Gothic lifestyle evolved as a sub culture after the punk movement. Therefore their lifestyle attributes to extremism in terms of fashion, music, art and thoughts. The following aspects prove why the Gothic lifestyle should be considered as a sub culture.
Individuals who follow the Gothic culture have their own definitions for lifestyle. Unusual fashions are adopted by the youngster to stand out from the normal society. They prefer to lead a solitary life and often wish to create a shock for other people with their unique lifestyle. Gothic lifestyle adheres to a unique form of music, art and literature that stands out it in ts own way. Fashion is also extreme in the Gothic lifestyle. Followers of Gothic lifestyle use unusually dark colored clothing, weird hairstyles, body piercing and the like. The attitude of Goths is non violent, passive and tolerant. Many Goths are often seen depressed and withdrawn. People turn to the Gothic Culture for reasons like feeling estranged, tough times at school and the lifestyle serves as a way to express their real feelings. Provoking and strange topics are chosen by the Goths as the theme for music. They mainly concentrate on social evils, racism and war. The Goths have a different outlook about life. They see beauty in every aspect of life, like life, pain and death. They enjoy role-playing games. Goths are interested in reading the works of Tolstoy, Dante, Byron and in composing music and painting (The Goth culture, 2008).
The Goth Lifestyle had its beginning during the punk movement in the 1970s. The Goths were separated from the punk movement by youths from financially secure and highly literate families. Punk was seen as a way of protest against the boring and indifferent life of their parents. The Goths created their own subculture, as they could not accept the extravagant and extroverted lifestyle of the Punks. Their lifestyle was aesthetically rebellious. The Gothic culture has achieved a revival during the mid nineties even though there was a downtrend during the eighties. The subculture was commercialized and this was considered threatening for the families as their get together were called family gatherings. The Wave Gotik Treffan is the biggest event organized by the Gothic subculture every year in Leipzeg, Germany (Goth – a Lifestyle Choice, 2000).
The Gothic culture is considered to be evil and satanic. But now a Goth’s life is considered obscure, stunning and quixotic. It is not compulsive that a Goth should or should believe in God. There are many interesting features about the Goths. The first notable aspect is their clothing. A Goth is supposed to wear extremely dark colored cloths or antique ones. Black is the most preferable color of this lifestyle. The culture requires dress to indicate that the person is a Goth. Even black nail polish is used by the Goths. Death also has much to do in the life of these people. The lifestyle requires the skin to look pale and therefore their dressing and make up is adjusted to make the skin seem pale. The jewelery of Goths is heavily metallic. Body piercing is a common practice among the Goths. The Gothic ideology celebrates pain as a matter of good feeling (Your Guide to a Gothic Lifestyle!). The Goth subculture as a whole is much related to music. The Goth music is very close to the heart of its followers. It is an expression of individuality of the Goths. The Goth music ranges from rock to synthesized tunes and mystical overtones and Gregorian chant. The lyrics of the Goth music focus on death, wine, sex, black or red roses, blood and other supernatural forces like demons, vampires, witches and a few angels also. They follow a lifestyle that is comfortable and natural to them. Some Goths are wannabes whereas the real Goths respect fellow Goths. Goths just drift into the different moods of life as a matter of their lifestyle (Goth – a Lifestyle Choice, 2000).
The Gothic culture can be considered as a subculture since it has taken several lifestyle concepts from the punk movement. This is indicated by their reaction to boring talk, suffering the pain, inanity and madness shown to the world. The evils, sins and pain of the society are a matter of beauty to the Goths. Goths believe that anything horrible can be enjoyed if viewed through an artistic perspective. They also argue that the factors that frighten people are the most beautiful aspects of life. Pain and death are considered to be the most exciting and interesting events in a Goths life. It is not a desire to die but it is the acceptance of death as a consequence of life.
They get drunk in their inner darkness rather than suppressing their real feelings. The crosses are worn upside down by the Goths because that would imply Satan even if the wearer were not a follower of Satanism. There is no preset model of being a Goth. Every Goth has a different opinion but the common aspect is their sense of independence and liberty (Goth – a Lifestyle Choice, 2000)
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