I bet there will be some people who will toss around the term ''elitist'' at me now (I'm not even going to go into the misuse of that word), but if I am considered ''elitist'' by saying this, I'm fine with that.
We need someone to say that ''No, your my little ponies aren't goth just because you're a goth''.
If everything is goth, goth is nothing.
It has evolved and expanded like everything does, and of course we all have outside interests. But goth culture means a lot to many of us, and it shouldn't be watered down by external things.
People can like whatever they want, it doesn't take away your precious goth points or whatever!
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Everyone spends most of their first 25 years in life discovering who they are. Some find out sooner, some find out later. It's not always we are exposed to something that makes us feel at home from the get-go. It's totally fine! I think I really got into goth rock and all that at around age 16. I had spent the 3 years prior delving into darker and harder music, and found goth through metal / industrial. It was great to finally find out where I fit in - Somewhere inbetween. But would I change my course? No. Everything you have done in life has given you experiences to make you the person you are today. There is no need to say you have been goth for so and so long or kids to say they aren't baby bats because they liked to dress up as a witch or vampire since they were 4. Goth is so much more than that, so don't over-simplify it like that. It's no wonder that the mainstream media misuses the label! Everyone wants to be a special snowflake, but it just seems like kids today are trying too hard to be accepted. I'll get more into that further down in this post.
Goth is just a label that summarizes your interests and hobbies into a quick little package. I use it as a quick way of summarizing what music I listen to, what books I read, how I look, what I find appealing and so on. I didn't actually start using it until more recently, as the internet made it explode, pretty much. I still feel kind of weird saying I'm goth. But I am, and it's a big part of my life, so the word gets tossed in there when I / others describe me.
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Let me also mention that you definitely don't have to label yourself! You can definitely be into goth culture, but still not label yourself as such. There are several people who do this, and some (including me) joke that this is the ultimate stage of gothness; throwing away the label. Goth icons like Andrew Eldritch, Peter Murphy, Robert Smith and Siouxsie Sioux have all denied that they're goths. Funny though, they all contributed to create and define the music genre and subculture.
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Another thing I see a lot is younger kids thinking they have to ''pick a style'' and stick to it. I'm sure everyone has seen Trellia AKA Megan Balanck's illustrations of goth stereotypes. Us who have been around for a few years know that it's just a joke - Come on, we're goths! We can be so cliché that it's impossible not to laugh at ourselves sometimes. And that's what newcomers need to learn. Stereotypes are stereotypes - Not some sort of goal checklist. Being a goth is about being different and being your own person, so why would you ever do what everyone else is doing? It makes no sense to me. I know kids just want to find a group to belong in, but if you aren't yourself and try too hard, that won't happen. Your teenage years are meant to be the years where you find yourselves, and you will fuck up, it will be hard, and you will definitely cringe only a couple of years later. That's how it's supposed to be! But hopefully you could listen to my advice. Relax, and fuck what everyone else thinks. But respect your elders though (goths and others)! We were there once too, you know. We're not trying to yell at you or anything, we have just learned from years of experience.
An addition to that: Don't overlabel yourself. Oh, you don't fit a certain stereotype? So you make up your own. I get it, you're that special. But honestly, it seems like people are trying WAY too hard when they come up with these mash-up special snowflake labels. So don't do it, cause what's the point? Do you HAVE to put everything you do and like into a box? I think it ruins the individuality, once it is given a name. This goes hand in hand with what I said at the beginning of the post, because it usually incorporates some element outside of goth culture. You are allowed to like different things! You are an individual, and there are SO many things that make you who you are. Let those things be, and stay unique.
An addition to that: Don't overlabel yourself. Oh, you don't fit a certain stereotype? So you make up your own. I get it, you're that special. But honestly, it seems like people are trying WAY too hard when they come up with these mash-up special snowflake labels. So don't do it, cause what's the point? Do you HAVE to put everything you do and like into a box? I think it ruins the individuality, once it is given a name. This goes hand in hand with what I said at the beginning of the post, because it usually incorporates some element outside of goth culture. You are allowed to like different things! You are an individual, and there are SO many things that make you who you are. Let those things be, and stay unique.
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I think that's enough for now. Finally, let me remind you that these are my opinions. Agree with it or not, take it or leave it. I don't really care, but if you at least consider it, that's great. I'm just kind of sick of seeing these misconceptions over and over again, and I really want to help the babybats of the internet! So I'm hoping (*cough* ranting *cough*) writing it all down will help at least SOME out.
If you have any questions, just ask anywhere you can find me online! I'd be happy to help.Thank you for reading, and if I helped, you're welcome, and if I pissed you off, you're also welcome.
