I have been musing quite a lot lately about the notion that maybe we are Goths because we, for example, like to wear black, or are interested in spooky things or all of those other things. I really do believe that this is the case for me.
Goth for me is something that has encompassed all of the interests I hold dear, but I have been wondering, maybe there are some Goths that have decided to 'be Goth' and then developed that 'thing' with all of the dark spooky stuff. You know what I mean, that deep understanding and familiarity with darker things. It's hard to put words to, but I hope I am succeding. It seems to be more of a 'superficial' way of thinking about things, because it would seem that an individual's first introduction to Goth was purely visual. Ah, but here's the catch... wasn't that the first thing I noticed when I first saw a Goth. I didn't think 'wow they sure love their Star Wars' or 'I can tell they like Nick Cave'.
I noticed how they looked. It was only later that I combined my love for black, a dark aesthetic, dark music and everything else with the visual aesthetics of Goth clothing that I love. So really, it appears to be a mixture of the two.
Anyway, tell me your thoughts about this.
xxx Lilly
I sometimes wonder. For me it's sort of from two sources, but also inextricably linked. Stylewise I was inspired by an older Gothic friend/ acquaintance's outfits in high school. He wore waistcoats to school, and we have uniforms over here. Literature-wise, Poe at about 11, Anne Rice at about 14 or so.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved historical stuff and I was drawn to a romantic style of dressing, which Goth offers in spades. The black makes me feel strong, I also like red, both of which I am told are strong spirit/ soul colours. I don't always wear black, and have gone through stages where I wore all colours and 'normal' clothing and come back to this. I think it's all a part of who I am, although I don't know how. Maybe it's just something that's in our natures?
I do know that the clothes do help foster a sense of community, you can recognise someone has similar tastes to you. My tastes also include steampunk and I would consider myself a Neo-Victorian. I also love novels from the Victorian era. I think my boyfriend used to call me literary-goth.
Thanks for your input Laura!
ReplyDeleteI've reflected that this post isn't very well-written. For me it is a mix of both: I became a Goth to reflect everything I love, and subsequently it has allowed me to discover even more. =)
xxx Lilly
I think it was well written :) I think I did discover a lot more spooky stuff after 'becoming' Goth, too. It's like I'm not trying to like those things, they're just things I enjoy.
DeleteExactly! XD
ReplyDeletexxx