It’s Not Easy Being Goth. Especially in Hot Weather.

jojo32
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 12:07 pm: [report]

Ugh, I’m sorry but this is one look that just makes me ill.  At least the punks with the mohawks admit that they like the attention they get for their looks.  Goths are like “I’m sad and I dress like a freak, but dont look at me.” 

Please.  Stay outta the mall then.

likeOMGkbye
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 12:16 pm: [report]

oooh goths. We get it, you’re different. You are so deep and wise, and you’re terrible clothes, hair and makeup prove this to the rest of the shallow, naive and oh-so-moronic world.

All I can think of is the episode of South Park when all the kids went goth because of Twilight and they burned down Hot Topic…

Squidtermz
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 12:16 pm: [report]

nice ICP shirt duuuuuuude.

crustee
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 12:26 pm: [report]

In high school, I think I had an unintentional Goth phase.  I dyed my naturally strawberry blond hair black (well, it was supposed to be dark brown, but that didn’t really happen) to a) change something about my life and b) have awesome hair that would match my Jr. prom dress.  Oh, and I’m really, really pale.  Immediately EVERYONE thought I was a Goth who had suffered a mental breakdown and turned to drugs.

Gotta love high school stereotypes.

DancerNinja
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 12:39 pm: [report]

Goth kids bug me less than frat boys. They’re a pretty harmless bunch.

CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 12:42 pm: [report]

@crustee: Goth via error, wonderful.

Annika Harris
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 01:17 pm: [report]

I have a theory that a lot of people go Goth because they’re uncomfortable and unhappy about their appearance, so they want to look like “freaks” to say “I look ugly on purpose.” Obviously, my theory doesn’t hold any weight for the people who’ve shared their stories here, but it does for a lot of the Goths I’ve seen.

Queen Frostine
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 02:48 pm: [report]

I’ve been “goth” for fifteen years now. I was never a sad kid, never felt like a freak and never needed attention. I was (and still am) very happy and upbeat. I first donned black because I got tired of trying to fit in in grade school and live up to everyone elses expectations. I could never afford the trendy clothes and hated feeling inadequate. So I wore black as a way to rebel against conformity. Wearing black was a way to say “I don’t care about your approval, I’m going to be me and be confident.” So I took my cues from rock n’ roll culture and made it my own.

I started out somewhere between punk and romantic goth, but have moved towards corporate / rockabilly / steam-punk goth. It’s really great, and it feels very much a part of who I am even today. Not to mention black goes with everything and works for every occasion (casual, formal, black tie, corporate, little black dress, etc). Black NEVER goes out of style.

As for summer, my pale irish @ss doesn’t go out much during the day. When I do, I usually stick to tank tops, thin linen shirts, light weight hoodies and breezy skirts. It’s not too hard and I stay pretty cool. I feel for the victorian goths and their crushed velvet. I hope they have air conditioning.

likeOMGkbye
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:06 pm: [report]

ah, but Queen you are of the goth group that isnt, well…obnoxious. Sorry, but I hate going to the mall where I can’t walk down the hall cuz there’s a swarm of 12 “bad” goth (for lack of a better term haha) all standing around looking morose simply because they are full of teenage angst.

I myself was a punk. I rocked the pink hair (and I still miss it) and the band t-shirts with skirts and converse look all summer long while delivering pizza. I honestly miss those days, but alas, the corporate world is forcing me to go straight…yeah I’m a sell-out (but I need a job! and I have no talent for a artsy job where I can get away with pink hair and my tattoos hanging out!)

Erin G
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:10 pm: [report]

I did the whole goth thing in high school. And I live (and went to HS) in Florida. Fun times!

(Oh and my reasons for being goth were more along the lines of what Annika and Frostine described.)

Queen Frostine
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:16 pm: [report]

likeOMGkbye, obnoxious people come in all sizes, shapes and styles. To single out goths in general as obnoxious is a nasty stereotype.

likeOMGkbye
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:18 pm: [report]

oh my lord, I know that and I was not inferring that all goths are obnoxious nor that they are the only people in the world who are obnoxious, and I believe I specifically said there is only one type of goth that is obnoxious. so relax.

Queen Frostine
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:21 pm: [report]

Well, wouldn’t that be easier said as “obnoxious angsty teenagers in malls suck”? I mean, everyone got to be an angsty teenager in a mall at least once, right?

likeOMGkbye
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:25 pm: [report]

lol I have a personal vendetta against basically all teenagers. They just annoy me, for no apparent reason despite being one not so long ago…I should just avoid malls on the weekend really haha

pawkarma
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:41 pm: [report]

Disclaimer: I love this blog.

That said, wow. I’ll be the first to agree that there are a #&@$% of goths who need to piss off in attitude and in fashion choices.

Can I just speak up for the cheery goths? Summer is, indeed, shorts and shirt season. Mine just happen to be black. Stompy boots optional. I started at thirteen and am still going strong at twenty-two (albeit with more reasonable wardrobe choices), and I never really went Goth to ‘rebel’ or show the inner torture of my twisted soul or whatever. The aesthetic appeals to me, I can relate to the ‘little bit odd’ statement, and I’ve got a bit of a dark streak going on. Not morose, but maybe a bit of a morbid sense of humor and seeing what can be interesting and beautiful in traditionally ‘dark’ iconography. I never limited myself to goth things (my iPod is a testament to that), goth things just happened to wind themselves into my interests and sense of style.

I live in a very suburban/conservative area of town and the funny thing is? I’ve gotten many a compliment on my style - from the fangs down to the boots. From many different people, like little old ladies, dudes in suits, fratboy-looking type guys and girls decked out in Hollister stuff. Little kids seem to like hanging off of the knee-high boots, by the way - it’s cute. I lost count of the number of positive comments/conversations I’ve had about fashion with people, and can count the negative incidents on one hand. I find that my style can work as a pretty good conversation starter, much like a unique piece of jewelry. Or a cute puppy. When I do dress ‘normally’ for whatever reason (say, work or volunteering or something), people are surprised to find out that I am quite gothy because, according to them, ‘You’re so friendly though!’

See, that’s the thing. Ya’ll are pulling up the worst of the worst, which is great for laughs but not so great for painting us with a wide brush. It’s all about the attitude, and my attitude is less ‘hey, this is me, eff you if you don’t like it’ and more ‘hey, this is me, hi there! How are you?’ You know Abby from NCIS? When NCIS first aired, my friends gasped, pointed at me, and said ‘OH MY GOD, YOU’RE ABBY!’ The Abby-type goths are the kind I interact with far, far, far more than the unhappy dudes in the photos posted.

I’ve been to many a horror convention overrun with goths and they’re some of the nicest, most open, kind people you can meet - to everyone, con-goers and bystanders and waitstaff. Many ‘normal’ venues have commented about how great it was to have us there and what a great crowd we are, et cetera, et cetera.

Like I said, there are definitely the obnoxious, tortured-soul goths. So, to be honest, I totally get why these sorts of generalizing posts and comments happen, but generalizations can be pretty hurtful and I would like to shine some light on the other side of the coin. I tried my best to keep this as far away from super-defensive or antagonistic as possible, and I’m sorry if it comes across as offensive at all. Also, sorry for the novel!

Lynn
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 03:47 pm: [report]

hahahahah this link cracks me up.

@crustee - I’ve been an “accidental goth” too. I’m super pale (until a couple years ago, I couldn’t even find makeup pale enough for my skin) and I have brown hair. But I don’t like the color of my natural hair, so I dye it a couple shades darker. Well, the first time I went to a professional to have it dyed, she went darker than I would have liked. No biggie - I couldn’t have expected perfection without a couple shade trials - but not only did a goth-ish coworker get peeved because she thought I was trying to look like her, but when I was talking with one of our customers once, in my company-issued black shirt, he said “so, are you the goth girl of [company], or what?”

EarthGoddess
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 04:40 pm: [report]

I’m so glad we had uniforms in high school ... no one could look TOO crazy. It wasn’t a possibility in plaid skirts and polo shirts!

Skwisgiirl
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 10:27 pm: [report]

@pawkarma: Wow, I was going to write… exactly what you just said. Thank you for speaking on behalf of the perkygoths!! XD

I mean yeah, GIHW is for the lulz, but the comments here are still a bit disheartening.

I refer to myself as a goth-in-recovery—which is to say, I used to go all out, but as I’ve gotten older, my tastes have matured. My wardrobe is still mostly black and gray, but I have learned to love the myriad of colors that look amazing on my naturally tan skin (a brown goth?? the horror!!). I didn’t “go goth” because of any personal shortcoming, or wanting to rebel, or anything like that. I just want to wear and present myself in the way that makes me most comfortable—and if it’s a sundress and sandals on Monday and a black jeans and combat boots on Tuesday, then so be it.

twilight faerie
wrote on June 11 2009 @ 11:06 pm: [report]

How nice. People making sweeping generalizations about a group of people they don’t understand. Hmmm, feels like I’m back in high school again.

jojo32
wrote on June 12 2009 @ 06:02 am: [report]

@likeOMGkbye - I was a punk too.  Well, I thought I was.  I wasnt really ‘allowed’ to do anything crazy to my hair and I was on the basketball team.  (Not very punk)
But the thing I like about punk is that it’s a society of sorts that just lets you be who you are.  There is no ‘required’ look or whatever.  To this day I still feel like a punk at heart.  LOL Even tho I too, have had to sell out and get an office job.  I never did have any musical or artistic talent.  Damn.

PS - not a fan of teenagers either.  Wasnt a fan of them when I was one.  Afraid of my daughter becoming a teenager and me not being able to stand her. 

sam04
wrote on June 12 2009 @ 08:15 am: [report]

There’s a difference between those greasy, unwashed goths who wear atrocious clothes as long as they’re black, and kids who rock the black hair and fun black clothes.  I wouldn’t have described myself as a goth in high school… more a punk, I guess.  I had black hair (which was awesome!) and a myriad of super cool red and black clothes.  I’m not really into fashion, but that was one time in my life where I actually felt cool when I walked around town.

sklut
wrote on June 12 2009 @ 11:26 am: [report]

Being “goth” is not cheap. I worked at Hot Topic for a while in High School which was weird cause I didn’t fit in at all style wise but I’m so into music they didn’t care. The clothes in that store are seriously expensive and ridiculous because they’re stupid looking. The kids that use to come in there annoyed the piss out of me, they’d walk around for an hour taking pictures of themselves trying on every pair of stupid sunglasses and never buy anything. Yes you are so hardcore and a deep intellectual because you’re hanging out at the mall in the crappiest town in Florida. Congratulations, you’re so ‘original’.

Queen Frostine
wrote on June 12 2009 @ 02:04 pm: [report]

LOL, we didn’t have Hot Topic when I was a teen. We had to go to vintage stores and funky boutiques to find goth-approved clothes. Or we made our own with a little Rit dye, scissors and safety pins.

sam04
wrote on June 12 2009 @ 06:40 pm: [report]

I spent a lot of time in thrift shops finding cool stuff to wear, but on occasion I’d go to some punk rock/goth shop in Toronto and let my jaw drop at how insanely expensive some of the stuff was.

Isista
wrote on June 13 2009 @ 09:22 pm: [report]

I agree with twilight faerie…with all the sweeping generalizations on here, I am beginning to feel like I’m back in high school. I love this blog, but seriously, the comments are disheartening. Why do you people actually care if someone wants to go around in “goth” attire? Generally the non-teenage, angsty, obnoxious ones don’t do you any harm, so why do you care?

likeOMGkbye
wrote on June 13 2009 @ 09:46 pm: [report]

I think what everyone is trying to say that besides the teenage-angsty-obnoxious goth kids for attention, we don’t care. Most sweeping generalizations being made are about said teenage ones, as they are the ones that take over malls and the like, besides those I don’t think anyone really cares at all what one another dresses like