Goth

About

Goth is a notable contemporary subculture associated with gothic rock, a subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock music characterized by dark themes in lyrics and musical composition, as well as its unique set of aesthetics inspired by morbidity, literary romanticism, religious symbolism or pagan mysticism.

History

The term "gothic rock" was originally coined in October 1967 by American music critic John Stickney to describe the music of American psychedelic rock band The Doors in a concert review of the band published in The Williams Record. In the article titled "Goth Is Their Thing," Stickney wrote:

The Doors met New York for better or for worse at a press conference in the gloomy vaulted wine cellar of the Delmonico hotel, the perfect room to honor the Gothic rock of the Doors.

By the early 1980s, Gothic rock had established itself as a separate movement from the punk rock genre, largely characterized by its stylistic elements that combine dark, keyboard-heavy music with introspective and morosely romantic lyrics. Some of the earliest acts to be described as "gothic rock" bands by music critics at the time include Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Magazine, Bauhaus and The Cure. Throughout the 1980s, Gothic rock steadily evolved into a broader subculture with growing influences on other realms of arts and pop culture, such as fashion and visual arts.

Fashion

As the goth subculture continued to permeate among youths across Europe and North America in the 1980s, a distinct style of dress emerged along with it. The goth fashion is most notably marked by its heavy contrast of black and white through dark, sombre attire and pale skin complexion. It has been also characterized by its adoption of aesthetics from several different eras, including the attires of the Victorian, Edwardian and Elizabethan eras, as well as visual motifs associated with European Romanticism of the 18th century and punk/mod subcultures of the late 20th century. During the 1990s, goth fashion evolved into something different with the emergence of electronic music and dance culture, which in turn gave rise to the cybergoth subculture and fashion, introducing new elements like reflective or ultraviolet-sensitive attire and fluorescent makeup. By the late 2000s, goth fashion had begun seeping into the mainstream through its embracement by well-known designers in the fashion industry and haute couture.

Online Presence

The subculture has found its place online since the days of the Usenet newsgroups, with the launch of alt.gothic in early November 1991, as well as its affiliate communities, uk.people.gothic and aus.culture.gothic. With the growing adoption of the World Wide Web throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, a number of online gothic forums^[22][23][25] and communities cropped up online, most notably VampireFreaks[24, which began as a music discussion forum but eventually grew into a social network with millions of members as of (2011).

SuicideGirls

SuicideGirls is an alternative adult entertainment site owned by SG Services, Inc. and based out of Los Angeles, California. The site is notable for its large collection and distinctive style of models and photosets, and is one of the largest alternative softcore pornography sites on the Internet.

Related Memes

My Immortal

My Immortal is a Harry Potter-inspired fanfiction that is centered around Ebony "Enoby" Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way, a 17-year-old vampire who attends the "Hogwarts School" in England. Upon its digital publication in 2006, the story became notoriously known as "the worst fanfiction ever written" for its large number of spelling and grammatical errors, as well as unwarranted depictions of sexual acts and allusions to popular emo rock bands such as My Chemical Romance and Evanescence. As a result, My Immortal has led to a series of copycat fanfictions and dramatic readings of the original manuscript.

Girugamesh

Girugamesh (Japanese: ギルガメッシュ Girugamesshu) is the name of a Japanese metal band, which was derived from the ancient Sumerian king Gilgamesh. On the web, Girugamesh now refers to an internet meme that sprang out of a web commercial made for the 2009 Sakura-Con, an annual anime convention in Seattle.^[2] In the 30-sec promo taking place at a sushi bar, a brief-second appearance of a goth-attired young man awkwardly shouting the name of his favorite Japanese metal band, Girugamesh, stood out as highly exploitable.

"It's Not a Phase"

"It's Not a Phase" (occasionally expanded into "It's not a phase mom, this is who I really am") is a sarcastic phrase that has been associated with various images that poke fun at individuals –often teens– that have made questionable lifestyle or fashion choices. Depicted in this meme are often goths, emos, queers, otherkin and furries due to their edgy and cringeworthy nature.

Pastel Goth

Pastel Goth, also known as “nu goth” or “soft grunge,” is a fashion trend marked by pastel-colored apparel and hair accompanied by alternative-style clothing often associated with the “goth” subculture.

Regional Gothic

Regional Gothic is a Tumblr-based literary genre which applies facets of the traditional Southern Gothic genre to other distinct geographical regions. Posts in the genre often are written in the second person, in the format of a bulleted list that details several dark, depressing, moody or creepy aspects of the regional lifestyle.

Search Interest

External References