I. The Gothic personality.
Generally speaking, true Goths are intelligent, artistic individuals with an almost fanatic reverence for the arts and all types of beauty. Many Goths possess certain qualities prior to their initial identification with the subculture or even their knowledge that it exists; some of these qualities include thoughtfulness, creativity, intelligence, shyness, and an introspective nature.
II. The Gothic philosophy.
I will strive to sum this up in as few words as possible. The Gothic subculture is based on the idea of finding beauty and light in all those things dark, grotesque, tragic, and sorrowful. The seeming fixation with Death is an example of this; Goths embrace things that cause fear and revulsion in mainstream society, because in truth they are no less beautiful than their daylight counterparts.
If any among you wishes to further enlighten him or herself, I suggest the study of old Gothic literature, the very best of which is exemplified in the works of Dante, Shelley, Byron, Lovecraft, and Poe.
III. Gothic music.
The term "Gothic" was, to my knowledge, first used to describe the emerging subculture by the band Joy Division in the late 70's. Along with Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure, this band helped establish Gothic as a musical genre. The Gothic sound is characterized by dark, brooding, strange music that can sound cacophonous to the uninitiated. Some other notable Goth bands include Switchblade Symphony, Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil, and Christian Death. By the way, bands that are widely mislabeled as being Gothic, yet are NOT, include (to name a few): Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Type O Negative, Evanescence.
IV. Gothic attire.
Most people know that Goths favor black if they know anything at all. There are so many different styles of dress among Goths that I dare not attempt a complete list; here are some of the most commonly worn materials and articles of clothing among Goths: velvet, silk, fishnet stockings, PVC, brocade, lace, LOTS of boots, things with buckles, dark jewel tones such as purple and wine colored garments, gloves, very high heels, band T-shirts, chokers, corsets. Many Goths, especially the "old-school" Goths, will tease their hair mercilessly with crimpers and hairspray to achieve an "Edward Scissorhands" type of effect. Hair dye is, of course, widely used. Traditional Gothic makeup consists of stark-white powder, and black or dark eyeliner and lipstick. Men and women both have a tendency to pluck their eyebrows nearly out of existence, and then draw them back in. It goes without saying that a person who looks like this is not necessarily a Goth. This aesthetic, however, is an intrinsic part of the subculture and cannot be disregarded for its superficiality; Goths tend to thrive on artifice anyway.
V. Miscellaneous Information.
Goths are commonly found passing their free time in small coffee houses, book shops, art galleries, Gothic clubs, and, of course, cemeteries. Many Goths smoke; clove cigarettes are very popular with our crowd. Drugs of choice for those Goths who wish to indulge in the vice may include Speed, LSD, Alcohol, Ecstasy, and the like...I applaud those who abstain from drug use, for they have greater strength than my own. Goths frequently enjoy movies and television shows such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunger, Nosferatu, and The Addams Family. Goths do NOT eat bugs and drink blood; we eat Cheerios just like everyone else.
I myself have been a part of the subculture for a mere two years-- I am by no means a veteran of the Scene, but my passion for it is great and grows continuously. I hope that this definition has been useful. To know more, I suggest The Autumn Cemetery Text (available online... google it).
Famous goths, despite their denials of affiliation with the scene, include Peter Murphy, Andrew Eldritch, and Siouxsie Sioux.
by jade suspira April 6, 2006
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I have a lot of friends who follow the Goth subculture. Yes, Goths mainly dress themselves in black and possibly some black nail varnish and listening to metal tunes and such, but saying that all of them are drug-addicted, suicidal satanists is a pathetic generalisation. Not all Goths are like that, in fact i haven't met one of them with that kind of lifestyle. And even if they are, its their choice, and they don't deserve the hassle they get from close-minded idiots.
Leave Goths alone. Its their choice what to do with their life. You wouldn't like it if someone insulted and beated on you due to your lieftyle, would you?
by BadLieutenant August 13, 2004
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There's more to the gothic subculture than most people think.
Being a 'goth' is wrongly interpreted because a lot of younger kids (in the range of, say 13 - 18) made the gothscene rather stereotypical.
If you would ask 20 random people what they think of if they hear "gothic", they'll probably say "black"/"piercings"/"morbid".
This is not true, actually, gothic was commercialized by bands like Marilyn Manson and Nightiwish.

In fact, gothrock has it's roots in new wave, wich was a reaction to punk in the late 80's.
But there's a lot of other music goths listen too, hence there are a lot of different "goths": cybergoths, punkgoths, victorian goths, wavegoths, gothrockers, or combinations of those.
All of these groups listen to different styles of music and dress differently:

Cybergoths: listen to electro(general name for industrial/neofolk/ebm/darkwave/etc.) and wear a lot of latex/pvc or neon colours. Usually they've got a lot of synthetic coloured hairpieces in their hair, but there are a lot of exceptions.

Punkgoths: are a combination of goths and punks, they usually listen to punk, punkrock and gothrock.

Victorian goths: these are the goths people 'know', they listen to gothicmetal and a bit of gothrock in general. But this can vary. Victorian goths wear a lot of velvet. Usually gowns, corsets and other clothes who could've come right out of the dark ages.

Wavegoths: this type of gothic has a lot of different names, were I live, they're called wavegoths, but I've heard other labels, so this may vary. Usually people who kind of "imitate" the newwavers of the late 80's. They wear lots of black and adore vintage, normally, but again, there are exceptions.

Gothrockers: is a part of the subculture who listens to gothrock. A lot of gothrockers claim that that's all they need to be goth. For them, the music is the most important, the looks don't matter all that much.

And at last, we've got the so-called "wannabe's"/"posers" or "spooky-kids": these are the people who - in my eyes - made the subculture stereotypical and commercial. But I'm old enough to not blame them, they're just kids who want to be someone.
Anyway, they wear a lots of black, lots of black makeup, listen to commercial gothic. A couple of examples: marilyn manson, slipknot and of course the more commercial gothrockbands.

But bear in mind that my definitons are stereotypical. There are thousands of goths out there who can't be labeled like this. Some cybers listen to newwave too, etc.
I hope I 've helped you with explaining the gothic subculture.

p.s: I am belgian, so excuse me if I wrote things wrong. My english isn't perfect. =)

Bear in mind that my definitons are stereotypical. There are thousands of goths out there who can't be labeled like this. Some cybers listen to newwave too, etc.
I hope I 've helped you with explaining the gothic subculture.
by _Ayla_ July 30, 2006
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A Goth is someone who likes the different side of things. They have their own choice in music, and they don't care if no-one else likes it or not. "Real" goths are not depressing and suicidal like the posers you see around town. Goths are fun to be around with and aren't afraid to laugh at themselves every so often. They don't all worship Satan and aren't evil despite what some ignorant people might say. Goths don't dress alike either. They like to create their own unique style. Goths are also very intelligent and creative. A lot of them are writers and artists. Goths DON'T envy the popular people. They are what they are because it makes them happy. Goths would rather stay who they are and be among the so called "freaks" than be like everyone else and be popular. They understand that there are more important things in life than popularity, and usually succeed in life while the popular ones don't become much of anything.
If someone becomes "goth" because they couldn't get any friends or are depressed and angry all the time, they are posers.
A goth will walk alone where a chav will hide inside his herd and though the goth may take a beating at least that goth was never a coward.
A goth will insult only those who have earnt it whereas a chav will insult people for things as shallow as the clothes they are wearing.
A goths insult will be witty and cutting, a chavs insult more often than not will consist of the chav making a repulsive noise.
A goth will enrich their mind, a chav will watch soaps.
In the morning, a goth will ask themselves “what do I want to wear?” whilst a chav will ask themselves “what in this selection of clothes is the most acceptable thing to wear?”
A goth will have a friend because they are good for someone, a chav will have a friend because that someone is good for them.
A goth approaches new situations with a willingness to think and find the best way forward, a chav will react with aggression to that which it does not already know.
A goth will listen to music that is meaningful to their life and thought provoking, a chav will listen to music which will tell him how to behave.
- There is actually no specific way to describe goth, because it really is unique...but I just wanted to make it clear to people that "Goth" isn't all evil and blood and gore and whatever, because goths can have fun, laugh and enjoy themseves.
This is all my point of view, and sure, everyone has their own, and that's fine with me, just as long as I don't get dissed for what I believe, because that's prejudism, and it's usually the goths that suffer prejudism, because people think all they do is waste their lives away by slitting their wrists and posing around looking all scary, but it really isn't so.
Goths have no interest in popularity whatsoever. They think outside the box. People aspire to be popular and dress in certain ways that are 'in' with everyone else simply because it has never occurred to them how pointless societies values really are. Society assumes that what another has thought of, is better than what you can think of on your own but why is one mind better than another? Goths make the greatest friends. Goths have the unusual ideas. Goths just don't suffer from the same afflictions of 'normality'.
A goth can tolerate the surrounding world.
A Chav makes fun of anything that crosses his way, unless it suits him.
A goth can dress however he feels on that day, while a Chav only wears what his friends will accept as "cool".
by Fliss Taylor November 25, 2005
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GENERAL GOTH:
TRUE: A Goth is someone who is usually into the darker side of the world. Where punk is mostly about government, freedom, and politics, Goth is mostly about religion(theology), philosophy, and mysticism. A true Goth is not a depressed suicidal person. They are deep into thought and feeling, know who they are. A goth, not Gothic, or Gothics (that's socially incorrect, it really pisses them off, at least the real ones, not the poseurs), generally do not worship Satan, although you can be a Goth and of any religion, many are Christian, and I know a few that are Catholic. Goths likes to be individual and often creates or modify's their clothing. Usually consisting of mainly black. Spikes are usualy not a goth thing. Tribal designs and religios related jewlry are common, such as crucifixes and pentagrams. Most are very intelligent and creative, and dont necissarily do drugs, think about murder, cut themselves, or sacrifice animals, and again with the worship Satan thing. Although many of them are pagan or wiccan.
If someone "becomes a Goth" because they couldn't get any friends or are depressed and angry all the time, they are most likely a poseur, actually just take out the whole most likely part. You are who you are because it is who you are, not because of the things that make you a poseur. The music a Goth may listen to can range to almost anything. Usually it consists of Gothic( ex. London After Midnight), Goth rock (69 Eyes) , metal(Slayer), electronic industrial (Zeromancer), industrial (Marylin Manson, Rammstien) , electro, techno (Infectid Mushroom, Chemical Brothers), even some punk, horrorpunk.But some goths even listen to classical music, and I dont mean classic rock, I mean classical like Beethoven and Mozart. All and all, goths are very open minded, they dont hold anything against people they dont know. They dont care what your religion is, or what your sexuality is, or wether you like them or not. Goths, like punks, do not lable themselfs.

OTHER FORMS OF GOTH:
TRUE: Many other subforms of goth exist, but unlike how the punk generas are rather similar and your eather punk or not, the subforms of goth are derasticaly different and may need some definition.

VICTORIAN GOTH: A victorian goth is someone you might see in a vampire movie. For example Interview With A Vampire, Dracula (not 2000 but the older ones). Dress in the Victorian Renesauns styal, like a duke, or a count. Think velvet and lace. mmmm.

VAMPIRE GOTH: Same as Victorian Goth, just often wear false fangs, wear a fang shaped glass pendent on their neck with liquid that looks like, or may be blood. May drink their partners blood. Also very deep into vampire fiction and culture.

CYBER GOTH: Love plastic, and ::eyes wide open:: bright colors. May wear plastic spikes, plastic clothing (not vinal thats different, in a way even though its plastic) and have bright clored hair or wear a plastic wig. Often wear goggles too, such as the ones Vin Desal wears in Pitch Black, and The Chronicals of Riddic. They didnt get this from those movies, most likely the producers of the movie got it from the cyber goth culture. Cyber goths go to clubs offten, and are really into the future, and futuristic sceans.

Sence we are attempting to define what Goth is, why dont we describe what it isnt as well. What is a Poseur, yes that is the correct spelling, not "poser".

POSEUR:
TRUE: Looks like a punk or a Goth, but does it for fashion. They don't have the heart, or the soul of the culture they are pretending to be part of. May listen to punk, metal, industrial, gothic, Goth rock, techno, electro, etc. , but also listens to crap like listed under the FALSE punk section of my definition for punk. A poseur may also attempt to call a band, like Blink 182 for example, hard core, or hardcore punk. A) those bands arnt punk, B) hardcore, and hardcore punk are an entierly different subgeneras of music. Just like emo is a pathetic subgenera of poseur punk, or pop punk. A Poseur may also say and do things because they are trendy, or because they see and hear other poseurs and punks/goths, and people in bands say them and do them. This is another thing that makes them fake. Also, this isnt 100% always true, but many times every article of a poseur's clothing may come from Hottopic.

FOR YOUR REFERENCE: you can apply all the things above to gothic subculture, or any other culture or subculture in the world, just change the criteria. Inevitably, a poseur is just a wannabe, no one likes wannabes.

IF ALL OF YOUR CLOTHING COMES FROM HOTTOPIC, OR ARE TRIPP NYC BRAND OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE, YOU ARE NOT PUNK NOR ARE YOU A GOTH. YOUR NOT NECISSARILY A POSEUR EATHER. YOUR JUST SUCKER.

You may also want to see my definition for punk.
Eric Draven (Brandan Lee R.I.P.) in The Crow, was definatly a goth befor he died and became the crow.

London After Midnight and 69 Eyes are great gothic/goth rock bands.

The tital of the movie "Gothica" is pointless, it has nothing to do with the movie, and has nothing to do with gothic subculture.
by Ice Cold Anarchy January 9, 2006
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On urbandictionary.com, a word with a lot of really, reeeeeeeeealy long definitions.
I'm sure more people would understand the term goth if the definitions weren't as long a friggin' book.
by Squeed September 1, 2005
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ahh, the ever-popular definition on this site... I have to say, being a goth myself, this feels a bit weird, but I'm not going to describe myself or posers, or anything like that. My definition in itsself is neutral. It doesn't mean that I am neutral, but still. Ok, here goes...

Goth is a culture. despite what many people think, it is NOT a mindset, NOR is it a style.
It is mostly a very accepting culture, taking in those who don't fit in with everyone else and putting them in with people who will sympathize. Just like in any other culture, there are many variants, but it takes a certain WILL to be goth. If someone says that they are not goth, then they're NOT!!! There is also NO such thing as posers. But just calling yourself to be goth just to be cool under falsehood is damaging the culture's image as a whole, not that anybody in it cares, because we usually don't. But just because you call yourself goth and listen to a certain type of music doesn't make you a poser automatically. Goths can listen to any kind of music that they want. It's a culture of acceptance, internal expression, deepening, and also peace. They should not be made fun of, either. There are fat goths, skinny goths, suicidal goths, normal goths, stupid goths, inteligent goths, artistic goths, and many others just like in the rest of society. There is no one true definition for this urban word, because no two are exactly alike. There are certain groups sure, but some of them are definitly conformist, just like in any other group. Like the people who say that you have to wear something black all the time, listen to certain music, or hang out with other goths to be goths.

In the rural town that I live in, there is NOBODY else in my school that is goth. I'm not goth because I want to be different, but simply because I enjoy being under the VERY wide umbrella of this newly-formed culture because I feel that my ideas have a lot to do with it, and I also take a darker outlook on life. I also think that the music that I listen to and the clothes that I wear are absolutely more beautiful than any thing else that I could wear. I don't care if people tell me that I'm damaging society or make fun of me, because I'm coming as myself and not with a mask on. Figuratively, lol.
The goth culture is slowly infiltrating every corner of the world... BUAHAHAHA!!!!!!

don't worry, it's a silly thing...
by MasqueradeGoth December 10, 2008
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