Definition of Gothic

What is Gothic? click image for Gothic avatars
Goth is a contemporary subculture prevalent in many countries around the globe.
It began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre
The goth subculture is remarkable for its longevity compared with others of the same era.
Its imagery and cultural proclivities show influences from nineteenth century Gothic literature,
mainly by way of horror movies (particularly cinematic depictions of vampires).
The goth subculture has associated tastes in music and fashion.
Gothic music encompasses a number of different styles.
Common to all is a tendency towards a “dark” sound. Styles of dress within the subculture range from death rock,
punk, Victorian, androgyny, some Renaissance style clothes,
combinations of the above, and/or lots of black attire, makeup and hair.
Throughout the evolution of the goth subculture,
familiarity with gothic literature became a significant for many goths.
Poe, Lovecraft, Shelley, Dante and the other heralding names became just as symbolic of the subculture
as dressing all in black, wearing the hair dramatically stylized and dyed black,
adorning oneself with dark jewelry and body art,and carrying around a decorated tin lunchbox,
like many other music based subcultures, goths have faced differing levels of social intolerance due mostly to
outward stylistic appearances
Social intolerance ranges from looks of indignation and verbal taunts to physical violence.
A preoccupation with themes of death, romance, the supernatural, darkness, the archaic,
and the generally macabre have occasionally raised public concerns regarding the emotional well-being of,
mainly,young goths and general fears of cultic indoctrination.
Though some goths gravitate toward workplaces that allow a great deal of personal expression,
or simply do not care what employees look like others work in the corporate sector where certain dresscodes are enforced.
They usually add a gothic twist to their ensembles; some would say they wear corporate gothwear,
which satisfies gothic tastes in fashion without alienating more mainstream and conservative co-workers,
as well as keeping with management policies.
Corporate gothwear varies based on individual taste, though a David Bowie influence is often prevalent, as well as
1920s through 1960s styles examples include, but are not limited to, a black pinstripe suit and burgundy shirt for men
and a black turtleneck and skirt or suit with silver jewelry for women
A recent study by Sussex University suggests that goths are likely to grow up to be doctors,
lawyers or architects,and that goths are usually intelligent, refined and sensitive, and keen on poetry and books

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