A lifestyle of walking the boundary between darkness and light. True goths love being alive and accept the challenges of being alive. They are often very deep thinkers, creative artists, and great friends. At some point in their life, a true goth has been in some way scarred. Whatever event or events have altered this person, it has only made them stronger. Posers will say their life sucks for the smallest, most insignificant reasons, solely for the sake of attention. A true goth has experienced pain of the heart and bears the scar, but they can further enjoy life because their pain is behind them.

I am proud to wear the scars of my past and have found healing through my arts and the ones I love. The ache is still there, but through expressing my true self I have been able to let go of the hurt. I am a goth and I love my life. I have torn down my walls. I'm not ready to die. I will not change until I have hurt someone. I will always be on the line of light and dark. And when my time comes to pass on, I will remain in the hearts of those who loved me.

Just another person in this world....
Lives, Breathes, Dies.

THE END

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.

A great bunch of people once you get to know. They aren't pathetic and stereotypical like the ones criticising them.

Goth was originally a term used to describe people with a taste for certain bands eg: Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, etc. in the '80s when punk started to fade out, and with wardrobes predominantly black.
In the 90s and early 2000s the goth subculture seemed to change to include bands such as Nirvana, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, etc.

Many goths have a cynical outlook on society and have an evolved sense of humor which has gone beyond the "Ya ma" as an insult and will laugh at others, and at themselves in a healthy way. Goths don't usually care what other people think of them, and don't care if they don't fit in. Goths don't care, either what sexuality, religion, etc. other goths are, and we don't take the piss out of gays because we aren't homophobes.

If you shout insults after a bunch of goths, alot of the time, they might not be offended, but take pride that people are realising that they're individuals.

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."

I don't know anymore. There are so many definitions of goth nowdays, especially music. For example:

There's classic goth music, like the Sisters Of Mercy (including the greatest 80's pop song ever made, This Corrosion) and Bauhaus. There's Victorian-style goth, but that's rare. The only good example I can think of is Rasputina. (Their song "Transylvanian Concubine" was on a Buffy soundtrack.) There's electrogoth, like Switchblade Symphony and Faith and The Muse.

After this, things get fuzzy.

Symphonic metal, like Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil, is sometimes considered gothic metal. Industrial music, like Nine Inch Nails, occcasionally mixes with gothic music. Electrogoth and electropop sometimes overlap, an example being Ladytron and Depeche Mode. There's pagan rock, like Inkubus Sukkubus, but the only reason that has a gothic following is because many goths follow a Pagan or Wiccan path.

In conclusion, no one knows what goth is anymore, because it's forked so many times. However, it is agreeded upon that Marilyn Manson is not goth.