First and foremost, goths are individualistic, and as such there exists no universally accepted definition of what goth is, or what makes a person goth. The definition I will be supplying is by no means an elitist definition, simply my opinion on what separates me (goths) from mainstream society. Also, this is not a definition to be used to make claims that a person is, or is not, goth. My previous post introduced you to the history of the goth subculture, but what I will be introducing to you here is, from my perspective, a psychology behind it. So, what is goth? This is a question that is highly difficult to answer. It is not only complicated, but the definition varies between each goth. It would be impossible to even attempt at creating a universally accepted definition - one which would be agreed upon by each goth. Therefore, I will be offering you my perspective as a goth. Note that there are some parts where I refer to the goth subculture as a whole, please do not mistake this as meaning that I feel I'm some authority on the subject of what makes goths tick, I'm not -- I don't think anyone is.
It is unfortunate that we live in a society which often divides people for various reasons, whether by political preference, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc. I choose to divide ourselves from society, and for good reason: Society is royally screwed up. Aside from choosing to separate myself from society, I'm also social outcasts to a degree. Imagine the looks you would receive if you walked through your local shopping mall wearing predominately black clothing, black makeup, and maybe a spiked collar or a couple of spiked wristbands. Imagine what the people passing you by would be thinking. Some would see beauty, others would be disgusted, thinking you mentally disturbed in some manner. What do you think when you see someone dressed like that out in public? Do you judge them as being depressed? Looking for attention? If so, read on and discover how truly wrong you would be.
Due to the fact that we're often belittled and berated by others due to the way we look, we tend to be more receptive of others. If you're curious about the reasons why a certain person is goth, don't feel frightened by our appearance, because chances are, if you ask, we'll answer. Some of us may come off a bit snide at first, but if you genuinely make an effort to get to know us, you'll discover that we're not all that different from "normal" people. We're not the devil worshippers that are constantly depressed as mainstream society has a tendency to believe. The fact is that we laugh, smile, love, cry, and get angry just like everyone else. The difference is that where the "normal" person holds in those "negative" emotions until they're alone, or around a trusted confidant, we let ours show regardless of who's around. Yes, there are those among us who fit the stereotypes, but those "mopey" goths are extremely small in number compared to the rest of us.
Goth is more than just fashion and music for me. In my opinion what makes a person a goth has less to do with their appearance than it does with their mind. Goth is a way of thinking. To demonstrate this a bit better, take a cemetery for example. When you go to a cemetery, what do you see? Obviously you see headstones, maybe a mausoleum, grass, trees, and maybe flowers. Look deeper than that. What do you see? Well, if you took me literally, you'd see corpses, but that's not what I was getting at. If you were to walk down the aisles, looking at the ages on each gravestone, chances are you would see something that causes you sadness, and rightly so. Do you know what a goth sees?
If I were to walk into a cemetery, I would see the beautiful artwork in the gravestones, and the history. Deeper than that, I would see that death waits for nothing. It doesn't wait for you to grow old, to live a full and happy life; it doesn't wait for you to fall in love; it just comes, which for some is sooner than others. But, beyond that, there is the reminder to live, to remember that each moment of each day is a truly precious thing. Even more, I've accepted the fact that some day I will die, although the precise "when" is unknown. Goth is, for me, a "memento mori" way of life, and way of thinking.
Goth, as a whole, isn't tied to any particular religion, political preference, sexuality, or gender. If you were to poll every goth on the planet, you would find a vast array of combinations of the above things. You'll find goths who are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Pagan, or some other belief; you'll find liberal and conservative goths; gay, straight, bisexual, asexual or even pansexual goths; and you'll find male, female, and androgynous goths.
There are those out there who claim that goth has no deep, profound philosophical aspect to it; or that it isn't a lifestyle or mindset. I would say that those people are wrong. The term "lifestyle" is generally defined as "the typical way of life of an individual, group, or culture". On the individual level, goth can be more of a lifestyle than it is for the whole group. For example, some goths never leave the house without their makeup on, and perhaps a small coffin-shaped backpack to carry their cosmetics and other essentials. On the group level, it can still be considered a lifestyle -- at least as far as local scenes are concerned -- since many goths enjoy going to goth or industrial clubs, or clubs which cater to the goth/industrial scene on a given night.
In my opinion, goth is not something a person simply chooses to be, it is something you either are or are not; you can't just simply put on some black clothes, turn on some Bauhaus, and immediately become a goth. I don't mean this in the sense of it being something you're born as, although there is evidence to show that genetics does play some part in a person's personality. Usually, there is some major life event, such as the death of a loved one, or some sort of tragedy, which opens up their eyes to the darker side of life.
When I speak of the darker side of life, I'm not referring to something sinister or evil. Take the common euphemism of a person being "kept in the dark" on some secret, that is the same usage as you've seen above. Something is "in the dark" if it is hidden from view, whether it be physically, or metaphorically. Now, look at the entire range of human emotions and compare them to the amount of emotions which you see others openly express. Oftentimes people hide their fear, their sadness, anger, pain, etc. and instead opt for putting on a smile and pretending that everything is alright when they know damn well it isn't. When a goth says they live on the darker side of life, they're referring to the opposite of the status quo. We don't pretend - we won't pretend - like everything is fine if it isn't. If we smile, that smile is genuine; if we cry, our tears are genuine.
Often a way of life translates into a way of thinking. Which, in the case of the goth mindset, is simply this: our way of thinking brings about a different reaction to emotional and environmental stimuli than that of mainstream society. Whereas most people might cry at a funeral, focusing on the loss of a loved one, we're more likely to smile at the beauty of the roses, the craftsmanship of the casket or coffin, or the occasionally intricate artwork displayed on the gravestone. Some may see that smile and think we're happy that the dearly departed has died, but that's not it, at least not usually. We may be glad that the dearly departed has been released from a life that is as equally frought with pain as it is pleasure, that they are now free from this often cruel and unjust world in which we live, but that does not mean that we don't mourn the loss of loved ones. There is even more to this than just our reaction to certain emotional or environmental stimuli, it also involves the way in which we view a given subject.
We are people who look beyond the superficial. We're often intellectuals who spend a great deal of time in thought, and enjoy things that are thought provoking. Beauty exists in more than just life and love, it also exists in the grave; it can be found anywhere, if you look deep enough. Tragedy can also be found anywhere, not just in death, but in love. Consider the following quote by yours truly: "Love isn't always smiles and hugs; it is pain, heartbreak, sadness, loneliness, sorrow and despair; it is the bittersweet symphony of two souls who cannot bear to be apart. It is longing for someone so much that every moment away from that person feels like your heart is being repeatedly ripped from your chest and thrown into a blender turned on frappe. It is beautiful and hideous; it is comedy and tragedy; it is hopeful and hopeless; it is pleasure and pain. Love, in its unconditional purity, is one of the things that makes life truly worth living."
Many of us are creative in some manner, whether it be through music, drawing, painting, photography, poetry, or a myriad of other artistic endeavors. In my opinion, both as an artist and as a goth, art should be thought provoking; whether you're a painter in the style of Jackson Pollock, a poet in the style of Lord Byron or Edgar Allan Poe, or a musician, you're work should provoke some measure of thought in the viewer, reader, or listener. It doesn't have to have bright colors, a happy ending, or a catchy tune - whatever it is, it should be true to life, even if the painting is abstract, the writing is fiction or metaphor, or if the music is simply what some would consider noise.
While it is true that for some goth is simply a phase gone through in teenage years, for others it is a part of who we are. It can be said that, when it comes to those for whom it is a phase, it is driven -- at least partially -- by rebellion. This type of goth is more likely to be wearing the "uniform" for nothing more than shock value, and is unlikely to go without their makeup, even if not leaving the house for any reason. Also, they are more likely to don the stereotypical whiteface so commonly associated with the goth subculture.
For those of us who, for lack of a better term, can be classified as permanent goths -- myself, for example -- we are perfectly comfortable leaving the house without our makeup on, and we're also comfortable wearing colors other than black. The reason for this is that we realize that our appearance doesn't define us as goth, instead what defines us as goth lies beneath the skin -- beneath the superficial aesthetics: the clothing, the makeup, the jewelry -- and beneath the way that others perceive us. Despite this realization, some of us will still wear those aesthetics simply because we find them appealing. After all, the way you look shouldn't be dictated by others. Of course, there are those outside of the goth community who proclaim: "You all wear black, you all like skulls and death and blood and gore, so how the hell is it not dictated by others?"
My retort is simple: At the end of the day, regardless the decision, the decision is yours and yours alone. No one can choose what you wear, when you eat, or where you go to let off steam. Your actions are not dictated by others, they are dictated by you. When you begin to make your decisions based off of someone elses desires, or when you begin letting another person make your decisions for you, that is the true definition of conformity. The fact is that goth can be considered nonconformity[1] in the truest sense of the term, considering that not one goth, nor group of goths, has developed a single, universally accepted set of principles that defines who is, or is not, goth; nor would we.
1. Nonconformity[noun] - "refusal to conform to an established or conventional creed, rule, or practice." (Merriam-Webster)
