What Is A Goth? Goth is a subculture borne of the ashes of punk, with it's heart ripped open and lots of eyeliner on. It's dark beauty in response to the artificial brightness of society. It is an embracing of passion, of the past, a reclaiming of the darker side of life as a source of creative energy. It is about beauty, as opposed to vulgarity. Velvet, not plastic. The idea of rebellion in a context larger than that of teenagers and their parents does have some merit, however. The most pleasant theory is that proposed by Antero Alli, a Seattle artist and astrologer. He notes that goth is a healthy reaction to our sun-ruled culture, which focuses entirely on progress, modernization, happiness, and brightness. He says: "It is time to embrace the moon. The Black Moon. The Black Moon champions the feminine, the absurd, experience versus logic, and depression." He argues that depression is a natural cycle of real life and one that our culture has forgotten how to deal with. So, one explanation for the gothic subculture (and indeed all subcultures), is that they are a social arena in which people express, commodify, and interact on the basis of the inner feelings they (theoretically) have in common. Their love of dark beauty, their passion for that which is beyond the mainstream, and their dislike of beige is expressed through outward material symbols, or products. goth allures because it is beautiful. It's a way of amusing ourselves, injecting the fantastic, beautiful and macabre into the mundane world, which of course, isn't so mundane after all. Gothic motifs include all things old, particularly Victorian, but from many other eras as well. Ruination. Decay. Cemeteries. Velvet. Lace. Silver. Black. Pale skin. Ghosts. Night. The Moon. The Occult. The look is a study in contrasts--white skin, black hair, black clothing, bits of silver jewelry glinting all over. An incredible amount of time, effort and imagination goes into the way one looks. Someone once said that goths are walking, talking, self-created works of art. That's why slapping on some black lipstick and a mesh shirt from some cheesy shop is generally considered... less than admirable. Goth is about decadence, luxurious fabrics, candles, incense, and plenty of makeup. Goth is about transforming your body into a work of art, transforming your living space into a palace, and your life into a ritual. It seems extreme to many, perhaps even escapist. But that is why I love it; the transformations it involves is precisely why it isn't escapist. That's why the rebirth of goth sometimes makes me happy, even if it has been brought about in the mainstream by artists who, paradoxically enough, I abhor. But if the tide of spooky kids awakens some people's creativity and opens their minds a little bit, then it has done some good. There are way too many people satisfied with things the way they are, satisfied with an absence of power, magic, and beauty.

Written by TheDarkOne

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