OMG read this! I love it!

[Graillik Tur]

'Goth' as a style dates to the...wait for it...'Gothic' period. This usually means the tight bodisses, darker colors, cause that's all they made, big puffy shirts. It's a time period, not a state of mind. And yes they did wear massive amounts of white powder on thier faces with dark, dark lipsitck and masscara. This current 'goth' movement is a cross between the era of goth, the dark cloths, massive make up, and a new movement which is the 'angst' movement. Sadly not even this is new. While 'angst' as a full blown movement has never been done, the Renissance and Romantic period had a decent amount of not popular poets, writers and painters that wrote angst inspired literature. Really think about how many Shakespeare plays end in a happy ending. WHile his poetry is very romantic, his plays were down right morbid.

This combined with the macabre surge in the past few years has given rise the a movement I have named POTH or pop goth. Kids with money buy into a style, not a mind set, then develop a mind set built around what they look like. It's kind of like Seattle syndrome, it rains and no one gets sun so they tend to be depressed. That's all it is. I think this deserves more investigation, I shall begin another delve into the local libraries and internet to uncover more Goth literature and stylistic period pieces and match it against local gothic movement. If ya want to help, drop me a line.

[Silver Adept]

If you want to truly be Gothic, though, you have to have the whole marauding barbarian thing working for you. A hatred for legionnaires and Mongols helps, too.

[Reverend]

Basically, true gothic shit is like Mary Shelley's original Frankenstein where you have horror and the macabre, plus a story delving into what makes man a man. A goth would actually be introspective, not take the idea that everying is pointless.

[Sperrit]

The question, however, becomes not so much what the movement SHOULD mean, but why people get into the style in the first place. If they get into the style because they're actually interested the pieces of the Gothic times (the bodices, shirts, skirts, etc.) and then adopt the clothing then I see nothing wrong with that and say more power to them for wanting to wear what they want to wear despite society's drive to put everyone into Gap and Old Navy wear. However, now a days we have people buying into the style because they want to be 'rebellious' and 'different' and they want to show their 'angst' (angst being one of the most RIDICULOUS and LUDACRIS creations of pop-culture), so they conform to the style that they think best shows that. For me, I have real trouble accepting that kind of crap. People who think that they have the right to feel misused and misunderstood all the time better have a damn good reason for it, though it's been my experience that those people who have the best reasons to feel really down on themselves usually rise to the occassion with such bravery and style that you'd never tell all the crap that's happened to them. It's the guys wearing the funny clothes and moping and sighing all over the place that really have no excuse to do so, which is why I slightly distrust Goths as a rule. There are exceptions, I'm sure. I have yet to meet one, however.

Join the Fun

[Therin]

I have a black trenchcoat. I must be gothic.

[Kai]

[Suna-chan]

lol yes shino and i did have this conversation a bit ago...^^ and i was talking to my mom and she basically said the same thing as everyone else "there is goth for the fashion and goth for the mindset. you are definately more for the gothic fashion." and so yeh... weee i like teh clothes! BUT i also adore old navy and gap! i wear them...TOGETHER! wahahahah ('gothic' and old-navy that is!) nya!

[Therin]

That is truly frightening. I may be forced to wear blinders whenever you are around.

[Kai]

Well like I just like whatever I like. But I only like things I would never wear... if that makes since.

[Therin]

Absolutely none whatsoever. If you like it, why not wear it?