History

Gothic subcultures developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but have continued to evolve and grow, over time becoming one of the most enduring counter culture music movements to come out of those decades. Gothic communities originally connected through music, rising through the genres post-punk, industrial, and new wave and eventually establishing an innate genre, gothic rock. As with other musical subcultures, gothic rock became the foundation through which the collective aesthetic of gothic performance would form. Unlike punk rock, those who identified as goth were not bound by any collective political ideology. Likewise, unlike heavy metal, folk genres, and other music countercultures, gothic identities were entrenched more strongly in aesthetic than actual music culture. Over time, gothic aesthetics have adapted as musical styles have changed, as the creators associated with gothic aesthetics do not always associate themselves with gothic culture (Goth Musings, 2014). 

Folkgroups centered around music have long been of interest for folklorists and anthropologists, (Grenier, Guilbault, 1990), as these groups often form in-group cultures and customs of both an exoteric and esoteric natures (Sims, Stevens, 2011). It has been acknowledged by those who have studied gothic subcultures that there is a lack of ethnographic data on hand; psychology disciplines have erred towards focusing on the mental health concerns (Bowes, et. al, 2015) and othering this group experiences (Griffiths, 2009), while other academics have focused on the commodification of presentations and performances of gender (Goulding, et. al, 2004) This often leads to a focus on ways in which gothic identities are portrayed by mainstream media (Goodland, Bibby, 2007) as well as by gothic publications themselves (Nally, 2018). The former can be highly misleading in representation, while the latter can create too narrow a lens of aesthetic performance. A review of gothic publications focuses entirely on young, femme-presenting, white models (Egan, 2004) while a trip to any local goth club will quickly dispel this stereotype.

Gothic performance, like other music folkgroups, exists as a bricolage, with many variances in presentation and performance (Hebdige, 1979).) This patchwork of source material is broad, covering Western dark romantic imagery, particularly early works of horror, Japanese street fashion, gothic and weird literature and art, while also borrowing from punk, new wave, emo, alongside Victorian and Elizabethian period pieces (Barrat, 2005). While gothic publications focus largely on young, thin, white female performing goths, reflecting standard western beauty standards (Wolf, 2021) which are often at odds with the subversive nature of gothic performance. (Nally, 2018) 

The gothic subculture is enduring, both in how it has lasted as a subculture and music genre, and also in the ways that those who identify as goth are less likely to “grow out” of the style. (Tickle, 2017) I hypothesize that this is because of the lack of uniting ideology, as well as the variance of gothic styles. Unlike punk, which is often associated with political and activist movements, gothic ideology is more nihilistic and broad, which can coexist in many professional settings. Likewise, the variance in gothic presentation allows for those who identify with the subculture to adapt their style to their workplace.

~Lived Experience/ History:

~I have been involved in gothic subcultures for over 20 years. I started attending all age shows when I was about 13.

~M

~I don’t identify as goth, but I love the opportunity to dress up with my friends and engage in that space. I always get a really strong sense of belonging.

~C

~I started dressing goth in high school, and never really stopped. I was also really nerdy in high school, so I wasn’t very surprised when a lot of my coworkers, as a computer programmer, identified in the scene as well.

~D

~I grew up in a really restrictive environment, so didn’t take on a gothic aesthetic until my 20s, but was immediately welcomed as a “baby bat” once I did.

~A

~I had an online friend at the time who jokingly said I’d have to become a goth since I was exploring alternative religions, and that got me curious about what it actually meant to be a goth. Some online reading helped me to learn about the history behind the subculture, and I found that I shared a lot of values and aesthetic preferences with people who identify as goth. As a “weird kid” finding that community was really validating.

~S