A darker culture that can be anything you make it. Some impose guidelines, and other sad, decrepit, pathetic creatures try to follow those guidelines, but in essence, most 'goths' revolve around the basics of wearing dark clothing and being non-Christian. Marilyn Manson is not NECESSARILY goth, and neither is black metal. They could be considered goth, they could be considered not. It is entirely up to the beholder.
by T.J. Gupton January 13, 2006
"Goths" are generally people who conform to a wide range of black-centric fashion conventions, and listen to dark styles of music. It's a terribly ambiguous label that applies to an immense amount of people. The label is inherently invalid, and is almost always pejoratively/humorously used these days, except by teenagers describing themselves. This usage is dying quickly. Teenagers are no longer interested in the "Gothic" subculture. At one point, there was a clear definition of who you can or can't label as Goths - it meant people who dressed in black, often dyed their hair black or some bright color, and listened to certain kinds of music. There's no longer a clear definition. Goths traditionally are considered to have a nihilistic outlook on life. In my experience, the people labelled as "Goths" are generally more intellectual, and more down-to-earth than most people. Also, in my experience, they're also often frighteningly normal, in the areas where it counts, by comparison to most people who dress normally and listen to pop music. When I was 17, i'd have proudly declared myself a Goth, but now, i'm 22, and with time i've found that there's significantly more to me. I dress how I feel at any given moment, I still dye my hair black. My shoes are combat boots, though i've never been in the military. I listen to Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, etc. I'm a socialist. I'm a nihilist in the philosophical/existential sense. The label is easily applied to me. But, one of the greatest characteristics of people labelled as "Goths" is that we generally don't like to use the term for ourselves. These days i'd take it as a pejorative term. Often confused with the equally ambiguous/pointless term "Emo".
"Goth" 1: I like to read Nietzsche, and listen to Nine Inch Nails, and wear lots of black, simplistic clothing. My hair is nothing special, and I wear black makeup.
"Goth" 2: I like to wear flowing dresses, and often I listen to Switchblade Symphony, Rasputina, and occasionally am known to listen to something entirely out of character like the backstreet boys.
"Goth" 3: I just wear whatever I want, often it's black, sometimes there's metal in it. I listen to a wide variety of music, because I like it. Just because I listen to Manson, does not mean i'm as single-minded as he is. I also have great respect for classic rock.
"Goth" 4: liek OMG i went to hot topic and bought this uber my chemical romance shirt, and some pink bondage pants! i like to wear candy bracelets and dye my hair blonde and pink, but i pretend to have some sort of "dark" attitude, and have some intelligence and depth
these are all "goths" -
see how wide the scope of such a label is?
"Goth" 2: I like to wear flowing dresses, and often I listen to Switchblade Symphony, Rasputina, and occasionally am known to listen to something entirely out of character like the backstreet boys.
"Goth" 3: I just wear whatever I want, often it's black, sometimes there's metal in it. I listen to a wide variety of music, because I like it. Just because I listen to Manson, does not mean i'm as single-minded as he is. I also have great respect for classic rock.
"Goth" 4: liek OMG i went to hot topic and bought this uber my chemical romance shirt, and some pink bondage pants! i like to wear candy bracelets and dye my hair blonde and pink, but i pretend to have some sort of "dark" attitude, and have some intelligence and depth
these are all "goths" -
see how wide the scope of such a label is?
by Mr. Pwnage June 2, 2006
1. The goth subculture originally evolved in the late '70s and early '80s out of the punk subculture.
goth bands: Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Alien Sex Fiend, Specimen
2. There are also sad little teens who listen to metal and consider themselves 'goth', but all they are are metalheads who happen to like the colour black and truly have no knowledge of what the goth scene came from.
NON-goth bands: Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, HIM, Marilyn Manson
3. Also non-goth are cybergoths (aka gravers, which is short for goth + raver), although they are sometimes incorrectly labeled goth. But most do tend to realise they are not goth and identify more with the industrial subculture.
cybergoth bands: VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Icon of Coil, Razed in Black
goth bands: Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Alien Sex Fiend, Specimen
2. There are also sad little teens who listen to metal and consider themselves 'goth', but all they are are metalheads who happen to like the colour black and truly have no knowledge of what the goth scene came from.
NON-goth bands: Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, HIM, Marilyn Manson
3. Also non-goth are cybergoths (aka gravers, which is short for goth + raver), although they are sometimes incorrectly labeled goth. But most do tend to realise they are not goth and identify more with the industrial subculture.
cybergoth bands: VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Icon of Coil, Razed in Black
1. The goth backcombed his hair before going out to get more of that 80s' goth look.
2. The teenager shopped at Hot Topic and bought some baggy pants and a Cradle of Filth t-shirt in an attempt to be a "goth". Unfortunately, he failed.
3. The cybergoth had neon green hair extensions and danced to VNV Nation.
2. The teenager shopped at Hot Topic and bought some baggy pants and a Cradle of Filth t-shirt in an attempt to be a "goth". Unfortunately, he failed.
3. The cybergoth had neon green hair extensions and danced to VNV Nation.
by gother than thou...j/k July 9, 2005
Having read quite a few of the "definitions" on this site, I have to say there are some of you who are slightly mistaken. Actually, a select few of you are way off. May have been trendies/townies/preps that wrote them, I don't know. But I am going to add my definition to this zoo of mistakes. There were a few that did get the jist of it, but still I wanted to add my opinion to the masses. Before I begin, I just want to say that this is not a concrete definition of Goth since Goth can not truly be defined. This is how I see it. Goths in other parts of the world can disagree with me if they like, but this is the philosophy I was brought into when I turned Goth, back when I was 16. Goth has earned some pretty bad publicity over the past couple of decades. People have started stereotyping Goths because of things that they have heard in the news or on TV about supposedly "Gothic" children who ritually slaughtered children, claiming that they were Satanists. People started believing that we were vampiric, since a lot of us walked about wearing a lot of black and pale faces with copious amounts of eyeliner. Not ALL of us. But some of us. The first thing I want to clear up is that Satanism and Goth are in no way connected whatsoever, unless the Goth in question wishes to incorporate the two. Several Goths I happen to know are devout Christians, so this proves that accusation to be false. Some Goths may choose to practise magic in the form of the Pagan faith of Wicca, but usually only because the belief system of this faith makes more sense to them and makes them feel more comfortable with the world around them. Goths generally do not drink human blood unless they either get sexual kicks out of it or are deluding themselves that they really are vampiric and gain their strength from the drinking of the blood they take from others, thus feeding on the life force of their victims like a leech. Generally we are not so stupid as to risk the fact that we could get all sorts of diseases from drinking the blood of another. AIDS can be contracted very easily using this method. There are several people who are like that around Belfast and there may well be a few who are like that around where you live. But they are not really worth bothering about. If they want to give themselves delusions of grandure, that's their problem, not ours. There are several types of Goth in the world. Tastes in clothes and music vary person to person. In my opinion, a Goth is not identified completely by the clothes they wear, however I thought it best to add the common- ish fashion attributes of the three most common varieties of Goth where I live: 1. Trad- Goths: One of the most popular sub- catagories of Goth. The inhabitants of this catagory are generally the ones most sneered at by trendies/townies/preps if encountered in the street (I myself have been referred to as a "Gaff," a "Gaffic," and last but not least- the showstopper- a "Got"). This sort of Goth's taste generally revolve around the 1980s when Goth was still truly alive; whenever it was originally an offshoot of the well known Punk genre. This Goth can be found listening to bands such as The Cure, Alien Sex Fiend, Bauhaus, The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission and Joy Division and is easily identifiable by their choices of black and somewhat rich and "floaty" garments. This sort of Goth is also known to listen to some Darkwave and Synthpop also. 2. Fetish Goths: The Goth scene has always attracted people with broad sexualities. This category includes the occasional Transvestite, S&M fetishists and many others who frequent the Goth clubs. Leather and bondage gear are especially popular with Synthpop and EBM fans. Their music taste tends to be quite similar to that of the Trad, ie 1980s Goth/ pop, Synthpop, EBM. 3. Cyber Goths. The new EBM (Electronic Body Music) scene has led to the rise of a new generation of Goth. Cyber Goths are more elusive and, unfortunately, that little bit more pretentious than the Trad or Fetish variety, since there are less Cyber clubs in which to congregate. They can be spotted by the occasional addition of brightly coloured, dreaded extensions into their own hair, also known as "falls." They can also be observed wearing platform shoes like Swears or Transmuters when they go out clubbing. Cybergoths incorporate more colour into their culture and tend to wear neon colours along with black. Music Taste: EBM, Techno and some Industrial. 3. Industrial Goths (also known as Rivetheads or Cyberpunks): These Goths go by different names in different places but are most commonly known as Industrial Goths. They stem from the late eighties industrial scene and have changed little in the last decade. Many of them have headed in the Cyber direction since EBM took over the industrial scene, and they are not as common in Britain any more. Music Taste: Industrial, Industrial Metal, some Goth Rock. When Punk "died" in 1979, Goth was spawned in the bands that came after more famous bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash and P.I.L. Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees patented the Goth "look." She was very annoyed to find people copying her sense of style. She became a Goth icon alongside Andrew Eldritch and Robert Smith. Goth is not a sense of fashion or music taste. It is a state of mind. Which is the one thing that Goths have in common. Their tastes may vary slightly, but they share roughly the same outlook and the same scorn, for want of a better word, for the human race. Goth cannot be defined as easily as I have made out, but I just wanted to give you a couple of guidelines. I hope I have helped somewhat. Below is an example of an experience I endured between a group of chavs in sports gear with a very broad Belfast accent (we generally refer to them as spides, for future reference). I have tried to compensate for accent. Please note that "like" in spide language is pronounced "liek" or "leek".
Chavscum: (sniggering and pointing)
(Jinx walks past minding her own business, on her way home from a friend's house)
Chavscum #1: Here, wee girl! How much d'ye charge to haunt a house, like? You look like fockin' Casper the friendly ghost! I fockin' hate Goths!
Jinx: Why are you trying to figure out if your rates are competitive or has your ma finally moved out?
(Jinx shuffles away up the street leaving confused spides in her wake)
(Jinx walks past minding her own business, on her way home from a friend's house)
Chavscum #1: Here, wee girl! How much d'ye charge to haunt a house, like? You look like fockin' Casper the friendly ghost! I fockin' hate Goths!
Jinx: Why are you trying to figure out if your rates are competitive or has your ma finally moved out?
(Jinx shuffles away up the street leaving confused spides in her wake)
by Jinxed_Sequin September 8, 2005
A lifestyle choice. You can't really define a 'goth' because every one them is different. 'Goths' don't think they are better than everyone else. They simply make a choice to dress, act, and speak how they please. Goths are just like the rest of the world. They are entitled to their own views, and musical tastes also, which tend to be darker, and follow the trends of the 'post-punk' era. If people would get over their misconceptions, and stop saying things like "goths are fake, they should go die, and OmGzZz u r a pozerr bitchh!," and actually have an open mind, you would see that their lifestyle does not make them so different from you, and that they could care less about what you think, because they are going to live their life the way they want regardless of your ratty opinions.
Hater: OMFG UR A GAWTH?! GO FCKING DIE! GAWTHS SUCK!
Goth: -blinks- Okay then. Have a nice day. -walks away-
Goth: -blinks- Okay then. Have a nice day. -walks away-
by Sheaa. October 20, 2008
I have read most of the definitions on this page. Most are not true. In fact, over half on here are defiantly not happy with their lives, if they need to mock or threaten other cultures… same with religion, I must say. If Christians have such a strong belief in god and are happy with it, why do they need to poke at Satanists or pagans. Be proud of what you believe in, there are now laws protecting Satanists and occults.
There is hardly anything left of the 'Goth' scene today, all of the Goths either dress like eras from the past or either what they think the future will look like.
Being ‘Goth’ is not about self inflicted harm. Some of you may have serous problems and feel suicidal and may self harm. Do not boast about cutting for attention, and then complain about the more popular people round you needing attention all the time. Some of you may be unhappy, some incredibly happy with their lives. Cyber ‘Goths’ are always clubbing and dancing, they are labeled Goth and yet they are not dressing to show off that they cut themselves. If you had serous pain in some time of your live, and want to show people that you are ok now, proudly show your scars, it proves that you lived through drug abuse/child abuse or anything that made you commit that.
To all the teenagers out there who are dressing in black and claiming to be members of an occult, and always complain about not being around other people and have no friends. Why do you dress like that? It’s just intimidating and none of the other students your age will want to know you.
As for the others, be yourself. If being Goth means you have to force yourself to listen to music that sounds naturally bad, then why do you do it? If it is because all your friends or 'posse' are Goth, if they are truly your friends, they will understand if you want to become not Goth.
Isn’t this true?
If you complain, then you must defiantly be those I just explained. Listen to other peoples opinions, but question them if it needs questioning.
And just one last thing. This was written by a 13 year old. Just to let you know, i am not a hypocrite. I am proud of every word I say. If you saw me, you would not even know.
If you do know what I mean.
There is hardly anything left of the 'Goth' scene today, all of the Goths either dress like eras from the past or either what they think the future will look like.
Being ‘Goth’ is not about self inflicted harm. Some of you may have serous problems and feel suicidal and may self harm. Do not boast about cutting for attention, and then complain about the more popular people round you needing attention all the time. Some of you may be unhappy, some incredibly happy with their lives. Cyber ‘Goths’ are always clubbing and dancing, they are labeled Goth and yet they are not dressing to show off that they cut themselves. If you had serous pain in some time of your live, and want to show people that you are ok now, proudly show your scars, it proves that you lived through drug abuse/child abuse or anything that made you commit that.
To all the teenagers out there who are dressing in black and claiming to be members of an occult, and always complain about not being around other people and have no friends. Why do you dress like that? It’s just intimidating and none of the other students your age will want to know you.
As for the others, be yourself. If being Goth means you have to force yourself to listen to music that sounds naturally bad, then why do you do it? If it is because all your friends or 'posse' are Goth, if they are truly your friends, they will understand if you want to become not Goth.
Isn’t this true?
If you complain, then you must defiantly be those I just explained. Listen to other peoples opinions, but question them if it needs questioning.
And just one last thing. This was written by a 13 year old. Just to let you know, i am not a hypocrite. I am proud of every word I say. If you saw me, you would not even know.
If you do know what I mean.
by snow_immortal June 25, 2005
A goth is an artistic person with a huge aesthetic who expresses this in a dark way. Real gothic music is The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Sisters Of Mercy etc. Goths are ususally associated with Satanism, which is completely untrue because you will find goths tend to have no religious beliefs or no strong religious beliefs, though a very very very small minority are Satanists. Goth is also usually a term used as an attempted insult by chavs and the like, mainly because chavs have nothing better to do besides insult people different to them and terrorise communities.
1) From a chav-Yowm a fucking goth, yow worship the devil ya freak, dya wanna fight?
2) From a goth to a chav-Tit
2) From a goth to a chav-Tit
by Samwell April 22, 2005