How to know if we are really Gothic?
You may have considered yourself gothic for a while, but you found an online forum, group, or article, and the concept is not what it seems. Maybe being gothic isn't what you think, so now you're wondering if you were part of the culture at all. Beyond the stereotypes and labels that have defined you, are you really part of this subculture that is almost half a century old? You can do many surveys on the Internet, consult a large number of people, or look in the mirror for many hours, but will all this meet the definition of Gothic? If you really want to differentiate the stereotype that once and for all, this article can help you.
1. Determine if you are a "counterfeiter." Sure, you try too hard, but if you want to be honest with yourself, it's important to ask yourself, am I trying to be someone I'm not? If you want to fit into a certain group, impress people, or get attention. , you will only lie to yourself, and you may end up losing your true self. There is nothing wrong with liking Gothic fashion and embracing this culture. It's good to hear this musical style and not be gothic. If you force yourself to act a certain way or try too hard to be someone you really aren't, it's important to stop. If you lie to yourself, it will be too obvious to others. If you admire some aspects of this subculture, try to blend them with your own style.
2. Stay away from stereotypes. In the 1950s, many stereotypes and misconceptions emerged in the media from the creation of the Gothic subculture. There are internal jokes and stereotypes, such as drinking black coffee, smoking cloves, loving absinthe in the Gothic community, and negative stereotypes created by those outside the Gothic community. These include the following common misconceptions:
- All Goths wear black all the time. While traditional Goths wore black clothing as the subculture grew through events and outbreaks such as Romantic Gothic, "deathrock," and "deathrock revival," different styles were included in this style. Usually, romantic gothic includes red and purple colors, while the deadlock revival includes white, purple, and even bright colors such as pink and yellow.
- All Goths are depressed and suicidal. This is perhaps the most scandalous of all false stereotypes. Colored black can represent different things in any culture, including expressing "depression," which is not true. The gloomy atmosphere of Gothic stems from the rebellion of the original Gothic against the disco scene of the 70s.
- The Goths use drugs, drink alcohol, and sleep with anyone. Again, this is a false thing. Of course, some Goths may be reckless. It all depends on your own personality, not on the fact that you are gothic or not. The Goths are as intelligent as anyone.
- Goths worship Satan and evil spirits. This is one reason why people mistakenly consider Goths to be "strangers" or "abnormal." This is not the case most of the time. Many Gothic atheists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Vikings (who do not believe in Satan), etc. Just be yourself and believe (or not) what you want to believe.
3. Evaluate your musical taste. In essence, the Gothic movement is a subculture based on music. Therefore, to be considered gothic, your musical tastes must include gothic music. The subculture must-have aspects, traditions, and characteristics that make it what it is and this is a common position for all people who consider themselves part of this movement. Very similar to the metal subculture, Gothic is also based on music.
- These genres include post-punk gothic rock, the second wave of gothic rock, the darkwave, the death wave, the cold wave, and the ethereal wave.
- There are also musical genres that many Goths enjoy hearing, but they do not come from the subculture itself. This includes electronic body music (EBM), industrial music (fans of this genre are called head-on rivets), and some metal genres.
- Some people believe that saying "Goths listen to gothic music" means that Goths can ONLY hear this genre, something that is not true. While listening to gothic music, you can consider yourself gothic, regardless of the other genres, you listen to.
4. Look for different gothic genres and find your favorite sounds.
- Some post-punk gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, Sex Gang Children, Southern Death Cult, Siouxsie and Banshees, and any other band that transitions between post-punk and the darkest touch of gothic rock. They are considered to be original and classical performers of the Gothic movement, and they are the ones who are mentioned the most when asked about the recommendations of Gothic groups.
- The second wave of gothic rock came when The Sisters of Mercy arrived on stage. Instead of the minimalist sound of the post-punk guitar, it has been replaced by a sound practically similar to gothic hard rock. Some bands are The Merry Thoughts, Dreamtime, Star Industry, The Mission, Nosferatu, Fields of the Nephilim, and others.
- Darkwave was a genre that was synonymous with a gothic rock until the bands began using percussion and additional synthesizers. The bands that are usually considered darkwave are Clan of Xymox, Symphony Switchblade, Black Tape For Blue Girl, Diva Destruction, etc.
- Deathrock originated on the west coast of the United States and is a more atmospheric and terrifying punk version. When these groups began to gain popularity and tour, they overcame and directly influenced the Gothic scene in the United Kingdom. Some deathrock bands include 45 Grave, Christian Death, Bloody Dead And Sexy, Alien Sex Fiend, Kommunity FK, and more.
- The cold wave originated in France and Belgium in the 1970s, and in 1977 Siouxsie and Banshees described their music as "cold, machine and passionate at the same time." Some famous groups include the Marquis de Sade, an asylum party, and a twilight ritual.
- The ethereal wave is the result of the darkwave, often described as "mystical," "gothic," and "ethereal," which is usually the English sound recording 4AD. The most famous guitar-focused bands include Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, and This Mortal Coil.
5. Look at your clothing style. Fashion has always been part of this subculture, but in practice, it is secondary to the music, as the latter is the core of the movement. Contrary to popular belief, Gothic fashion has its origins in Gothic musicians instead of Victorian and Edwardian clothing. Gothic fashion became popular and defined by Peter Murphy, Dave Vanian, Sioux Siu, Patricia Morrison, Copy / Johnny Slut, and Robert Smith. Gothic clothing and accessories include:
- openwork socks on the hands, usually broken and worn, popularized by Peter Murphy
- High-heeled boots, stiletto heels, lace-up shoes with pointed toes, shiny high-heeled shoes, or Dr. Martens
- silver jewelry, such as silver skulls bracelets, human skeletons earrings, and bats, or religious images such as crosses made with thick rings, brooches, and necklaces.
- face pads such as eyebrow rings, tongue sticks, lip hoops, and black spikes and rings
- multilayer belts with metal rings and chains decorated with a spider or bone hooks
- socks and striped tights
- leather, PVC, lace, velvet, or silk accessories
- painted leather jackets, favorite gang badges
- nail polish popular in colors like red and black
- During the golden age of Batcave, Siouxsie Sioux inspired girls to comb their hair as high as possible, and Patricia Morrison of The Sisters of Charity influenced others to leave their hair long and brown.
- Bauhaus, Robert Smith of The Cure, Specimen, and Dave Vanian, have influenced men's style. Johnny Slut, Specimen's pianist, became the band's face due to his sophisticated style and combed in conjunction with a giant hawk back with a lot of nail polish.
- However, it is not necessary to do an extreme hairstyle every day. Not a problem if you prefer to have long, dark hair, maybe curly. There is no rule regarding hair, but gothic people usually adopt this style. If you are interested in a particular style, you can search for tutorials on YouTube.
7. Look at your makeup. As with fashion, gothic makeup also has its origins in the way musicians use it. Some examples are:
- Cleopatra or the Egyptians' Eye makeup was very similar to the way Siouxsie Sioux composed her eyes, or dense blocks of blue, purple, or metallic shade.
- The fatal wounds popularized by Daniel Ash. He drew black lines to the top. Don't be afraid to experiment with eyeliner and shadow while drawing "eyebrows of death" (eyebrows of death).
- Female eyebrows are usually thin and very arched (like Morticia Addams) or pointed, triangular, and thick like Siouxsie Sioux. You don't have to use a style you don't like. Instead, create your own version. Many music fans use this makeup because of the influence gained through their idols.
8. Participate in the local Gothic scene and attend festivals, nightclubs, and concerts if possible. Meet new people on stage and listen to ancestral stories. Festivals like Whitby Goth Weekend and Wave Gotik Treffen will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the subculture and help you feel more comfortable dressing the way you do and presenting the way you do.
World Gothic Day is May 22.
World Gothic Day is May 22.
9. Discover new gothic bands and support the local scene. This includes attending their concerts, purchasing their CDs, and even online through Soundclick or Bandcamp. Sales allow Gothic musicians to write, produce and release new recordings to continue the legacy. This is the way the Gothic scene can go on, and it continues to grow over time.
- Look for gothic or dark alternative radio stations like Nightbreedrado.com, deathrockradio.com, Dark Asylum, etc.
- Check the Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter profiles of your favorite bands for the latest news on upcoming albums, tours, etc.
10. Visit second-hand shops and prepare some things with your own hands. At first, Gothic had no shops to buy. Instead, they focused on creativity and the things they found in second-hand stores. This means that there was no "established" Gothic style (although in the end, it looked similar). Just as punk fans do things with their own hands, so do the Goths, which will always be a big part of the movement. Start experimenting with your clothes, but make sure it's economical, so you don't have to worry if you ruin them. There are many tutorials on YouTube and other blogs to get ideas and get inspired. In the meantime, you can consider the following tips:
advices
- Buy or paint stickers on your favorite ribbons (or something else) and sew them on jackets or clothing accessories.
- Buy or create your pins with logos or gothic ribbons and do the same as you did with the stickers.
- Learn to create jewelry. You can even start selling them and start your own business.
- Cut out old clothes with prints and sew patches on the clothes. Straps and leopard patches look great on black jackets.
- Buy a few hooks or safety pins and use your creativity. Use them to fasten jackets or to create clothing patterns.
- Bleaches clothes to create permanent patterns.
- Remember to be true to yourself.
- You don't have to adopt a gothic style all the time. Even the original Gothic used this type of clothing only when going out at night, instead of using it during the day.
- Remember that being gothic and gothic are not the same thing. The latter refers to 12th-century French architecture and 18th-century literature, while the former refers to members of the modern post-punk scene.
- Don't despair if you can't attend concerts, bars, or gothic festivals. You can support the stage by buying music and helping others understand this subculture.
- Styles such as Victorian Gothic, pastel, cybernetic, etc., are different subcultures, scenes, or fashions. They do not originate from the Gothic movement itself but took the name. This does NOT mean that you cannot accept these styles as gothic. Using pastel gothic fashion only means that you are using pastel gothic fashion. It doesn't make you gothic.
- The Gothic movement is a subculture that encompasses music and sometimes fashion. Being gothic is NOT the only thing you are allowed to be. Feel free to participate in any hobby, interest, sport, etc., that you want to do. You are not a stereotype, but a person with a certain level of complexity.
- Remember that bands like Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, Asking Alexandria, etc., are not gothic. They all fall into the category of a certain type of metal, but that doesn't stop you, as a Gothic, from hearing them.
- Try and accept groups because they belong to the genres they belong to, not the ones you want them to belong to. Genres are defined by sounds, not letters (unless otherwise stated). Gothic is not a genre and has a certain sound, as do subgenres such as darkwave and ethereal wave.