The Beginning

I never intended to end up this way. In fact, if you time-traveled back into the past and showed twelve-year-old me a picture of myself, she’d probably be shocked. I came from a strict Catholic upbringing. I wore my Sunday school dresses on days that weren’t Sunday, I hung rosaries on my wall, went to bible-study classes three times a week, recited the Virgin Mary prayers to candles in times of turmoil, prayed every night on my knees, and wouldn’t dare to listen to music that even slightly cursed. But now, I sport painted on eyebrows, piercings, dark clothes, makeup, intend on having more than half my body tattooed, combat boots, and blast music like Bauhaus, The Cure, and Siouxsie and the Banshees while on my way to work or school every morning. But then again, Marilyn Manson also had a strict Catholic upbringing.

I grew up in a house with my grandmother, in which my one and only cousin would come to visit often. My cousin has a ten year advantage on me, so while I was only six, she was sixteen and experiencing her rebellious teenage stage. I remember she’d come over with straight purple hair, and baggy black pants that suspended several chains along her legs. The symphony of her jingles would fascinate me, as we all knew when she was about to come around the corner. I remember going to school, bragging to my other classmates in the first grade about how cool my cousin was. How she was prettier than any of their cousins, as if first graders had any other worries in the world to discuss. Her boyfriend at the time, (who would later become her husband) had long hair, giant gauges in his ears, and he too, wore long trench coats and stomped around in large platform combat boots. If anything, he terrified our entire family, and I could hear my grandma scoff and retreat to her safehaven of a bedroom when they’d come to visit together. Despite this fascination that my pure mind held of them, I was still also terrified. There was something about big black trenchcoats that sparked the fight-or-flight instinct within me, as my grandma raised me with the awareness of “stranger danger!” whenever possible. So I kept my distance. There was a time in which they took me out for the day, and my cousin’s boyfriend switched the then popular song, “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani to play “Psychosocial” by the heavy metal band Slipknot. I cried the entire car ride out of fear. The loud banging and screaming was something my six-year old Disneyfied, virgin ears weren’t ready for. Although, nowadays, it’s me playing Slipknot in my car as I side-eye those who play the lame pop tunes of today. I just like to say that reality hit me in the right way in the past couple of years.

My cousin and her boyfriend were clearly vibing along the strong industrial, metal, nu-goth wave that hit somewhere in the early 2000s. But these subcultures have road a long path in order to reach it’s standing point in today’s modern cultures. Especially the Goth subculture. Many people today would question, “Goth people still exist?”, while it’s not a culture that’s thriving in every day-to-day life, it still remains relevant to many people around the world. But where does the “Goth lifestyle” begin? What makes someone Goth, and what constitutes as Goth? Well, the answer is, that the list is almost endless. There are subcultures within subcultures within the subculture of Goth. Each Goth person dresses to their own standard, making themselves their own, unique person and type of Goth. Despite the endless ideas of what constitutes for Goth, it can be boiled down to a few main concepts: the music, the fashion, the ideology, and the lifestyle. While everyone defines Goth differently, it is these four main concepts weaved together into one which forms the quilt of “Goth” for me. Someone else may define it to their own comfortability, adding or taking away some of my main concepts. And that is perfectly fine, one of the main ideas of the Goth subculture is that it is a place of no judgement and flexibility, therefore while one person may define it as this, it is perfectly fine for another to define it as something a bit different. It’s very difficult to claim a word as something definite, especially when it’s evolved from being a group of invaders, to a style of architecture, to a style of music and fashion. For this research project, I will be mainly discussing the evolution of the modern Goth culture, through the dissection of Goth music, fashion, ideology, and lifestyle.

The Origin

          Now, to begin, what is goth and where did it come from? Did we wake up one day in the late seventies with dark lipstick and chains attached to our jeans? I'm sure most of us didn't. Like stated before, the definition of goth is very flexible and indefinite. Now, if you search the term "goth definition", upon Google, the Merriam-Webster dictionary so simply puts it as, "rock music marked by dark and morbid lyrics". 

          The time was the late 70s in England. The punk movement had been growing overused and stale, crawling towards the end of it's peak. This movement was abrasive, and violent, supporting the ideas of romanticizing Nihilism and rejecting"the man". From this, emerged a sub-category of people. With no name to brand themselves, they wore more ethereal clothing, darker makeup, and produced hollow and stark music. A notable fashion icon of the time would be Siouxsie Sioux, who began using the template of punk in order to create a more mystical sense of music. Along with that, she sported the big hair and long wings of eyeliner that many people came to emulate in the future. 

          
          As these undefinable groups began crawling out of the groundwork of the punk movement, more and more people flocked to the style of music. The fashion expanded and the music moved from loud, thrashing music, to a rhythmic, seance ode. But throughout all of this, the label of the subcategory post-punk genre was still undiscovered. Which makes the timeline as to where the term "goth" originally formed cloudy. Joshua Gunn's essay, "Gothic Music and the Inevitability of Genre" explains the development of the coined term, through "genrefication." Which he defines as the activity of genre formation and how it's inevitably going to occur. According to Gunn, this is because people long to explain music by placing it into a specifically category, they use "pragmatic schemes or ways of discussing the musical text ... [to] attempt to overcome the fluidity of music itself through a kind of linguistic filter”(34). 

          For Gunn, and for many people, the pin-pointed moment of gothic rock's genrefication just so happened to be the band Bauhaus' infamous song, "Bela Lugosi's Dead", which came out around August of 1979. It is said that a total discourse from the original derivation of a style of music is the point of official genrefication. What made the song seem so familiar to most was that, although it had the edgy sound of a punk song, there was no alteration within the music. There is very rare bashing noises, cymbals, or overall musical thrust within the anthem that was so commonly seen in songs coming from a punk background. Alexander Carpenter delves deeper into the song in his academic article,  "The “Ground Zero” of Goth: Bauhaus, “Bela Lugosi's Dead” and the Origins of Gothic Rock", where he states, "the only variety comes from the dub-inspired echo/reverb treatment the drum track receives. The main bass guitar part, equally iconic, consists of an ominously low repeating descending figure—a truncated passacaglia comprising the notes D, C-sharp, and B"(35.) This was very much so different from the music at the time, which pulls Bauhaus' "Bela" away from punk and into it's own category. 

          Carpenter explains Derek Tompkins' - the producer for the song - intentions when originally helping to produce Bauhaus' music. Music, that was "from a production standpoint, ... a virtual negative image of a pop song, so dry as to be almost brittle" (34). In the article, the song "Bela" was cited to have been recorded live, while the guitar and drums were recorded into an echo unit. Then, Daniel Ash, the guitarist for Bauhaus, added these effects in afterwards (some say it was only a singular playback of the song). Tompkins had admitted to not intruding too much with the overall production of their music, as he let the band do most of the work. Carpenter states," 'Bela

Lugosi’s Dead' owes the originality of its sound to a juvenile band that did not understand how a recording studio worked and to an engineer and producer who did not understand what the band wanted" (34). Although neither parties knew what they exactly wanted, it was still very much so different from the music at the time. Peter Murphy's monotone voice became the original gothic singer's voice archetype, in which will force any baby-bat into a swooning mess. Coincidentally, a song in which ultimately was made as a mistake also developed into a standing ten minute gothic rock anthem. "Bela Lugosi's Dead" remains a song that blasts on the loudspeakers of grunge bars and people still raise their drinks to do their side-step dance to one of the most iconic goth songs to exist. And thus, this one song itself, creates a genre coined as "gothic rock", in which we'll see grow immensely throughout the years. 

          The song "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was based on an earlier, dark vampiric film. And with this, many of their earlier followers began internalizing this vampiric style. In order to meet their audience's desires, Bauhaus began to establish their own stage personas, especially the lead singer, Peter Murphy. Carpenter notes Murphy as, "the tall, dark, and gaunt front man as both glamorous and sinister, at once the aristocratic, romantic hero and the deviant alien" (37). This conceptualization of the vampire style quickly launched Bauhaus' fanbase into "a sartorial and musical movement that was quickly out of its control and in part beyond its understanding" (37). So as the genre of music developed, the victorian-vampire-esque style evolved out of the "Bela" movement as well. Murphy himself, getting a bit caught up with his own persona, admitted, "we found ourselves playing to our reputation ... [and to] an audience which we had created through our own efforts, but ... we were a little perturbed, curious, and nicely confused—why does our audience look like this?" 

The Evolution of Gothic Music

          As we discussed, for many, the formation of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus was the beginning of gothic rock in itself, but it was also a genre that quickly grew and evolved through several waves. The arrangement of music in categories can grow tedious, and ultimately non-concrete. For the sake of this research project, I'll be dissecting the genre into four non-dimensional waves: The first wave, second, third, and modern. While the first wave began around roughly the emergence of Bauhaus - the late seventies and mid-eighties - the modern wave continues to this day. 


First Wave: Emergence
         This was the very beginning of gothic rock as we know it. Many of the bands founded during this era are noted as the "classic" goth bands in which any fan should know. This era spanned from the late seventies to around mid-eighties. It is important to note that many of the bands from the original wave still had both of their feet planted in the post-punk movement. They are mostly defined by their "raw" sounds and the edgy stylized music that was very similar to punk. In fact, many of the first wave band's fans were from the punk background. But despite the heavy influence of the punk genre, there was more of a theatricality to the music forming in this era. Vampire films like Nosferatu, where dark makeup like black lipstick was used to mask the poor quality of filming, was a building point for the style of fashion that kickstarted the gothic crusade.

          As Bauhaus flourished and is often cited as the "grandfather" of goth music, another important band came about as the "grandmother" band: Siouxsie and the Banshees. Like stated beforehand, Siouxsie became a goth fashion icon. Cathi Unsworth poetically explains Siouxsie in her article, "with her continuous death fixation, raven, gravity-defying spiky hair, Egyptian makeup and pervy fishnet tights, Siouxsie Sioux was the perfect role model for aspiring gothettes." While Unsworth notes her as a rolemodel for this particular group, the band was not always goth. In fact, it was a band formed during the punk movement, and definitely contains punk influence in many of their earlier works. Siouxsie and the Banshees is a great example of a band that mellowed themselves into a different style of music, which is the same flexibility revealed throughout the entirety of gothic rock. Robert Smith of The Cure speaks about this era and specifically notes Siouxsie and the Banshees in his 1992 interview with Propaganda Magazine, " 'The first crop of punk bands [like the Sex Pistols] had faded from the scene, and a new crop came up 'round '79 and '80, who were much darker and moodier -- less anarchic. Bands like Joy Division, us [The Cure], Gang of Four, Echo and the Bunnymen. The only early punk bands who survived were the ones able to make that transition, like Siouxsie and the Banshees". 

Noteworthy Bands of the First Wave

Bauhaus

Siouxsie and the Banshees 
The Cure
Joy Division
The Birthday Party
UK Decay

Second Wave: Finding an Identity
           The second wave came soon after the first, some may argue that there are many places of cross-over between the two. I chose to dissect the first wave into what it was because those were the original bands to the genre. They definitely contained the punk influence in one way or another, and really set the groundwork that other bands would then use for their own growth.  But because of that,

the bands from the second wave were known for having their own established identity and sound. Because they were being inspired by bands that were being inspired by punk, they were developing their own brand of music and really discovering what sounds they preferred to compose. It was this time frame in which the elements from the proto-goth bands were weaved with new elements from other popular artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Doors. This was what, to many refer to, the start of a "rockabilly" gothic scene. Where groups such as The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of Nephilim, and The Mission sprung into action. 

          Unsworth continues her article with more theatrical statements - this time about Sisters of Mercy - when discussing the evolution of gothic rock music. She reminisces, "Flesh for Lulu, Alien Sex Fiend, Skeletal Family, and a host of even more unmemorables did battle with a fresher new breed of drum-machine aficionados  ... the Sisters of Mercy."  Sisters of Mercy fit into a very important role in the second wave, as they were a band that really capitalized on the gothic rock franchise. There are countless bands that continuously attempt to emulate a Sisters of Mercy sound,

with no avail. Sisters of Mercy began developing their music around the mid-eighties. With their machine-like, dance rock, it was something unique to the listener's ears and quickly grew onto many people. Sisters of Mercy composed several albums for about a seven year span before falling apart. Although their music will be remembered as a great example for gothic rock, with songs like "This Corrosion" and "Temple of Love". As for Andrew Eldritch, the lead singer of Sisters of Mercy, he completely disowned even the slightest association with the "goth brand". In fact, he made many passive aggressive comments about himself, his fans, and the genre in it's entirety. In the classic 1989 interview with the German show Offbeat, he states,“That’s quite daft, ain’t it? The goth scene, I mean.” He even made several, purposely coordinated appearances in bright suits in order to dissolve the gothic magic he seemed to create for himself. All in a joking matter, he became a controversial idol in which many people loved, and others despised within the scene. 

Noteworthy Bands of the Second Wave:

Sisters of Mercy
The Mission
Fields of Nephilim
The March Violets
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Ghost Dance
All About Eve

Third Wave: The Followers

          This wave, although still distinguishable, was a plethora of different sounds and influences coming together to branch out into many different subcategories of goth. These bands were the "children of the grave", young people whom had grown up on the sounds of bands like The Cure and Bauhaus, hoping to emulate their idols. Lasting from the late 80s to the late 90s, this was the time in which the goth scenes began to socially flourish the most. Because of the amount of people demanding for this type of music, and every band struggling to sound fresh and new, many different kinds of "gothic rock" were formed. It is in this era in which the genre of goth had expanded so far, that many of the subcategories became incomparable with each other. It is also very difficult to track the substantial amount of groups producing music, although there were some bands in which definitively became their own sound and stood out from the others. It was also in this era in which Goth became, rather than a subcategory of punk, a larger genre that had it's very own subcategories.
 

Some of these subcategories include but are not limited to:

- Industrial: Although the term for this category was coined by Industrial Records in 1976, it wasn't until the mid 90s that this type of music became extremely relevant. The followers of industrial music have developed their own fanbase name, the Rivitheads. Industrial music showcased a louder form of music. Industrial will exploit the usage of electronics, clips from movies and political speeches, synthesizers and vocals that have been distorted. Although it remains a subcategory under the umbrella term of Goth, it has a very large following. While gothic music in general, is very theatrical, emotional, poetic, and feminine side of the genre, industrial is masculine, aggressive, political and scientific. Both overlapping in an oddly familiar way, the two do well with weighting each other on the scale of the alternative scene. Some very popular bands that can be considered industrial are bands such as Coil, Nine Inch Nails, Rob Zombie, Rammstein, and Ministry. Even earlier Marilyn Manson, such as when he was "Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids" lean towards a more industrial rock vibe, especially in his album "Portrait of an American Family". 

-  Folk / Occult: Folk goth music tends to be the guilty pleasure to many gothic fans. Although many will claim that it is not relevant or shouldn't be associated with gothic music, bands within this genre still hold onto their gothic roots. And many people who listen to this music are, indeed, goth. Obscure instruments (violins, flutes) are used in order to emulate a folk, tribal style. It's also a type of music that is very popular in Europe, where bands will mix traditional sounds from their culture into a rock, steampunk feel. Sol Invictus and Current 93 are good examples of this genre, although it remains very broad. A personal favorite that I've discovered is Faun. They have an extremely unique sound, and explain themselves as a "Pagan Medieval Gothic Rock" band.  

- Darkwave: This term was orginally used to explain a more darker, electronic sound, but it wasn't until Projekt History claimed it as an official term that it became widely used. Darkwave can be used as a sister subcategory to goth in a similar way to how industrial works. For the most part, it embodies both ethereal and darkambient styles of gothic rock. 

                    - Ethereal: A highly refined style of music. Characterized by female singers accompanied by classical instruments to create an otherworldly effect. The music is very opera-esque. Although most people listening to ethereal music is considered goth, it would be grouped under darkwave more than anything. Love Spirals Downward is a great example of this type of music.
                  - Darkambient: An interesting trance-like style of music that focuses moreso on the symphony of the music rather than vocals. If vocals are featured, they remain very minimal. Instead, the organization of electronic music creates a droning, mysterious sound. This creates a strong surrealistic atmospheric feel. It is also referred to as "ambient" for short. Soul Whirling Somewhere is an example of a darkambient band. 

Modern Wave: The Music of Today

           The success of the nineties "grunge" and alternative scene was the beginning of the end of the original meaning behind gothic rock. Bands like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson that took on gothic imagery rebranded the entire definition to the genre. Suddenly, "goth" in the modern wave meant something completely different. Bands will either choose to completely derive themselves from the original roots of gothic music, or divert themselves in a complete 180 away from the initial definition. Incidents like the Columbine Shooting, where two teenagers wore Marilyn Manson on a murder rampage throughout their highschool, brought us to the very end of the original meaning to goth as we knew it. Instead of "smoke machines, ethereal, dark", goth became "rebellious teenagers, razorblades, and Satan". We are currently still experiencing this wave, although the genre still remains innovative to this day and we continue to see new bands arise and old bands fall. 

Noteworthy Bands of Today

Elusive
Malaise
Star Industry
Reptyle
The Eden House
Angels of Liberty
           Merciful Nuns          

The Fashion

          When people think of goth, they tend to think of it aesthetically. The dark clothes, hair, weird accessories. Not many even fathom the idea of the music element of the subculture. In an interview done by Kim Kelly with Liisa Ladouceur, film maker of the infamous "40 Years of Goth" youtube video, she explains the importance of the fashion aspect to it all. She states, "Goth is a subculture that has a soundtrack. Yes, it’s about an appreciation for literature and history and art too, but at the core, it sprang from a music scene, and the main definition of a goth for a long time was someone who listens to goth music. Today, goth is more about the fashion—there are hardcore Lolita and steampunk goths who’ve never heard Joy Division or Marilyn Manson. And that’s OK, culture is meant to mutate." 
         
         As the music evolved, so did the people who enjoyed said music. From different genres emerged different looks that seemed to attach themselves to the music. But then again, just as Ladouceur admits, there are fashion trends and looks that arose simply because of the clothes, with no attachments to it's origination of music influence. But the most common ground would be: dark. For the most part, using colors like black is a symbolism to how goths are perceiving the world around them. Black symbolizes their comfort with the beauty of things such as death, darkness, and reality. While other common colors such as white, are seen as symbolism to mourning, a contrast to their dark. And red, which originates out of the fascination with vampirism. Ionela Florina Iacob explains this in her scientific journal, "Rethinking Goth, Identity as Style" where she explains the goth's mindset when it comes to fashion, "the clothes, the accessories and the make-up also provide the environment where each individual can exert his imagination and express his personality, but usually within the boundaries of some ideological and aesthetic criteria (reflecting the darkness and the beauty that is born in darkness)." (18). Although the goth subculture roots for the expression of one's self through their fashion, they also reprimand those who tend to articulate themselves out of the "legal boundaries" of what they would be defined as "goth". Therefore, a common ground was set. This is why, generally, if someone were to dress in bright sundresses and claim themselves as goth, many members of the subculture would reject their proposal. 
       
          Along with the affinity towards dark clothes, another common ground which many subcategories of gothic fashion have met is a physical verbalization of dismissing mainstream culture. Iacob continues her discussion by explaining the strain for goth fashion in which, "materializes in the attempt to break the so called contemporary aesthetic taboos. A significant example in this respect is the desire to break the patterns that separate the feminine from the masculine, as the outfit and the make-up reveal the tendency to cancel out gender differences. This aspect is materialised in promoting the androgynous figure or by the males’ use of items considered typically feminine (the skirt) and vice versa". (18)
        
          Although this still remains the case, the goth fashion trends still continue to this day, with the media using the term to describe any type of "darkness" used for a look. Such as the famous singer Rihanna, claiming herself as "ghetto goth" within some of her recent songs and looks. But because the term goth has redefined itself in a very modern age, and has evolved throughout the years, many looks that are associated with the goth alternative scene have developed.

Some definitive gothic styles include:

Batcave / Trad-goth: This style is the first original style that goth had developed into from the punk

brand. Batcave got it's name from a traveling goth scene in England in the eighties. Many people, to this day, owe it to the club Batcave in forming the social goth circle. It's what truly kicked the styles into popularity. Siouxsie Sioux, as mentioned before, is one of the best examples of the early, batcave fashion that had materialized. Large, puffy black hair accompanied by ripped fishnets, chains, and leather. There were a lot of accessories to garnish the outfits. The makeup was dramatic and large, painted on eyebrows and black eyeshadow. Most of the outfits were DIY projects, as the fashion was not commercialized until much later. This made outfits much more creative and rough. Goths nowadays complain that the commercialization of the brand is what redefined modern goth into something they are not proud of. 

Romantic Goth / Victorian Goth: While trad-goths are more likely to focus on the 80s scene of goth, romantics are more interested in old gothic literature and style. Typical clothing seen by romantic goths are velvet, lace, long capes, and flowy clothing. They tend to be a bit more emotional, creative and dreamy. They will sport lesser makeup, usually, focusing moreon the beauty of their clothing. As well, they tend to listen to more atmospheric type of music to accompany their love for poetry and literature. Victorian goths tend to have similar interests, but will generally wear older fashioned clothing. Such as corsets, ruffled cage dresses, and top hats. Accessories include things such as canes, roses, brooches, and medieval inspired jewelry and shoes.

Cybergoth: The rise and fall for this type of fashion sense was generally the nineties, although there are still a few rarities even to this day. This type of goth is almost the antithesis for what a goth constitutes for. They enjoy bright, neon colors accented by black. Other common accessories would be neon faux dreads, larger raver pants, and unique goggles. Jewelry, besides the chains, tend to be minimum but makeup is often outlandish. Perhaps the only reason these are still considered "goth"  is because the music evolved from industrial, which is heavily influenced and associated with goth. Cybergoth tends to be an embarrassment to other "judgy" close-minded people of the subculture, and you will generally see the more tradgoths cringe at the idea of cybergoth. 

Rivithead: As stated beforehand, in the evolution of goth music post, a rivithead is a person who considers themselves a fan of the industrial goth music scene. Many of them won't consider themselves "goth", but products of clothing can be found in the same shop and they will attend goth clubs. The clothing is very laid-back, and almost very similar to a cybergoth's clothing with a futuristic, dystopian look to it. There are no bright colors, but rather, usually grays and blacks. This is where you'll see things like trenchcoats popularize. Like the cybergoth, it's rise and fall was around the same, as the nineties was a sweetspot for revival in fashion and the scene.

Gothabilly: Although not as popular, I felt the need to place this in here for it's interesting aesthetic. A unique blend of the 50s rockabilly, along with the punkabilly scene found in the 80s. They usually have the pin-up styled dresses, with bright red lips and cherry accessories and imagery. Like other fashion groups like death rock, their style is more tongue-in-cheek, and purposely costumey for the purpose to be theatrical. 

Vampire Goth: The idea and association of vampires and goths came about as early as Bauhaus' song,"Bela Lugosi's Dead", as it was a song specifically about a vampire film at the time. Thus spring, this fashion sense. These are people who tend to romanticize vampiric literature and focus their fashion sense and lifestyle on one similar to a vampire. Very much so like a romantic, Victorian goth, where flowy gowns, lace and capes are seen, with a twinge of red accents to symbolism vampirism or blood. Common symbols used for vampire goths will be bats and religious jewelry. Ankhs and typically ornate cross necklaces are very popular for vampire goths. This affinity towards religious jewelry tends to be adopted by other goths, but the usage of cross symbolization initially cored itself in this fashion movement.

Pastel Goth: As I type this, I can hear all other types of judgmental goths gasp in horror. So that's why I'm placing it here. The pastel goth is something in which I personally gravitated towards, before realizing what a social wreck they are in association with the goth scene. Pastel goth is a very modern idea of goth, that had sprung from internet culture. It was essentially inspired by "cutesy" internet girls wanting to a more edgy look to their bright outfits. Many of them are non-traditional, do not know any of the associated music, and generally disrespectful towards the goth subculture, and only exploiting the usage of their symbolism to seem more "dark". Common fashion looks will be black, accented by an overusage of pastel pinks, blues, and purples. St Peter's Cross is commonly used in a bright pastel color, along with eyeballs, bats, and other "spooky" symbols. Other pastel colors are used, but it is generally along that selection. Many wear pastel wigs, long high socks, pastel skirts, and circle lenses in their eyes to make their pupils seem more doll-like.

Lolita / J-Goth: Lolita is a fashion sense that's been around very quite a long time. It's typically a style that is inspired by doll-like, innocent clothing. And while lolita has been around a long time, gothic lolita wasn't coined until a bit later. Common clothing types will be large dresses, with undercoats underneath to make their dress seem more lacey, doll-like and young. Generally, the dresses will be long sleeved, although on a rare occasion, you'll see this rule be disregarded. Bulky, large-platformed shoes with lacey long socks are also worn, to continue the youthful theme. It is overall seen as very costumey, but can look very nice if taken the time to put be put together well. Umbrellas are also not uncommon. Because lolita tends to be a fashion more popular in the Japanese culture, you will see this fashion sense thrive in Japan, or fans of Japanese culture. Thus, many are not associated with the original gothic scene, and are only using "goth" as a fashion term.

Nu-Goth: This is the gothic scene of today. Generally "modern" goth can be used as a defining term as well. Because the fashion scene is constantly evolving, nu-goths typically have a laid-back fashion sense, with subtleties towards goth. A lot of things they buy are from online or the mall, which makes them in a sense, a "mall goth". Although that term has a negative association and will be used by elder-goths to derail the young generation of goths cycling through. Typically, nu-goths can be found mixing mainstream fashion culture with goth culture, to reach an ultimatum of a trendy, dark fashion style. Tights are common, as well as simple black dresses with large platform shoes, chokers, and black lipstick. Makeup tends to be lesser than that of traditional goth's taste, but can still be slightly dramatic, depending on the nu-goth. While some will break the rule of "goth" and color in thick eyebrows, some will shave theirs off and pencil in thin lines. It is a case in which differs from person to person.

Other styles commonly associated with the goth subculture are: steampunk, metalheads, tribal, "emo", and corp goth. 

The Social Life

          The social setting for a goth has always been obscure. In fact, many goths tend to be

introverted by nature, so placing them all within a club-like setting, and you'll be in for a ride. Perhaps the earliest safehaven of a meeting place for the goth community was The Batcave, a traveling goth club in England in the eighties. Named one of the top five clubs by Ed Potton of the United Kingdom Times in 2008, The Batcave has left a remaining mark on the goth community. Since then, there has been countless attempts to emulate the culture that The Batcave had, but in the end would fail. The reason as to why it was such a revitalizing experience was also due to freshness of the subculture in itself. People were much more willing to share a common, dark experience with other newly branded goths. Along with that, the music was much more raw, along with the people who were apart of the scene.

          

          So what do goths do for fun nowadays? Well, since the subculture has immensely changed over the years, what the group of people found themselves doing has also evolved. Beforehand, in the 80s and 90s, goth clubs and hangouts were not uncommon. There are several stories detailed by goths about magical experiences in random abandoned warehouses in the middle of the forest, where hundreds of alternative people would show up to enjoy themselves peacefully. But since then, times have changed. And these kinds of occurrences have not only become slightly illegal, but scarce due to the density of alternative goth people in certain areas. "The Count" - the main speaker - from the podcast, "Cemetery Confessions", a podcast about the goth lifestyle, explains his theory as to why this scarcity is an issue. In his experiences, it not because of a lack of punk, goth, and alternative people that causes the social community to downfall, but a lack of people wanting to go out in general. He explains that he's noticed that these communities are thriving on places such as the internet, where people can hide and watch the countless goth Youtube vloggers in peace. You can't help but hear the desperation in his voice when he pleas with people to go out, rather than seclude themselves in their room. That, and many of these people are deciding to "dress up" only on the weekends, as their jobs do not allow them to express themselves in such a way, or out of pure laziness. This is the theory as to why many people will say, "Goth? They still exist?", because if you are not looking for the subculture, it's very easy to forget about it.
        

          Even I, experienced this myself on a journey to try and find a local community in which likes the gothic scene. I knew that it'd be hard, and wasn't close-minded in trying to make friends who enjoy punk music or alternative music either, for I as well enjoy those types of music. What I found myself concluding to what a facebook page, "Sacramento Goth / Industrial Clubs". And, although the page posts often about events occurring, not even more than fifteen people will give it a "like".
        

          I found myself wary, but also curious. And knew that in order to accurately represent my findings, I'd have to attend an event in order to view our local gothic scene communities. I was extremely nervous, so I stole my friend (I give thanks to her as she's not affiliated with any type of alternative scene), put on my platforms and headed my way towards downtown Sacramento. 

         

        Upon arrival, it didn't seem like a complete flop, there were about ten people outside the club, smoking and talking to each other about who knows what. But were they dressed to fit the part? Perhaps. They weren't too outlandish, as I was expecting something that I was used to seeing on the internet, but they were definitely dressed different. Some ripped fishnets here and there, but most definitely an industrial type of feel, just by approaching the venue. Seeing these people outside released some fear out of me, as I somehow felt a sense of community with "my people" for a half a second. Upon arriving, the fee to getting in was fifteen dollars, which ouch, hurt my wallets a little for it being such a small venue. But we forked over the money, as we could hear the lingering music and see the dark flashy lights from a room behind the man asking for money. 

         

          After that, my friend and I found ourselves in the single-use bathroom, checking our makeup and clothes, but mostly trying to muse up the courage in each other to enter the mysterious room, in which boomed against the wall of the bathroom we were in. We're both a little shy and anxious when it comes to these sorts of social situations, and we weren't ready to be judged by the much cooler goth people. Finally, we sucked in our breath and opened the door to the mysterious club room and waded into the smoke emitted from the fog machine next to the door. 

      

          It took a moment for our eyes to adjust, as the lights at the main DJ flooring was red and flashy, and the music took us aback a little. And what we found? A flop. An empty, large floored room with about four other people on the large, barren dance floor, probably intoxicated and having the time of their lives... with themselves. There were also a couple of groups hidden in the dark corners, talking to each other. I was a bit disappointed, felt awkward and guilty that I pulled my friend down to Sacramento in order to see this "cool new goth club". Also, I knew we were both a bit embarrassed for ourselves because we were so afraid to enter the room only to find five other people, thrashing to an industrial dark-wave type of song. 

       

          The music wasn't bad at all, in fact, if it weren't for the empty dance floor, I would've probably done some funky side-step dance to it in order to get in the mood. But the entire feel of the club was stale, tense, and embarrassing. I didn't want to be one of the only people dancing, and neither did my friend. So we sat on the side, on a couch in the corner, away from the dancefloor. I took this time to observe. What I've noticed that most people were not traditionally goth, which I wasn't expecting from such a variety of music being advertised on the facebook page. They did wear dark clothes, and there was one thirty to fourty year old man with a trenchcoat, stomping around drunkly on the dancefloor. But besides that? There wasn't much to see. The people stuck to themselves and their acquaintances, as it wasn't much of a place for socializing. And after maybe fifteen minutes, my friend was asking if we could finally leave. It took me a moment, as I hoped that a huge crowd would just burst through the doors ready to dance, but it never came about. So I finally begrudgingly nodded, and we left silently. We did have a nice laugh in the car on the drive home, at least.

        

          So where are these goths? What happened to them, if they're even around still? Well, like The Count said, they are still around. But hiding deep within their rooms, and instead outletting themselves to the internet. To forums for discussion, Youtube, Instagram, and Tumblr. Which doesn't allow a lot of space for real-life social interaction and communities. And allows the outsiders to believe that goth is a washed up, irrelevant subculture consisting of Satanists and murderers.
        

          Besides the internet, there are still places in which this subculture is flourishing and more popular. And that is Europe. Just like it's original birthplace in England, goths tend to subside themselves in the crevices of European counties more than anywhere in the world. And after that? Surprisingly, probably Japan. Because the Japanese are still very fond of movements like visual-kei, and Japanese rock, and their ideologies of gender roles, goth-like fashion is more common than one would think.
         

          The largest Gothic music festival actually takes place is Hildesheim, Germany every year, and is called M'era Luna. It's a two day event where people are able to buy plots of land and camp out for those days to attend the festival. Overall, it's very burning man-esque, but instead with industrial and gothic people. There are also many vendors selling their own unique and handmade goods, along with live music, beer and the opportunity to creating a plethora of friends. Although held in Germany, it is very English friendly, which allows people from all around the world to visit and enjoy each other. The famous music festival was estimated to have had around 25,000 attendees this year. Although that doesn't seem like a lot for the world's most famous music festival of the sort, it does exclude many people who would attend from places overseas.
         

         

          The popular Gothic youtuber, It's Black Friday, a Kiwi whom situated herself in Germany with her husband made an excellent two part vlog on her experience with attending M'era Luna this year. She's quite lovely and has made a lot of friends and a sense of community through her vlogging channel. Her video does a wonderful job at demonstrating the existing modern goth scene. 

An Interview of With a Former (Industrial) Goth

          As mentioned before, my cousin thrived in the industrial goth scene in the 2000s. She attended

highschool between 2002-2005, which was the height of her "phase". This was the time in which she changed her hair to purple, pierced her lips, tongue, and nose. Along with that, all she wore was black and I remember her forcing The Nightmare Before Christmas on me as a child, countless times. For the purpose of this project, I was given the opportunity to interview her about her perception of the scene in the early 2000s, and her experiences. Since then, she's had two kids and is settled down. It was definitely informal, as I asked her questions as it went along with a few questions planned out. Although she was not a trad-goth, she still hung out with the "goth kids" social group.

Where did you go to highschool? What social circle did you find yourself being a part of? 

           [laughs] You know where I went to school, but if we must, I went to Roseville highschool. My graduating class was 2006. It was a shit show, but isn't all highschool experiences sort of like that? Uh, I hung out with the "weird" kids, like the social rejects. No one really wanted to approach us or be friends with us, I guess 'cuz we looked scary? I mean, I probably wouldn't want to approach the 2004 version of myself either. The word you're looking for is probably "goth", but I think we were a mixture of all those alternative types. Some of us were a bit more into it, and others just needed people to sit with at lunch. Or people to do drugs with, since they all thought we dealed. 

What kind of music did you listen to? 

         I listened to a lot of punk, industrial music. Although even I couldn't deny a good cure song every now and then. But mostly nineties stuff, like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. God, I was in love with Marilyn Manson, back in his peak. I thought I was going to marry him, so I guess I focused on being more like him. Dressing like him and stuff. I also listened to a lot of metal, but only because Patrick [her boyfriend / husband of the time] was into that stuff and I worked hard to impress him in the beginning. So yeah, lots of industrial, aggressive music with the occasional classic.

Can you explain the Marilyn Manson concerts to the best detail? 

        They were absolutely crazy, holy. Those experiences are probably my best memories of my highschool experience. You know, he's not the best singer in real life, but he still put on a really great show. Can't really argue with the aura he carried with himself. I've seen him live maybe, four? times? I would have to drag Patrick with me to them. They were violent, passionate crowds. A lot of the way Marilyn Manson fans dance can be dangerous to anyone standing in within five feet of them. Lots of thrashing, lots of flailing arms. I like to imagine I embodied the perfect Marilyn Manson fan of the time, but I probably didn't. 

What about clothes? Did you have a particular favorite piece of clothing or makeup technique?

         Well, Hot Topic was sort of the popular place to get clothes at, but really, most of the things I wore were hand-me-downs from my dad or older brother. I definitely liked the baggy, manlier type of clothing, cause I really couldn't give a shit about my appearance as much as I should.  Besides my hair, I really cared about what my hair looked like. I think I gave Nana a heart attack when I first dyed it, but she was really upset with me about my lip and tongue piercing. But you know, she overreacts to things. My first tattoo was probably the worst. But uh? Favorite piece of clothing? ...Probably my boots. Mainly because I wore them everywhere, and loved them even more when they got dirty. The big platforms were great at feeling powerful, walking around Roseville High. I liked the chains too, but who doesn't like the chains? As for makeup, I really loved pale skin. I wanted to look like a vampire, but at the time pale foundation didn't really exist. I would steal my mom's baby powder to puff onto my skin after foundation. Probably not the best because I had horrible acne, and it probably didn't look too great.. [laughs] but I really thought it looked good.

Do you ever miss being young and apart of the scene?           

        No. highschool was horrible for me. My kids are my life now and please, for god's sake, don't take me back to that hellhole. But, yeah, maybe sometimes I wish I could wear chains without looking like that wannabe, scary mom picking her daughter up from kindergarten. 

What did your friends do for fun? 

          I probably shouldn't be admit to some of the things we did, ha! Like I said, we were the weird kids, we did weird things. We liked breaking into the cemetery next to the high school when it was nighttime. We'd walk around and try to scare each other with fake horror stories. I'm surprised we never really got caught. For the.. most part. We'd also love going over to my friend Eric's house, he had a basement that become our normal hang out. He had cool lamps and would turn them on, then play weird, ambient music. You know, things teenagers did. Ahem. We weren't really the group of people to go out and party with others, at one point we convinced ourselves we were too good for them. But in all honesty, we were just never invited. I don't really mind though. I enjoy some of the memories. 

Would you ever return to the scene? 

        I'm sort of enjoying my life right now, I don't ever see myself going back to what I was in highschool. Most of us don't, it's sort of embarrassing to me. I mean, I still love certain things, I got spooky things... [she pulls out her wallet from her purse that's embellished by skulls and bats] ...See! Anyways, I never thought of myself being completely full-fledged goth or industrial. I just went with the flow, so probably not.

What would you say is different about goth now?

        Oh, uh, everything? Do people still dress up as goths? I haven't really seen anyone dressed like the way I did in highschool ever. Did you have a goth clique at your highschool? [I shake my head no] Yeah, huh.. Maybe that goth is used as a term for everything now, rather than a specific look and person? Wait, why are you even doing this project?  

What kind of advice do you have for me or other goth people about the scene? 

        Don't do drugs. As much as someone says it's cool, well... actually don't. Also, you're going to make mistakes, and you'll most likely look back in ten years and cringe a bit at yourself. That's okay, just enjoy yourself in the moment. Don't strive to be super popular, and have fun being yourself... Are we done now?

The Ideology

         The final aspect to the acceptance into the goth subculture is the ideology that comes with the scene. What really fishes out people from the "it's just a phase" to a true affinity towards the group of people would be the mindset.
       
        Alicia Porter Smith is 32 year old (goth) woman who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah and has dedicated an extensive website about the gothic subculture and it's defining factors. She explains one of the the five steps to acceptance into the gothic social scene is "possessing the gothic mentality and personality". She explains that this, "indicates whether a person is gothic internally as opposed to merely looking gothic externally. For people with the gothic personality, their involvement is not merely a rebellious phase, but part of their inner self." This is the final factor, for me personally, in which divides those wearing goth as a fashion statement, and one in which is truly goth. For if they carry this mindset, like Smith admits, they are more likely to stay committed to the subculture and truly believe in it. 
          
        There are several themes of common, shared ideology between the gothic subculture. One, is an affinity with the idea of death. Now, it's not an obsession of death, nor is it really wanting to die. Rather, it is the acceptance that death is inevitable state of person in which we will all experience one day. In everyday life, we are reminded of death, but for some reasoning, this concept seems a bit taboo to some individuals. Smith explains this unusual theme on her website, " In general, Goths are an exaggeration of the darker side of the human psyche. They represent outwardly the thoughts that linger in the back of everyone's mind. Goths tend to make their feelings about death a little more open than the rest of the world." This is what generally forces other people, who do not want to accept reality a bit uncomfortable. Smith explains that death is present in many things, like literature, music, religion, and all of these tend to carry a monumental driving force is people's lives. Mostly, modern society has went to lengths to mask the reality of death. Smith explains that we do not kill our own food, we do not see people dying everyday because of medical advances, but it still remains prevalent. She states, "Goth is recognizing the balance of dark and light, life and death, without turning away, denying, or living in fear of the things some people find disturbing. For some Goths, it is an acceptance of the inevitable that makes them appreciate life and live it to the fullest from day to day." This is why goths tend to listen to music about death, and outwardly physically present themselves in a darker fashion, to symbolize their understanding with this abstract concept. 
         
        Other common themes between goths will be a natural liking towards artistic and creative things. Many goths will tend to carry an introspective, emotional mindset and will think of things differently than others. Generally sensitive, non-violent, and introverted people. 
         
         Now, it is not to say that people who don't hold these common, cliche mindsets that they aren't fully goth. There is no steps in order to take to be initialized into the subculture or the scene. But I believe the ideology is the final factor into what makes a gothic person, goth. If they carry these types of mindsets, then they are fully gothic. For "goth" despite being made into a fashion word holds a lot more power behind it. It's a subculture that evolved from music, fashion, but eventually became a lifestyle and ideology for many. 

         

         An example of someone who's fully accepted the goth lifestyle and ideology is someone who's surrounded themselves with all things goth. Rather than trying to make a statement to the public, they enjoy their own home decor only because it's truly who they are, and what they like. There is no situation of trying to emulate a character, but rather a true affinity to darker decor and atmosphere in their living space. For example, It's Black Friday, the popular youtuber I mentioned beforehand has a wardrobe tour. Now, I do not believe that it has to be this full-fledged in order to be living under the "goth ideology", but it's not hard to view something like this and know how dedicated of a person she is to the subculture. 

         Another Youtuber I particularly enjoy, is Angela Benedict, who features many videos on what it's like being a goth in the 90s. A reason as to why I enjoy her tour of her apartment is that, she has small subtle decor but it's not overwhelmingly "costume-y". These small details show a deep perspective into her life as a goth. 

The Conclusion

         Goth is a subculture that has grown immensely in the past thirty or so years. It's changed definitively from simply a music genre, to a fashion statement and way of living. It's perhaps one of the most mainstream, commonly misunderstood subcultures out there. And there's much more to delve into regarding the subculture, such as goth within the news, and common stereotypes regarding members of the scene.
          Through this research project, I was given a small taste as to what the goth scene offers to those looking to be apart of the culture in modern society. I've learned that this was a subculture that definitely flourished about twenty years ago, but still remains consistent in media through a defining term for certain dark fashion looks. As for the local scene of Sacramento, probably not. But I do know of some famous alternative, punk clubs in the bay area that are more popular. Overall, this research project has demonstrated the amount of gothic people whom situate themselves on the internet, and the developing internet cliques of goths, rivitheads and punks. It's definitely an evolved subculture that has room to grow. And despite those believing it's a completely washed up subculture, there's still thousands of people enjoying the tunes of Bauhaus and The Cure, and dressing up to their desires around the world to this day. Whether they fully believe in the goth subculture, or only enjoy the type of dress shouldn't matter. I am excited to see where Goth leads to into the future and beyond.

Hail yourselves.