What is goth?

Question

I'm talking about everything I have no idea.. I have nothing against goths. I was just wondering what it's all about, I have looked it up and didn't get anywhere with that so if anyone could answer me that would be nice. preferably by goths.

Answer 1

Hello!
I've been goth for 11years now... It was not a conscious decision, it's just what I am drawn to. Sure, I wear black most of the time, but clothing does not make someone goth. For me, goth is a state of mind. Some people have a certain awareness of the world around them that seems to be lacking in the majority of the population. This awareness includes many things, from the subtleties of human behaviour to the deceptions and conditioning of religion or even advertisements. I've always felt that I see things a little differently than most of the people that I encounter.... I think it's because I've somehow retained a sense of instinct. With technology taking over the world, humans haven't needed to rely on their instincts..... for the most part, we've become quite thoughtless creatures... which is the way the government prefers it. Afterall, society runs alot more smoothly when a certain level of control over the population is attained.
I'm sorry that I don't have a clear, straight forward answer for you. But hopefully this shed at least a little bit of light on the subject!

Answer 2

It's best to start this off by saying what goth isn't:

-Satanic (though some goths are Satanic)
-emo

Goth is the subculture formed around goth music, which was derived from punk in the late 70s. Goth had the same attitude as the punks, but was more "artsy" in its expression (it was known as positive punk or post-punk back in the day). A few goth bands are Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Specimen (though influenced by glam-rock), and the Sisters of Mercy.

Many of today's young "goths" are actually neo-gawfs. Slipknot and Marilyn Manson are NOT goth--they branched from metalcore and shock rock, respectively, and have no ties to the goth subculture.

EDIT: Siouxsie and the Banshees were NOT the first goth band. There is some controversy over who really was the first goth band. It's generally considered to be Bauhaus (considering the goth movement was named after a newspaper called Bauhaus' music "gothic" sounding), but it may actually be Gloria Mundi, who was around before Bauhaus--and had the same look.

Answer 3

Okay . . . I'll try to make this brief.

The goths were a tribe of Europeans whose cultural influence from the middle ages through the Victorian period expressed itself in moody, oppressive, sometimes darkly supernatural themes. The word "gothic" describes a mood of gloom; it can also connote a feeling of the macabre celebrated with irony or decadence.

The British band Joy Division emerged from the burnt-out UK punk scene in the late 70s, and a journalist used the word "gothic" to describe the atmosphere of their show and the emotional content of their music. It stuck as a genre label for JD and other acts, like Bauhaus, which up to then didn't really have a recognizable name. "Goth" is just short for "gothic rocker."

Everything since then is pop-culture and fashion evolution. There's a lot more history you can look up on the net. Try searching on Wikipedia.

Answer 4

Goofy kids who think they are being anti-conformist but what they are really doing is conforming to the millions of other goth kids.
To put it simply, its a fad. Goth kids usually grow out of it by about 21 or 22. Occasionally you will see some sad and pathetic "goth adult" who is like 40 and never grew up.

Requirements to be goth: Dress like other goth kids, mostly in black. Tell everyone how cool you are by listening to bands with evil sounding names including words like "morbid" "Blood" and Death.

Answer 5

Goth

Goth [goth]
(plural Goths)
noun
1. member of ancient Germanic people: a member of an ancient Germanic people who settled south of the Baltic and founded kingdoms in many parts of the Roman Empire between the 3rd and the 5th centuries
2. music fashion Another spelling of goth (sense 2) (sense 3) (sense 4)

goth

goth [goth]
(plural goths)
noun
1. somebody uncivilized: an uncivilized or barbaric person
2. musical style: a style of popular music that combines features of heavy metal with punk
3. style of clothes and make-up: a style of fashion, popular among men and women in the 1980s, characterized by black clothes, heavy silver jewelry, black eye makeup and lipstick, and often pale face makeup
4. follower of goth music and fashion: a fan of goth music and fashion

jtm

Answer 6

In modern day parlance Goths are people who like to be on the darker side of things and often dress accordingly in black.Of course the Goths were a people at one time.

Answer 7

Dress in black, listen to dark music, into vampires and creepy **** like that. Technically goth music is an outgrowth of punk. Goths like to think they're alienated from society and are pretentious as a rule.

Answer 8

"Gothic" is a kind of stereotype that refers to people that might wear a lot of black, or listen to metal, or wear chains and have piercings or something. Not all goth people are the same. Its really just a label like emo, punk, and prep.

Answer 9

These are generalities about goth kids.Black hair, Very pale skin, lots of black makeup. usually a loner or a group of unsociable people. Labeled as losers by anyone outside their group.

Answer 10

ok im not a goth
lol

but anyway

the typical goth look would be lots and lots of black, fishnets, lace, maybe fingerless gloves, dark makeup, and black biker boots.

goth culture has a lot to do with death and the afterlife, a kind of curiosity and interest.

the first goth band was siouxsie and the banshees.