Goth 

To a Scally: Someone wearing black clothes, and make up.

To a 12 year old Linkin Park fan: Someone who likes Korn.

To a goth: I'm not a goth!

Really: A tribe of eastern european barbarians that sacked rome in the 4th century. The name of an artistic style, associated with clothing, and architecture

Goth by EskimoDan August 18, 2003

Goth 

You are NOT Goth Just Because You Wear Black

You Are NOT Goth Just Because You Like Horror Movies

You Are NOT Goth Just Because You Are Depressed

You Are NOT Goth Just Because You Think It Looks Neat

You Are NOT Goth Just Because You Listen To Metal (which isn't real goth music by the way)

You Are NOT Goth Just Because You Like Blood

You Are NOT Goth Because You "cut yourself"

You Are NOT Goth Because You Wear Tripp Jeans

You Are NOT Goth Because "love " Hot Topic



A True Goth isn't defined by their look but by their music.

I am going to try to put this into my own words as much as possible because I am tired of "trendy teens" Calling themselves goth and giving us a bad name.



Lets start at the early goth first. The Gothic Romanticism.

Gothic was a type of architecture as i;m sure most of you are well aware. The ruins of the Gothic architecture became to symbolize the inevitable decay and collapse of human creations. This is where Gothic Literature stemmed from. The writings were meant to produce the same feel of emotions as the Gothic architecture for lack of better word. Think of Edgar Allan Poe and how his writing mostly stood for the collapse of the human psyche. See where this ties together? This is where the Victorian Goth style also comes from.

Now Fast forward a few hundred years to the most recent and well know revival of goth in the 70's.

First Generation Goth- 1979-1985

this derived from post-punk with the most influential bands of this time being Siouxsie and the Banshees, Christian Death, Bauhaus, and sisters of mercy. These are just a few of the many bands where goth music has derived from. If the music doesn't have some kind of resemblance to this kind of music it is NOT goth. Metal is NOT goth. I love metal but please don't confuse it with goth. So all you COF fans out there..hate to tell you this but they aren't goth. They are Black Metal and Marilyn Manson? Nope. He is just EBM. Nothing more and nothing less.



Now Second Generation goth- 1985-1995

By now the post-punk era was starting to give way to some newer music styles such as the blending of industrial with Gothic themes as seen in such bands like Skinny Puppy and Depeche Mode.



Now Here We are. Third Generation 1995-present



The Gothic aesthetic has become popular due to bands such as HIM, Marilyn Manson, Within Temptation, whose music is nowhere near being Gothic but because of their looks they have become associated with that genre much to the chagrin of true goths everywhere. Hot topic also helped to make this culture mainstream and breeding mall goths who probably have never even heard of Siouxsie Sioux.



In order to be a "true goth" you have to love true Gothic music. And it should be a good majority of what you listen too. Liking one song by switchblade symphony and then listening to nothing but nightwish and within temptation won't make you a goth, no mater how much make-up or hair gel you are wearing.



So please learn about a culture before you try to embrace it and end up embarrassing yourself and others.



And try listening to some old school Goth/Punk



Siouxise and the Banshees, and the Cure are always good start.

Person 1-What are your favorite goth bands?

Person 2-I like Christian Death, Suspiria, Bauhaus, Siouxsie, and Lamb Of God Is pretty kick ass too.

Person 1-Awesome.

Goth by RubyBloodDrop March 29, 2009

goth 

Commonly, it refers to one of three things: music, lifestyle, and fashion, though it is not seen as proper to designate one's self as goth based purely on their manner of dress, and most goths do not publicly proclaim themselves as such anyway. The gothic subculture tends to have a poor reputation because so many of the people who choose to label themselves as such know nothing about the culture, and involve themselves in juvenille or melodramatic behavior that they feel "is goth".

Musically, it refers to an alternate form of rock that first developed in the late 70's as a post-punk form of music. This early, guitar driven form of goth is commonly called "death rock". The guitars often serve as an ambient rather than melodic instrument, drumming tends to be dance oriented and the vocals are often somewhat haunting or distant. Lyrics deal heavily with introspection, nilhilism and the occult, though most assume it deals strictly with satanism. Many gothic bands mix industrial elements into their music, leading some to believe that all industrial music is gothic. Common bands associatdd with the term include The Cure, Bahaus, 45 Grave, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, etc.

Lifestyle-wise, there doesn't appear to be a lifestyle that all gothics follow, though some seem to share similar characteristics, which can include an interest in occultist themes, poetry, religion, introspection, gothic literature (which was written some time during the Victorian Era), folklore, etc. Most gothics are known for regularly attending dance clubs that play gothic and industrial music, and some are also known for their interest in the S&M culture.

Fashion-wise, there tends to be a lot of accessories, and the most common of which are victorian/medieval inspired (velvet and lace, pirate shirts, corsets, etc.), bondage inspired (slave bracelets, chokers, large boots, fishnet and mesh clothing, clothing made out of PVC, leather, rubber, latex or vinyl), or punk inspired (bondage pants, leather jackets, spiked or studded jewelry). Gothics have a tenendency to wear mostly black, though sometimes white or red, and have their hair dyed, usually purple or jet black (the hair is also stylized in a certain fashion, usually mushroomed out like Robert Smith of The Cutre, dreadlocked, or black with bangs like Emily (the mascot for a line of products of the same name), or other similar, outlandish designs. There is also a tendency for theatrical-style make-up (white foundation with black emphasis around the eyes and sometimes mouth). Goth fashion is sometimes mistaken for the on-stage presence of black metal groups.

Many think that bands such as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails are goth rock bands, but they're really just commercialized industrial music.

goth by Goatlord December 26, 2003

Goth 

State of mind, with no regret of being ones own person. One who doesn't strive to be a clone of everyone else. Someone with there own mind set, not willing to change a belief because of anyone but themselves. They don't go out of there way to become someones friend but is a good one if u know one. Not always the nicest, can become pissed off very easily if annoyed but an ignorant asshole.

Foamy-"Goth is not a fashion statement just like punk."

Person 1-"Dude that kid is Goth."

Person 2-"No that kid is emo, Goths can't just go buy a couple things at Hot Topic and be a Goth."

Person 1-"Oh yeah, well that make sense."

Goth by JERKER19 July 18, 2010

Goth 

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?

Goth by BadLieutenant August 13, 2004

goth 

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.

goth by _Ayla_ July 30, 2006

Goth 

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".

Goth by Fliss Taylor December 28, 2005