* The gothic subculture began with a certain genre of music, which we now recognize as Gothic Rock but was originally considered no different than other {{Post Punk}}. As such, listening to both gothic rock and some post-punk are a basic requirement for participation within the subculture. Examples of gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure. Post punk bands popular with goths include Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees(Siouxsie Sioux being a major fashion inspiration for gothic women even now) and Killing Joke. Many other genres of music are popular in the goth scene as well, including Darkwave, Deathrock, Ethereal, New Wave, Synthpop, Positive Punk, Horror Punk, Gothic Metal, Shock Rock, Industrial and classical music. Examples of bands from these other genres can be found on Last.FM or Google. Certain other groups are sometimes seen as being goth, such as Marilyn Manson or Evanessence, but these bands do not have a clear musical connection to the two essential genres and are therefor not goth.
* Goths may be seen as nerdy. This probably has something to do with liking a few somewhat obscure genres of music to the point of obsessively identifying themselves with those genres. Although there are likely many more goths in fandoms in relation to the total population then in "mainstream society", since goths are not space aliens the fandoms that they do enjoy are not likely to be different then ones popular outside of goth.
* While maybe not all Goths have had some kind of trauma in their lives, most have. However, Goths are able to take that pain and grow from it. This may even be where their art comes from, or where their music preference comes in if they identify with what the lyrics are saying, or even the singer themselves. The thing that separates Goth from Emo is this quality- Emos hold on to their pain and use it to {{Wangst}}, but Goths transcend it and evolve from it.
** Most Goths are not sociopaths, psychopaths, druggies, etc. While there are various Gothic paths that may subscribe to these things, most Goths don't. This is what separates Goth from Punk as well- Goths will fight in defense of something or someone, but punks usually seek to start altercations. Most Goths, though intimidating-looking, are perfectly nice people that will help your grandmother across the street.
** Most Goths do not have a mental illness. As will all cultures and populations, some Goths are going to have them, but this is true for other samples of a population. It is no more or less true for Goth than, say, Gangster. Just because someone is Goth does not mean they are depressed, bipolar, schizophrenic, or have any of the personality disorders (borderline, antisocial, oppositional defiant, etc). A lot of Goths are perfectly healthy people that are not disturbed (though it is rare that a Goth has not endured some kind of great pain). Although the appreciation for the dark side of life may make them seem that way, for a lot of Goths, the cigar is indeed a cigar.

* A lot of Goths appear (or are) nerdy. This is because they don't like being told what to like and not like. This may extend to ManChild (or Woman Child). The Goths that are nerdy are nerds for various reasons, one also being to keep a piece of childhood alive, though this is a rare thing. Most Goths don't really know why they like it -- that is just what they're drawn to (outside of the TVTropes reasons they could list). Some of it may be a refusal to allow part of themselves to grow up, but most of the time, it's just something the individual happens to identify with. Goths frequently enjoy things such as HarryPotter, Series/DoctorWho, Series/{{Sherlock}} or ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}.

* The gothic subculture began with a certain genre of music, which we now recognize as Gothic Rock/{{GothRock}} but was originally considered no different than other {{Post Punk}}. As such, listening to both gothic rock and some post-punk are a basic requirement for participation within the subculture. Examples of gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure. Post punk bands popular with goths include Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees(Siouxsie Sioux being a major fashion inspiration for gothic women even now) and Killing Joke. Many other genres of music are popular in the goth scene as well, including Darkwave, Deathrock, Ethereal, New Wave, Synthpop, Positive Punk, Horror Punk, Gothic Metal, Shock Rock, Industrial and classical music. Examples of bands from these other genres can be found on Last.FM or Google. Certain other groups are sometimes seen as being goth, such as Marilyn Manson or Evanessence, but these bands do not have a clear musical connection to the two essential genres and are therefor not goth.

* The gothic subculture began with a certain genre of music, which we now recognize as Gothic Rock/{{Goth Rock}} but was originally considered no different than other {{Post Punk}}. As such, listening to both gothic rock and some post-punk are a basic requirement for participation within the subculture. Examples of gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure. Post punk bands popular with goths include Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees(Siouxsie Sioux being a major fashion inspiration for gothic women even now) and Killing Joke. Many other genres of music are popular in the goth scene as well, including Darkwave, Deathrock, Ethereal, New Wave, Synthpop, Positive Punk, Horror Punk, Gothic Metal, Shock Rock, Industrial and classical music. Examples of bands from these other genres can be found on Last.FM or Google. Certain other groups are sometimes seen as being goth, such as Marilyn Manson or Evanessence, but these bands do not have a clear musical connection to the two essential genres and are therefor not goth.

* The gothic subculture began with a certain genre of music, which we now recognize as [[Gothic Rock]] but was originally considered no different than other [[Post Punk]]. As such, listening to both gothic rock and some post-punk are a basic requirement for participation within the subculture. Examples of gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure. Post punk bands popular with goths include Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees(Siouxsie Sioux being a major fashion inspiration for gothic women even now) and Killing Joke. Many other genres of music are popular in the goth scene as well, including Darkwave, Deathrock, Ethereal, [[New Wave]], Synthpop, Positive Punk, Horror Punk, Gothic Metal, Shock Rock, Industrial and classical music. Examples of bands from these other genres can be found on Last.FM or Google. Certain other gropus are sometimes seen as being goth, such as Marilyn Manson or Evanessence, but these bands do not have a clear musical connection to the two essential genres and are therefor not goth.

* The gothic subculture began with a certain genre of music, which we now recognize as Gothic Rock but was originally considered no different than other post-punk. As such, listening to both gothic rock and some post-punk are a basic requirement for participation within the subculture. Examples of gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure. Post punk bands popular with goths include Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees(Siouxsie Siouxs being a major fashion inspiration for gothic women even now) and Killing Joke. Many other genres of music are popular in the goth scene as well, including Darkwave, Deathrock, Ethereal, New Wave, Positive Punk, Horror Punk, Gothic Metal, and classical music. Examples of bands from these genres can be found on Last.FM or google.

Just as much as Biker is a way of life (and overlaps with Goth heavily, if not a subset), Goth is a lifestyle and nothing less.

Please note: Goth as a subculture dates to the early 80s. (Teenagers sometimes think they invented it.) And just to keep things clear, Goths are markedly different from [[EmoTeen emo]] people. Woe betide the person who gets these cultures confused in real life.

* All goths listen to Gothic Rock. Examples of Gothic Rock bands include The Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Morrisey, Faith and Disease, and London After Midnight, to name a few. This genre is often misinterpreted and incorrectly believed to include such bands as Marilyn Manson, Avenged Sevenfold, Evanescence, HIM, and similar groups, when in fact they are a completely different style of music. Goths typically also listen to other types of music, but Gothic Rock is the standard preference for various reasons.

* One of the themes that will recur is basically "non-mainstream". Most Goths do not adhere to the mainstream because a lot of what mainstream decided was close-minded and stereotypical. Most Goths keep an open mind about things, ranging from the deep (religion, philosophy, whatnot) to the shallow (programs, games, etc). Mainstream largely decided that [[AnimationAgeGhetto cartoons were for children and adults couldn't enjoy them]] (or else they were immature), but most adult Goths lament what adult non-Goths are missing (never mind the fact that cartoons were originally for adults!). This is why Goths consider non-Goths "brainless sheep", because they simply believe what they are told (ranging from "adults aren't allowed to like children's media anymore" to "All pagans are devil worshippers") and don't question or seek to find the truth (that a lot of children's media has ParentalBonus slipped in [even going to WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids proportions], and that most pagan/Neopagan religions don't even recognize a "devil" character). Just like mainstream has decided that anyone different is bad, even though Goths know that most Goths are some of the nicest people around, and that liking children's media (especially with ParentalBonus) doesn't make you immature- most Goths are capable of sometimes being more mature than non-Goth in serious situations (like a non-Goth may scream a BigNo, while a Goth may stand there [[TheStoic stoically]].)
* Goths are artists in some respect. Some, like LadyGaga, are their art, but others stick to more conventional art forms such as writing, music, visual, etc. There are hardly any Goths that are not artistic. They usually take the DarkerAndEdgier side of life to turn into art. For instance, Amy Lee (of {{Evanescence}}) took the premature and unexpected death of her little sister and turned it into not one, but two of the band's most beautiful songs ("Hello" and "Like You"). EdgarAllanPoe wrote some of the best poetry of all time, such as "Annabelle Lee", a poem about his lover's (who happened to be his [[KissingCousins cousin]]) death. Edvard Munch painted "Der Schrei der Natur" ("The Scream") because he "felt nature screaming" (note that it was painted around the eruption of Krakatoa, so nature may have indeed screamed in warning). These are not the only examples, far from only, and these are not the only mediums Goths can create art in. In short, Goths are not only creative people, but use what non-Goths are frightened (and thus intrigued by) for art.