Valentines Present for Lady Tester

[Mich the Tester]

What I've never understood is why subcultures develop in which everyone likes to look the same. Not very original is it?

They only look the same to people outside the subculture.

[Board Game Geek]

They only look the same to people outside the subculture.

An acute observation.

To me, a non-footballer, seeing someone in an Umbro T-shirt means they either like football, support a specific team, or whatever. I couldn't begin to tell you what the colours mean and which club they belong to.

In the same way, I guess someone who sees a "goth" just sees the black clothes.

However to me, I see the sub divisions, eg :

Trad Goth (Traditional), Cyber Goth, Rock Goth, Punk Goth, Industrial Goth, Electro Goth, Hippy Goth, Goth Lolita, Goth Chick, Goth Chic, and quite a few other sub-divisions in between. As the music finds new genres, new goth clothing, styles, jewellery, etc, emerge. Plus you can mix and match, so if you like Industrial music and also Trad, you can experiment with crossover styles as well. We're tarts, I freely admit. :-)

I'm guessing it's probably as sub-divided as footie fans can be but just in our own way. So long as they're happy, and we're happy, everyone's happy.

Someone asked me last year what "being a goth was all about". Their teenage daughter was maturing in to the scene, the clothes, the music, etc and they were worried she was going to commit suicide or something. (probably DM readers at a guess).

I tried to explain but failed miserably, as it was just too difficult to go in to the whole scene, knowing that I'd have to go in to all the sub-scenes as well, and I really didn't want to fry their brains.

I think I just said "Be thankful she's not considering being a chav. Then you can worry." (I didn't bother going in to the sub divisions of chavs either to be honest).

Some goths dress the way they do to rebel, some dress the way for group identity (plus a lot of clubs have a strict dress code), and some don't care about rebelling, they just like fancy clothes. There's no over-arching rule or regulation to be honest.

Wear what you like, to please yourself and not others, is the most common theme however.

[Incognito]

Found a pair of these in a shop in Haarlem yesterday. I think I’m going to be popular tonight. Shall rush to shop and buy them.

What is she, a farmer?

[NickFitz]

What I've never understood is why subcultures develop in which everyone likes to look the same. Not very original is it?

If they all looked different it wouldn't be a subculture, it would just be a bunch of people who don't look like each other.

But of course they do all look different within the context that defines them.

I remember an advert on the telly a few years ago when that shopping centre in Birmingham was revamped and attracted a number of shops that sold designer clothing: it portrayed several people gathering in a meeting room and, as they each hung their jackets over their chairs, surreptitiously eyeing the designer labels that were thereby revealed in each other's garments.

Apparently this was intended to make me feel that my life would not - nay, could not - be complete until I wore a jacket that made some lass get all wet at the sight of the label inside it.

All it made me think was "FFS, they're just jackets - they all look identical." But it seems that this is not the case for those who choose to spend their money on such things, and expect prospective mates to do the same. (The ad ended with a woman giving a glance of approval to a bloke with some particular label in his jacket; I wonder how much that company paid for their second of exposure being associated with that glance.)

At least Goths look different to each other, whilst still looking like Goths. Those who spend loads of money on suits that carry exclusive designer labels end up looking like people in suits.

[Pogle]

If my daughter wanted to be a goth, I'd have no problem with that, (and to be honest I don't think there would be much point in stopping her!) I was one myself once. I don't know if its right, but I always assumed that Goths were rather more intelligent than most other youth sub-cultures.
I would certainly be far more worried if she started wearing clothes with playgirl symbols on them, than DM's and black clothes.

[norrahe]

However to me, I see the sub divisions, eg :

Trad Goth (Traditional), Cyber Goth, Rock Goth, Punk Goth, Industrial Goth, Electro Goth, Hippy Goth, Goth Lolita, Goth Chick, Goth Chic, and quite a few other sub-divisions in between. As the music finds new genres, new goth clothing, styles, jewellery, etc, emerge. Plus you can mix and match, so if you like Industrial music and also Trad, you can experiment with crossover styles as well. We're tarts, I freely admit. :-)

In my day in Ireland there were just "cureheads" (before the cure sold out in '89), Goths were considered an English thing.

These days it seems to be a livestyle and culture "decision", though having been on the goth scene in London in the early '90's (really showing my age here), I may have just run into the more pretentious "look at me types", whereby it was all for attention.

Or maybe I'm just being a tad cynical......

[Mich the Tester]

What is she, a farmer?

Oooh Arrr.

No.

[Mich the Tester]

If my daughter wanted to be a goth, I'd have no problem with that, (and to be honest I don't think there would be much point in stopping her!) I was one myself once. I don't know if its right, but I always assumed that Goths were rather more intelligent than most other youth sub-cultures.
I would certainly be far more worried if she started wearing clothes with playgirl symbols on them, than DM's and black clothes.

When I was at poly in England I played rugby for a while at a second division English club; at the same time I was a rather gothy type with black dyed hair and the full black clothing rigmarole, but not really into a specific ‘subgenre’. Didn’t do the eyeliner thing either. I got a bit of ribbing at the club, and of course seeing as rugby clubs in the English midlands tend to be pretty conservative places, lots of questions like ‘are you people all suicidal’ and ‘are you all devil worshippers’, which I just laughed off. Then one weekend a bunch of assorted Goths and metalheads from the pub turned up to watch me play. Club chairman asked me in the bar after the game ‘are that lot your friends?’ ‘Yes’, I replied, hoping I wasn’t in trouble. He said ‘what a nice bunch of people, I hope they come every week; good for gate receipts and bar turnover too!’

[Bunk]

At least Goths look different to each other, whilst still looking like Goths. Those who spend loads of money on suits that carry exclusive designer labels end up looking like people in suits.

Well, yes, but I'd rather look like a person in a suit than a Goth. It's all down to personal taste.

[Mich the Tester]

It's all down to personal taste.

whs, but I'd rather not look like a person in a suit.