Sexts
Oh and goths have a reputation for being mean and stuck up because a majority of you are? I wouldn't say this before, but after what I've experienced with goths I must say it put me way off ever wanting to call myself goth again. I don't even really like to call myself pastel goth - as in all honesty the name is a trouble causer. Perhaps if you were all a little more relaxed this wouldn't be a problem, a "subculture" would not damage you in any way. Also there have been other styles with the word goth in that have gone unmentioned. How about cyber goth, bubble goth and gothic lolita? These are not traditional goth styles but have somehow been accepted or unnoticed. I get that a bunch of hipsters are clinging to the fashion right now, and I understand how that can be unappealing but a lot of girls do take the fashion seriously. I just wish the whole feud would go away. I also wish the "bad" side of pastel goth would disappear, they are the ones who really caused the trouble.
Gothic lolita is a type of lolita, not goth. We're discussing western forms of goth. There are different rules to follow for lolita, and a lot of goths don't consider Gothlic lolita a type of western goth because it has different rules and doesn't have a style or form of music to follow (as far as I'm aware). Just as there is a type of "gothic Visual kei", I forget what it's actually called, that is also not considered a type of goth. They are something else and should be discussed separately.
Bubble goth was started by a musician called Kerli. The media gave her the name, she even admits to this, but she decided to run with it anyway. She is also heavily influenced by Asian styles and most of her outfits and show-wear is DIY. There is a culture that surrounds Kerli, called "Moonchild", with the three gems or dots on her face indicating those in the "culture". I enjoy her music, but I don't consider her, or her music, goth in the slightest. Some of her outfits may have a slight gothy-feel, but that's about it. There is nothing constant about her that I'd consider goth.
Cyber goth is an established and recognized part of western goth culture, this has not been argued. I just don't really think of it because it's not one of my favorite styles. A lot of goths don't like it for several reasons, but for me, it just doesn't appeal to me much. Not my flavor.
It is true that goths have a bad reputation, but it's an old reputation that refuses to die because it was established so long ago, and reinforced by the media and early goths. Most of them were angry, were different, and tried to establish themselves as different. They were used to being picked on and attacked, and with that comes some animosity toward the world. The elitism in goth comes from the fact that they want to keep it their own, not just anyone should be able to wear dark clothes, rat up their hair, and call themselves "goth" just because they're having a bad day, or what to do it for the fashion aspect of it. It's a bit of an insult to those who've based a lifestyle around it. That's where the frustration comes from, that's where the "wanting to keep it pure" comes from. I don't see a problem with it, so long as that frustration and anger is channeled properly and not just lashed out at any innocent bystander or unknowing newbie who just hasn't had that right guidance.
Current goths, elder and younger, are trying to change the current attitude by not being stuck up jerks anymore, by proving that goth does not reinforce negative behavior like drug use and self-harm, which is why the emo trend also reflected badly on goth, at least somewhat. People saw anyone with even the slightest bit of a darker style, and immediately called them emo because that was the only think they recognized as a dark style. I once corrected someone "No, I'm a goth actually." and they had NO idea what I was talking about. This person was my age, perhaps a bit older, so it wasn't like they hadn't been around long enough to not be exposed to older styles, but the fact that goth wasn't even considered in the judging process was a bit disheartening. Goth has been around much longer than emo, emo actually stole a lot of it's styling after what we've come to call the "mopey goth" sub-style, and it will continue to live on long after emo finally dies out. It's just a matter of time. Notice how they're only called "emo kids", and not "emo twenty-somethings" or "emo adults"? Because emo is basically a high school style. Once the school days are over, you either get over it or move into a better dark style, like a type of goth. Emo has become the new "starter goth" rather than big Tripp pants "mall goth", like it was in my school days.
To be perfectly blunt, I don't understand how people are not understanding why goths are upset with the nu- and pastel-goth trends. I think I've done a good job explaining at least why I'm upset about it, but no one seems to be understanding. What they wear doesn't necessarily affect my life negatively directly, this is true, but they DO reflect negatively on my subculture as a whole. Just the same as badly tattooed and pierced people don't necessarily reflect badly on me personally, they DO reflect badly on my modified community as a whole. They are not doing anything to improve the image of goth at all, they are dragging it down further while the rest of us fight so hard to try to bring it back up. This goes beyond fashion choices anymore, it's an attitude thing. They are not "better goths" because they're newer on the trendy aspect of it. They are not "truer goths" because they're meaner and more hipster influenced. They accuse other forms of goth as being "outdated or not-genuine" and that infuriates me. Clothes are superficial and can be changed at the drop of a hat, it's harder to change perceptions and personalities, and that's at the core of what we're trying to do: Preserve our fashions, preserve our image, and preserve our culture. Nu- and pastel-goths are basically shitting on 40 some odd years of established culture just because they refuse to acknowledge, study, and appreciate the history and they're only in it for the "fashion".
You have to earn your right to call yourself a goth. Nu- and pastel have not done this yet, so no, I do not and probably never will consider it a type of goth. They stole the name, shat on it, and are not upset that established goths don't like them? I wonder why.
