How to Enter the Goth Scene
Make sure you're doing this because this is who you are., Research., Listen to Goth music., Listen to Goth genres., Dress in Goth fashion., Hair., Make up., Attend Goth concerts, festivals or bars/clubs., Inspire and educate.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Make sure you're doing this because this is who you are.
Any other reason is wrong.
People don't spend time developing themselves into an entire subculture if it's not who they are.
Goth isn't just a label you can lightly apply to yourself; but comes with certain traditions, aspects and customs that should be respected.
After all, something has got to make you "goth". , Research is very important when trying to learn about something.
Not understanding the background / history / root of the subculture you claim to be part of is the very definition of a poseur, as well as someone who isn't being themselves.
You want to make sure you get the right information, so that means looking at proper reliable sources like books such as:
Gothic Charm School by Jillian Venters Goth:
Identity, Style and Subculture by Paul Hodkinson Goth:
Undead Subculture by Lauren M.E Goth:
The Design, Art and Fashion of a Dark Subculture by Chris Roberts, Hywel Livingstone, Emma Baxter-Wright Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace:
The Worldwide Compendium of Post Punk and Goth in the 1980s by Andi Harriman and Marloes Bontje , Goth, down to its core, is a music based subculture and a Goth is a fan of Goth rock.
Every Goth should know who Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure and The Sisters of Mercy are.
You can look for their albums on YouTube, Spotify or even Bandcamp (if they're more underground/known) and decide if you like their music.
Music is a very important aspect of the subculture, so if you don't like Goth music then Goth culture is probably not for you.
You can dress Goth, but it will not make you Goth, but Gothic, instead.
Some other Goth bands are.
The March Violets Ikon Frank The Baptist Fields of the Nephilim The Mission UK Killing Joke Southern Death Cult (The Cult) Sex Gang Children Christian Death Alien Sex Fiend 45 Grave Clan of Xymox Dead Can Dance Specimen , As a goth, you don't only have to listen to goth rock.
You can listen to anything you want (as long as your music taste primarily consists of goth rock and similar genres) but there are other genres that are considered to be "goth" as well.
Goth rock is the main one, but some others are:
Punk Rock Post Punk Darkwave (Goth rock with more synths) Deathrock Neo-classical Darkwave New wave , Goths dressed like their idols and the idea was to use inspiration, but to never to directly copy.
Fans have emulated their idols fashions in all subcultures and goth is no different.
Common goth garments are fishnets (sometimes ripped, layered and in different colours than just black), leather jackets (which were usually DIY-ed with favourite bands), winklepickers/pointed shoes, corsets, gloves, silver jewellery and garments in velvet, lace and fishnet.
Bands like Bauhaus, Specimen, Dave Vanian and Robert Smith from The Cure inspired male fashion trends whereas Siouxsie Sioux and Patricia Morrison inspired female ones., Hair is always important to the shocking goth look, but mohawks and death hawks were avoided until the days of The Batcave, where they returned, usually black, crimped or teased.
Jonny Slut from Specimen fronted this style.
Patricia Morrison inspired girls to have long black hair for girls who weren't into the short punk look, and Siouxsie Sioux motivated them to tease it to uttermost heights.
While the stereotype is that all goths have black hair, the original goths experimented with any colours they could find.
Platinum blonde, other shocking colours and later, hair extensions, were common too.
This means any usual or wacky colour you like, you can have.
If you're not comfortable with changing your hair too much, dye it and tease it.
This is a very basic goth look., Goth makeup is very recognisable, with Siouxsie Sioux's trademark Cleopatra eyes complete with thick, pointed and triangular eyebrows.
If you were not into that style, you can also have high arched and thin eyebrows like Morticia Addams or for men, flared and stroked upward like what Daniel Ash was famous for wearing.
Colours used were electric blue, purples and metallics.
Purple eyeshadow was used as contour under the cheekbones to emphasize them and give them the "undead" look.
Black and red lipstick, and red nails were common too.
Don't be afraid to experiment with different colours, because goth make up was never about copying the artists directly., Since the Batcave has closed, Goths found other ways to celebrate their subculture.
Living in cities means there's more chance of finding a Goth scene, or at least a dark scene.
Try and get involved and helping it out by keeping it alive.
Some suggestions are becoming a DJ, musician, Goth/post-punk/darkwave night organizer and concert promoter.
Some places or events you can take place in are:
World Goth Daywhich is on the 22nd May of every year.
Whitby Goth Weekendwhich is a bi-annual festival held in Whitby.
Wave-Gotik-Treffenwhich is the biggest "dark" festival in the world, held in Leipzig, Germany.
Numerous clubs goth/alternative clubsin the U.S and Europe. , Educating people is one of the most important parts of being goth.
Without knowledge of the background, history and what really makes someone goth, you can't pass down the legacy.
When an elder goth spoke, you listened.
And it wasn't out of respect, it was because you were genuinely interested in what they had to say.These days, people have been taking goth values and what makes goth "goth" and throwing them out the window, claiming "anything can be goth" and "I don't have to listen to goth music to be goth" when that's what the subculture was originally about. -
Step 2: Research.
-
Step 3: Listen to Goth music.
-
Step 4: Listen to Goth genres.
-
Step 5: Dress in Goth fashion.
-
Step 6: Make up.
-
Step 7: Attend Goth concerts
-
Step 8: festivals or bars/clubs.
-
Step 9: Inspire and educate.
Detailed Guide
Any other reason is wrong.
People don't spend time developing themselves into an entire subculture if it's not who they are.
Goth isn't just a label you can lightly apply to yourself; but comes with certain traditions, aspects and customs that should be respected.
After all, something has got to make you "goth". , Research is very important when trying to learn about something.
Not understanding the background / history / root of the subculture you claim to be part of is the very definition of a poseur, as well as someone who isn't being themselves.
You want to make sure you get the right information, so that means looking at proper reliable sources like books such as:
Gothic Charm School by Jillian Venters Goth:
Identity, Style and Subculture by Paul Hodkinson Goth:
Undead Subculture by Lauren M.E Goth:
The Design, Art and Fashion of a Dark Subculture by Chris Roberts, Hywel Livingstone, Emma Baxter-Wright Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace:
The Worldwide Compendium of Post Punk and Goth in the 1980s by Andi Harriman and Marloes Bontje , Goth, down to its core, is a music based subculture and a Goth is a fan of Goth rock.
Every Goth should know who Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure and The Sisters of Mercy are.
You can look for their albums on YouTube, Spotify or even Bandcamp (if they're more underground/known) and decide if you like their music.
Music is a very important aspect of the subculture, so if you don't like Goth music then Goth culture is probably not for you.
You can dress Goth, but it will not make you Goth, but Gothic, instead.
Some other Goth bands are.
The March Violets Ikon Frank The Baptist Fields of the Nephilim The Mission UK Killing Joke Southern Death Cult (The Cult) Sex Gang Children Christian Death Alien Sex Fiend 45 Grave Clan of Xymox Dead Can Dance Specimen , As a goth, you don't only have to listen to goth rock.
You can listen to anything you want (as long as your music taste primarily consists of goth rock and similar genres) but there are other genres that are considered to be "goth" as well.
Goth rock is the main one, but some others are:
Punk Rock Post Punk Darkwave (Goth rock with more synths) Deathrock Neo-classical Darkwave New wave , Goths dressed like their idols and the idea was to use inspiration, but to never to directly copy.
Fans have emulated their idols fashions in all subcultures and goth is no different.
Common goth garments are fishnets (sometimes ripped, layered and in different colours than just black), leather jackets (which were usually DIY-ed with favourite bands), winklepickers/pointed shoes, corsets, gloves, silver jewellery and garments in velvet, lace and fishnet.
Bands like Bauhaus, Specimen, Dave Vanian and Robert Smith from The Cure inspired male fashion trends whereas Siouxsie Sioux and Patricia Morrison inspired female ones., Hair is always important to the shocking goth look, but mohawks and death hawks were avoided until the days of The Batcave, where they returned, usually black, crimped or teased.
Jonny Slut from Specimen fronted this style.
Patricia Morrison inspired girls to have long black hair for girls who weren't into the short punk look, and Siouxsie Sioux motivated them to tease it to uttermost heights.
While the stereotype is that all goths have black hair, the original goths experimented with any colours they could find.
Platinum blonde, other shocking colours and later, hair extensions, were common too.
This means any usual or wacky colour you like, you can have.
If you're not comfortable with changing your hair too much, dye it and tease it.
This is a very basic goth look., Goth makeup is very recognisable, with Siouxsie Sioux's trademark Cleopatra eyes complete with thick, pointed and triangular eyebrows.
If you were not into that style, you can also have high arched and thin eyebrows like Morticia Addams or for men, flared and stroked upward like what Daniel Ash was famous for wearing.
Colours used were electric blue, purples and metallics.
Purple eyeshadow was used as contour under the cheekbones to emphasize them and give them the "undead" look.
Black and red lipstick, and red nails were common too.
Don't be afraid to experiment with different colours, because goth make up was never about copying the artists directly., Since the Batcave has closed, Goths found other ways to celebrate their subculture.
Living in cities means there's more chance of finding a Goth scene, or at least a dark scene.
Try and get involved and helping it out by keeping it alive.
Some suggestions are becoming a DJ, musician, Goth/post-punk/darkwave night organizer and concert promoter.
Some places or events you can take place in are:
World Goth Daywhich is on the 22nd May of every year.
Whitby Goth Weekendwhich is a bi-annual festival held in Whitby.
Wave-Gotik-Treffenwhich is the biggest "dark" festival in the world, held in Leipzig, Germany.
Numerous clubs goth/alternative clubsin the U.S and Europe. , Educating people is one of the most important parts of being goth.
Without knowledge of the background, history and what really makes someone goth, you can't pass down the legacy.
When an elder goth spoke, you listened.
And it wasn't out of respect, it was because you were genuinely interested in what they had to say.These days, people have been taking goth values and what makes goth "goth" and throwing them out the window, claiming "anything can be goth" and "I don't have to listen to goth music to be goth" when that's what the subculture was originally about.
About the Author
Isabella Palmer
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in cooking and beyond.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: