Why do you dress like that? Wasn't Halloween last month? What's wrong with you? Such common questions, and all stem from the single biggest curiosity about gothic lifestyle: What is being Goth all about?
Well, the best source to check is probably -- other goths! Here are the musings of folks over on the forums of Goth Blog regarding the subject.
Being goth is not about fashion. It's about how you live your life and how you view life. It's appreciating the beauty in the darkness. Laughing at dark humor. It's NOT about wearing all black, painting your face white, and being depressed. If you want to paint your nails, do it. If you don't want to, then don't. You also sound like you think you have to wear white makeup and black eyeliner to be goth. Just so you know, you don't have to be pale as fuck to be goth. It's mainly just a personal preference. Personally I like being pale, but I know goths who are tan or have naturally dark skin. Bottom line is be who you want to be and fuck what everyone else thinks of you. As long as you are true to yourself and dress in things that you like, you can't go wrong.
Goth is so difficult to define. But what it means to me: enjoying the darker side of life, dark humor, appreciation of darker side of things in general.
To me, Goth is about freedom from convention, and an embrace of the intellect, literature and art, as individual as there are people who embrace it.
To me Goth is a state of mind, its somthing your born with. maybe you don't know it til you get older, but it is somthiogn you do not grow out of, its not a phase. we are artistic, free thinking people, who look at the darker side of life and laugh. Alot of adult goths end up in jobs where their allowed to be somewhat creative and be themselves, IT guys, engeneers, businessmen, artists. when i went on the cruise i met goths who had jobs i never could have imagined. and enjoyed listening to how they incorporated goth into their work and daily lives. No matter wher ei go in my life i will always be goth. its not all doom and gloom, its not all black. but those are parts of it too. so is music, art, books, goth has its hands everywhere. Anyways so thats what Goth is to me..whats it to you?
To me Goth is not only fashion or choice. You have people who make themselves goth and those who are natural goths. the ones that try to be goth are either trying to rebel against their parents or are trying to be something they are niot. you either are or you arnt. It's finding that instead of being afriad of dark things it's embracing them. for me, goth lets me live outside expectations of my family and teacher's and set my own expectations for myself.
Those who refuse to stray from death and gloom because they are so "goth" or they can't be happy because they are "goth as fuck", aren't really goth. That's not what being goth is about. Unfortunately there are a lot of douche bags out there giving goths a bad name.
Goth is someone who finds beauty in dark places.
i agree with pretty much every body on "goth is" because honestly I dont think there is a wrong answer... I believe it is being understand to everyone or trying to be at least... goth is who are are and what you do and every part of you... or maybe thats just me if so would not be the first time