http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Good_Girl_by_Lady_Dementia.jpg

->''My life is a big, dead rose...''
-->--Seen as graffiti in an art school classroom

It can't be emphasized enough the fact that Hollywood [[TotallyRadical really does not understand]] the myriad and various subcultures of young people and the many subtleties to be found within. Hence, this trope, which refers to stereotyped Goths in popular culture.

There are, generally speaking, three major Goth stereotypes:
* 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 {{Columbine}} tragedy, simply because the shooters wore black and were erroneously reported to have listened to Marilyn Manson (who, in any case, is generally treated as a joke in the actual Goth community).
* {{Perky Goth}}s: At the exact opposite of the spectrum from the Lone Psycho. They get their own entry.
* Gloomy Goths: We see these most often in fiction. Sometimes, this character is a DeadpanSnarker and/or the sympathetic version of TheDaria. S/he may have trace personality traits of the {{Wangst}}y type or the [[NietzscheWannabe more dedicated Nihilist]]. More often, s/he's TheEeyore. Almost guaranteed in either case to have some kind of [[ParentalAbandonment family-related drama]], usually used as a "justification" for their personality -- you will never see a fictional Goth who just happens to be the way they are without reasons.
** Unless, of course, it's played for laughs by making him the black sheep in a ''TheBradyBunch''-style family with no real psychological beef. In this case, they're generally "cosmetic" goths who are in it just to rebel against their parents, or as "posers" who only want in on the fashion statement. They usually grow out of their "existential depression" with the [[EpiphanyTherapy flip of a switch]].

Typically, Goths are also portrayed as being big on the BDSM side of life ... this is not always an entirely unjustified cliche, but then it's not like it's a core part of being a Goth either.

As it happens, real Goths are mostly harmless and tend to have a (frequently [[BlackComedy dark]] or [[SelfDeprecation self-deprecating]]) sense of humor and irony (the DeadpanSnarker without the Deadpan part); which their fictional counterparts largely lack.

Most goths in fiction will be presented as {{Pale Skinned Brunette}}s who wear [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience only black]], [[EvilCostumeSwitch leather getups]] and listen to loud depressing music. It's worth noting that goth is neither a skin tone nor a fashion statement, so most media tend to treat goth characters almost as if it were a fashion or fad for a darker [[TheCutie Cutie]] to go after. Of course, thanks to Hot Topic and its ilk, Goth ''has'' been hijacked by a large number of people who think it's nothing but a fashion statement, making for a sort of TruthInTelevision that [[BerserkButton utterly infuriates]] (or nihilistically amuses, see above) "true" Goths. There is also a tendency to equate Goths with [[VampireTropes vampire wannabees and the vampire-obsessed]]. While, like BDSM, there is some overlap between the two subcultures, and the post-Victorian vampire can be considered a Goth icon; equating the two in the presence of a Goth can be [[BerserkButton hazardous to your health]].

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... (And let it be mentioned again: don't bring up [[strike:Poseurland]] [[MyImmortal Hot Topic]] if you value your life.)

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[[foldercontrol]]

!!Examples

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* Legato Bluesummers from ''{{Trigun}}'' could very well be the personification of the The Lone Psycho Goth. Keep in mind, he wears a ''human skull'' as an accessory on his shoulder.
* Sunako in ''TheWallflower'' is an example of the Lone Psycho Goth.
** YourMilageMayVary: this troper, herself a PerkyGoth, finds Sunako quite charming and would like to befriend her.
* Re-l Mayer, the heroine of ''ErgoProxy'' is something of the DeadpanSnarker gloomy goth, dressing in all black and wearing lots of eye liner.
* Sawyer the Cleaner of ''BlackLagoon'' dresses as a goth when not "on the job". She's basically the Lone Psycho Goth, although she's more lone, due to having her vocal cords cut, and psycho, because everyone in this series is, than because she is a goth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comics ]]
* Death of the Endless from ''TheSandman''; though she qualifies as a PerkyGoth, she's a favorite of the entire community. Her brother Dream is much more of a Gloomy Goth.
* Anne Gwish from ''JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'' is a (somewhat) AffectionateParody of the "gother than thou" scene.
* Pretty much everyone from ''GloomCookie''.
** To be fair, ''GloomCookie'' is, or at least started out as, a social {{Satire}} of the (mainly San Francisco) goth scene; written by someone who has a more than passing familiarity with it.
* In the ''FinalCrisis Sketchbook'', a tie-in for the 2008 CrisisCrossover showing some of the artist's concept sketches with notes from the author, GrantMorrison apparently redesigned the Forever People (a subset of the New Gods who were basically space hippies) as cynical goths thinking that that's more common of American youth today. He was arguably missing the point of the Forever People, since in their creator's original mythos they represented youthful idealism, which is still around in spades.
** [[spoiler: They eventually appeared as not goths at all, but as Japanese teen superheroes- a bizarre cross between the classic JLA and anime...]]
* This troper saw an absolutely awful arc from the '90s run of ''Titans'' where Aqualad -- I'm sorry, Tempest -- becomes a big fan of a slasher star named... Goth. Yeah, Goth. Oh, and it turns out Goth is actually a demon who uses his fell powers to convince his fans to kill themselves and shoot up schools. Oh, and Goth also fronts as a Marilyn Manson-style singer, so all the late '90s hysteria basis are covered.
* Screamqueen from ''Scare Tactics'' in TheDCU.
* Cassie, the protagonist from ''[[{{ptitle847h4r8c}} Hack/Slash]]''. She's a Lone Psycho {{Stripperiffic}} Monster Slaying {{Goth}} {{Badass}} ActionGirl. [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.]] And apart from being ''very'' snarky, she's also TheLadette.
* Most of the cast of ''Wet Moon'', a GraphicNovel series by Ross Campbell. The author has considerable knowledge and experience with the scene, which helps.
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[[folder: FanFiction ]]
* ''MyImmortal'' is written by either a brain-dead wannabe goth or an expert troll trying to make real goths foam at the mouth with rage.
** ... Or make them fall out of their chairs laughing.
*In ''FanFic/TheReturn'' getting turned into a succubus seems to mean all your clothes turn goth-y. No one knows why. Generally it's on the PerkyGoth side, especially Yuki's new look.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]
* Lydia in ''{{Beetlejuice}}''; her animated counterpart was more of a PerkyGoth. "My life is a darkroom. One. Big. Dark. Room."
*GhostRider rescues a rather ample girl who is a stereotypical goth. She mostly accurately describes him as a really thin guy with his hair on fire, but since she looks like a loony nobody believes her. Right before the camera pans away from her, she makes a gesture which some have identified as a gesture from a vampire LARP.
* In the Hilary Duff film ''RaiseYourVoice'', a gloomy goth girl (Kat Dennings) and a HollywoodNerd (Johnny Lewis) were paired as the BetaCouple.
* Tosh from ''Urban Legend''.
* Sinaed Laren from ''But I'm a Cheerleader'', including stereotyped speech and an obsession with self-inflicted pain.
* ''Series 7: The Contender'' has a [[StylisticSuck hilariously accurate]] {{Parody}} of a [[LeFilmArtistique artsy-fartsy student films]], in this case a music video to "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division. This establishes that two of the main characters, in their {{Backstory}} went through a goth phase together. The hilarious music video stands out as the CrowningMomentOfAwesome for the film.
* Harold from ''Harold And Maude'' dresses and acts not unlike a kind of proto-Gloomy Goth, though mostly during the earlier part of the film.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]
* One of the [[OlderThanTheyThink earlier literary examples]] of the Gloomy Goth as a social fad can be found in, of all places, ''WarAndPeace''. See Julia's thoughts on the smile of melancholy in Chapter V.
* Another early example is in ''AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn''. See Huck's description of (the late) Emmeline Grangerford in Chapter XVII.
* While [[{{Discworld}} Susan Sto Helit]] may be [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]] about "idiots who write poetry in their rooms and dress like vampires and are vegetarians really", she certainly fits elements of the trope herself. The young witches of [[strike:Lucy]] Diamanda Tockley's coven in ''Lords and Ladies'' (referred to as "necro-nerds" in the ''Companion'') might count, although they seem to be more the "fashion statement" type.
** And let's not forget the young vampires in ''Carpe Jugulum'', who try to freak out their elders by wearing bright clothes, stay up til noon, and call themselves names like "Henry" or "Pam". They even pretend to drink... [[IDoNotDrinkWine wine]], although only "real weirdos who file their teeth blunt" actually do.
* Similar to the above example, the rebellious kids of the vampire dimension in Robert Asprin's ''Myth'' series express themselves by wearing bright colors and partying in brightly lit clubs. There's also a market for plastic-human teeth, if you want to scare somebody.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* One of our favorite stereotyped Goths here in Troperland is the main character of ''TheHauntingHour'' (a MadeForTVMovie aired, curiously, on the ''[[NetworkDecay Cartoon]]'' [[NetworkDecay Network]]). At one point in the movie, she sat in her room and listen to depressing music all day long. The reason? Well, she ''dropped food on herself at school''. Oh, the inanity!
** Later, when she's asked to take her brother trick or treating, she sulks while the soundtrack plays:
--->''Walking down the street alone.\\
Everything I've ever loved is gone gone gone...''
* Abby The Lab Rat from ''NCIS'' is the quintessential PerkyGoth.
* Merton J. Dingle from ''BigWolfOnCampus'' was a rather pathetic but strangely endearing simulacrum of a goth.
** Apparently, nobody told him that you ''can'' be a goth and a nerd at the same time. ThisEditor is living proof of the fact.
* Goths before the subculture existed: Morticia and Wednesday [[TheAddamsFamily Addams]] and Lily [[TheMunsters Munster]].
** Morticia and Lily Munster only dressed the part. But Wednesday had the attitude down perfectly.
*** Which version of Wendesday you mean? The perky but morbid little girl from the old TV series, or the expressionless CreepyChild from the movies?
**** This troper sees no reason to differentiate the two for these purposes.
* One episode of ''ThisIsWonderland'' had Elliot defending a goth man who had gotten into a fight with a car dealer who had made fun of him. The goth character was treated much more sympathetically than it sounds, and the judge eventually agreed that the provocation was sufficient. Along the way, they commented upon the unfair stereotypes associated therewith. Elliot even went goth for a few episodes.
* Parodied on ''TheMorganWatersShow'' with Trent, the badminton-playing Goth.
* The ''BloodTies'' TV show has Coreen, a fairly well adjusted Goth, as assistant to the main character Vicki. She even has an episode where she gets Vicki to solve murders at her Goth club.
* Richmond from ''TheITCrowd'' is either a parody of actual goths or (more likely, given his portrayal by pop culture barometer Noel Fielding) a parody of the goth stereotypes listed above.
* Parodied on ''SaturdayNightLive'''s recurring "Goth Talk" sketch, starring Chris Kattan as Azrael Abyss, Prince of Darkness, and Molly Shannon as Circe Nightshade. The show's sponsor was a store called "The Gloom Room"... "It's an orgy of the macabre... located right next to the Pizza Hut on Hibiscus Road."
* Nadine from ''GirlsInLove'' was normally a gloomy goth, although she would occasionally slip into PerkyGoth territory depending on what was happening in her private life.
* Two words: [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Vampire Willow]]. Three more: Willow's Halloween costume.
** And another two: Dark Willow. Though there's quite a few who'd like to purge season six from existence, her included.
* On ''[[ThirdRockFromTheSun 3rd Rock From The Sun]]'', Tommy once dated a gloomy goth named Lorna (played by Linda Cardellini) and read her poetry:
-->'''Tommy:''' "Death signed my yearbook. 'Have a good summer,' he wrote, 'see ya next year.' And then I noticed it wasn't my yearbook he signed, it was my tombstone."\\
'''Lorna:''' What d'you think?\\
'''Tommy:''' ''[lying]'' I like it. I especially like the surprise ending here.\\
'''Lorna:''' You're the first one to get the irony.
* ThisTroper distinctly remembers part of a HomeImprovement episode where the family's at a poetry reading for Wilson, and a goth girl goes up to read/recite her poetry....
-->'''Goth Girl:''' Die... Die... Go on, Die!\\
'''[[DeadpanSnarker Randy]]:''' You first.
* Nadine from ''GirlsInLove'' is a Gloomy Goth.
* Vivian Wu from ''NaturallySadie''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* The card game ''Gother Than Thou'' includes cards such as "Fun with eyeliner," "That wasted look," and "Crying yourself to sleep on the fresh grave of your lifelong love who died of consumption and being found the next morning unconscious, naked, and nearly frozen to death by the groundskeeper."
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Henry from the ''{{Nancy Drew}}'' game ''Legend of the Crystal Skull'' seems like an attempt at a gloomy-but-harmless Goth character, but comes across as more fashion-Goth/[[EmoTeen emo]] than genuine.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]
* 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.
* Lampshaded in ''OzyAndMillie'': Felicia, a trendy, sheep-like girl, has times when she'll break out the goth makeup in what everyone except the extremely gullible in the strip consider to be a very fake Goth style.
* [[http://www.metro.co.uk/nemi Nemi]]
** Having read ''Nemi'' for some time, this troper feels that Nemi falls into the PerkyGoth category, more so than goth.
*** She's pretty much every non-straight lifestyle rolled up together, and dressed in black, save for a sexual minority (she's very straight in that respect).
* Haley Starshine of ''OrderOfTheStick'' went through a Gloomy Goth phase in her teen years. She now regards the whole business as [[DorkAge kind of stupid]].
** Tsukiko is still in her Goth phase. Haley [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0518.html mocks her for it]].
* ''ZebraGirl'''s friend Crystal, formerly a GenkiGirl and bordering on TheDitz, has recently gone Goth in reaction to the strip's CerebusSyndrome.
* In ''Acorn Grove,'' the character Tota the Squirrel breiefly becomes a goth, but only because she had identity issues. Later she becomes emo and later a lesbian.
* In ''QuestionableContent,'' Dora and Raven are both former goths from the same coven. Dora's reason for going goth in the first place was something along the lines of 'because people are retarded.' She eventually drifts away from the coven saying that while it was fun, it had started to feel 'shallow and pointless.' Raven is the classic sheep following whatever herd piques her interest (she tries to be emo at one point to attract 'cute emo boys'), though she may be smarter than she appears to be.
** This troper wonders if Dora's gothiness is more of an InformedAttribute. Her attire and taste in music suggest she's more of a metal fan.
* [[http://pics.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=030903 Nana Avarre]], the "Angsty Dentist" from ''SluggyFreelance'', is a frightening combo of [[{{Goth}} gothiness]] with [[StalkerWithACrush stalking]] and dentistry..
-->'''Torg:''' Novocain please!\\
'''Nana:''' Nothing is real but pain. Would you rob yourself of that last grasp of truth? ''(Lunges at Torg with her dentist's drill)'' FEEL MY EMBRACE, TO FILL THE CAVITY OF YOUR HEART!
* ''[[http://www.gothybeans.com/beans/ Gothy Beans]]'' is a strip entirely devoted to PerkyGoth beans.
** And one DeadpanSnarker.
* ''[[http://www.clashingblack.com/alas Alas]]'' is all about Goths, and for once created by one. It alternates between [[PlayingWithATrope playing with]] and parodying the stereotypes, and doing the same with the real scene. A good antidote to most of the rather dire media portrayals.
* ''[[http://rhapsodies.wpmorse.com/ Rhapsodies]]'' has Blossom, Francine, Olive, Bian, Stefan and, presumably, Bert.
* [[http://www.writheandshine.com Writhe and Shine]] is a [[SliceOfLife slice of life]] comedy about the New Orleans goth scene, written by a (now former) New Orleans goth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]
* There are plenty of Goths at the SuperHeroSchool Whateley Academy in the ''WhateleyUniverse''. Some are that way for superpowered [[{{TeenTitans}} Raven-like]] reasons. Some are just magic wannabes who are trying to steal real magic from some of the wizards on campus. Some, like Bloodworm, are actively using Dark Magic to get boons [[spoiler:right up until he suffered a fate way worse than death.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* Parodied in ''SouthPark''; the Goth kids are always railing against the "conformists", while being [[HypocriticalHumor ridiculously similar in dress, speech, and action]].
** Further worked with the 2008 episode "The Ungroundable", where they railed against ... vampires.
*** In that same episode they got pissed about being called emos and ended up burned down Hot Topic (complete with a song called "Burning down Hot Topic") to stop the Vampire-obsessed from copying them.
** It's interesting to note that while most fictional portrayals of goths have them listening to some variety of heavy metal, the music the goth kids listen to is a pretty impressive and accurate parody of actual goth music.
* Kylie Griffin from ''ExtremeGhostbusters'' exemplifies the Gloomy Goth sub-trope.
* Raven of the TeenTitans fits pretty much all the stereotypes, although there are [[BlessedWithSuck extenuating circumstances]] for why she has to be that way. A good number of fans argue whether she really qualifes as "Goth" though, since she certainly doesn't care about being part of that or any other subculture. She just is who she is, whether she likes it or not.
** Also, Honorary Titan ''Argent'' is depicted posing as interested in this sort of dark fashion style.
* Master Cyclonis, the BigBad from ''StormHawks'' fits the bill. Also Stork.
* Yin turning evil in an episode of ''YinYangYo'' is represented visually by her getting a Goth Girl makeover. The Lone Psycho Goth stereotype is alive and well.
* As opposed to her comics persona (a perky Southern belle) Rogue in ''XMenEvolution'' was given this sort of personality because the creators thought it would fit a girl who was BlessedWithSuck. It was a good call, in this troper's opinion.
** The same show's take on the Scarlet Witch has a very strong Hot Topic Goth vibe.
* Another animated Gloomy Goth: Creepy Suzie of ''TheOblongs'', who seems to be a merciless parody of the stereotype.
* Triana Orpheus of ''TheVentureBros'' is a goth, replete with a skull on her T-shirt and heavy eyeliner. Her father is a necromancer (and her mother ran off with a younger one) so apparently it runs in the family.
** Oddly enough, she's arguably the sanest and most level-headed character on the show.
** Hey, she was going for an Adam and the Ants kind of look. And it's not like she can get into her closet...
* Andrea from ''{{Daria}}'', though she gets about three lines per season on average, is unmistakably Lawndale High's token Goth kid.
-->'''Andrea:''' ''(Reciting her own poetry)'' I'm here. But where are you? Anyone ''home'' in that rotting bag of flesh?
* Gwen from ''TotalDramaIsland'' is a sort of half-hearted portrayal. She was given a {{Goth}} character design, but her personality is really pretty average for a (slightly downbeat) teenage girl.
** Duncan seems to fit the Lone Psycho Goth more, although he's arguably considered to be a punk rather than a Goth.
*** Speaking of those two, there are many fans that [[FanPreferredCouple pair the two]]. [[spoiler: In the first few episodes of Total Drama Action, they start getting along really well because of their similarities. Enough to make Gwen's actual boyfriend Trent [[LoveMakesYouCrazy jealous and kinda nuts.]] ]]
* An episode of ''SixTeen'' had one of the characters dress up as a Goth to try to retain his girlfriend, who was on a Goth kick. In the same episode, the regular cast and a bunch of goths (most of whom were posers) were trapped together in the Mall after a power outage. While it had the typical Goth jokes, the episode had the two groups more or less accepting each other.
** Though ironically, the episode does end on an unusual gloomy note after the not-really-goth couple breaks up.
* Ingrid from ''{{Fillmore}}''. Although, unlike most examples, her goth-ness isn't some sort of defining characteristic. She just happens to like dressing in black and has black hair.
* Not quite a Lone Psycho Goth (she has a boyfriend and a small clique of Goth friends), Chloe Crashman from ''CarlSquared'' could be the poster girl for the Angry Goth.
* Creepie Creecher, from ''GrowingUpCreepie''. She also has a cadre of goth friends/acquaintances. None are really portrayed negatively.
* Mai for AvatarTheLastAirbender counts in the Gloomy Goth category. She's also TheDaria and a DeadpanSnarker to boot.
[[/folder]]

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