How to Know if You Are a True Goth: 10 Steps (with Pictures) (2024)

1. 1

   Determine whether or not you're a poseur. It's not uncommon for you to be trying too hard, but if you want to be honest with yourself, you need to answer this question: Am I trying to be something I'm not? If you want to fit in with a certain crowd, impress people or draw attention to yourself, you're only lying to yourself, and you may end up losing the true you. It's okay to like goth fashion and not be a Goth, and it's okay to listen to the music and not be Goth. If you're forcing yourself to act a certain way or trying too hard to be something you truly aren't, then just stop, because when you lie to yourself, it is incredibly clear to others. If you simply admire certain aspects of the subculture, try just merging them in with your own style.

2. 2

   Get away from the stereotypes. Throughout the nearly 50 years that the goth subculture has established, numerous stereotypes, misconceptions, and misinformation has surfaced through mainstream media. There are the inside jokes and stereotypes like drinking black coffee, smoking clove cigarettes, and the love for absinthe for the goth community, and then the negative stereotypes that those outside the goth community believe. These include the commonly incorrect beliefs that:

   • All Goths wear black all the time. Traditional goths did typically tend to wear all black outfits, but as the subculture has grown off-shoots and outgrowths such as romantic goth, deathrock, and the deathrock revival, different types of colours have been added into the style. Romantic goth typically includes reds and purples, whereas deathrock revival fashion has included white, purple, even bright colours such as pinks and yellows.
   • All Goths are depressed and suicidal. This is probably the most outrageously untrue of all the stereotypes. Black can mean different things in every culture, including expressing "depression" which is simply not true. The dark atmosphere of goths comes from the rebellion of the original goths against the bright disco scene of the 70s.
   • Goths are into drugs, alcohol and sleeping around. This again, is completely untrue. Although of course, some Goths may be reckless, this all depends on your own personality, not whether you're Goth or not. Goths are as intelligent as anyone else.
   • Goths worship Satan or evil spirits: This is one of the reasons people wrongly assume Goths are "freaks". The vast majority of the time this is not true. There are many goths who are Atheist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan (who don't believe in Satan)... Just be yourself and believe, or not believe, in what you want to.
3. 3

   Evaluate your music taste. At core, goth is a music based subculture so in order to consider yourself goth, your music taste must contain goth music. A subculture must have aspects, traditions, and characteristics which make it what it is and a common ground for all the people who consider themselves as part of that label. Much like the metalhead subculture, goth is also based around music.

   • Goth music genres include post-punk goth rock, second wave goth rock, darkwave, deathrock, coldwave, and ethereal wave.
   • There are also goth-friendly music genres that a lot of goths listen to, but don't come from goth itself. This includes EBM (electronic body music), industrial (fans of industrial are called Rivetheads), and some metal genres.
   • Some people think that by saying "goths listen to goth music" means that goths can ONLY listen to goth music which isn't true. Just as long as you listen to goth music, you can be considered goth, it does not matter what else you listen to.
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   Do more research into the goth genres, and discover your favourite sound.

   • Post-punk goth rock are bands such as Bauhaus, Sex Gang Children, Southern Death Cult, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and any other band which transition from post-punk into the darker flavour of goth rock. These are considered the original and classic goth artists, and the ones most commonly mentioned when asking for goth band recommendations.
   • Second wave goth rock is when The Sisters of Mercy arrived on the scene. Instead of that post-punk minimalistic guitar sound, it has been replaced by a nearly hard rock-goth sound. Bands include The Merry Thoughts, Dreamtime, Star Industry, The Mission, Nosferatu, Fields of the Nephilim, etc.
   • Darkwave, a genre which used to be synonymous with goth rock until bands started taking advantage of the drum machines and extra synths. Bands that are generally considered darkwave are Clan of Xymox, Switchblade Symphony, Black Tape For a Blue Girl, Diva Destruction, etc.
   • Deathrock, originating on the West Coast of the U.S, deathrock is a more horror and atmospheric version of punk. When deathrock bands started to become popular, and tour, they were then able to come over and directly influence the UK goth scene. Some deathrock bands include 45 Grave, Christian Death, Bloody Dead and Sexy, Alien Sex Fiend, Kommunity FK, etc.
   • Coldwave originated from France and Belgium in the 70s, and in 1977 Siouxsie and the Banshees described their music as "cold, machine-like and passionate at the same time." Some notable coldwave bands include Marquis de Sade, Asylum Party, and Twilight Ritual.
   • Ethereal wave is an outgrowth of darkwave, often described as "otherworldly", "gothic" and "gothic" which is most commonly represented by the UK 4AD. Notable ethereal wave bands include early guitar driven Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, and This Mortal Coil.
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   Consider your clothing style. Fashion has always been part of the subculture, but it is almost secondary to the music as the music is the core of the subculture. Contradictory to belief, goth fashion came from the original goth musicians opposed to period clothing like Victorian and Edwardian. Goth fashion was popularised and defined by the likes of Peter Murphy, Dave Vanian, Siouxsie Sioux, Patricia Morrison, Specimen/Jonny slu*t and Robert Smith. Typical goth fashion and accessories include:

   • Fishnet tights over arms, usually ripped and shredded, popularised by Peter Murphy^[1][2]
   • Winklepickers^[3], spiked heels, pointy-toe lace-ups, shiny thigh high boots or Doc Martens^[4]
   • Silver jewellery such as silver skulls, human skeletons and bats or religious imagery like crosses made into chunky rings, brooches and necklaces.^[5]
   • Facial piercings such as eyebrow rings, tongue bars, lip rings, and earrings were commonly worn with black coloured bars and studs.^[6]
   • Layered belts which included metal rings and chains, decorated with spider or bone clips
   • Striped stockings and tights^[7]
   • Garments in leather, PVC, lace, velvet or silk
   • Painted leather jackets, sporting logos of favourite bands
   • Nail polish, popular in colours such as black and red.^[8][9]
6. 6

   Look after your hair. Goth hair also has a certain look, and there are a variety of different styles you could go for depending on your taste.

   • During the Batcave days, Siouxsie Sioux inspired girls to back comb their hair to uttermost heights and Patricia Morrison of The Sisters of Mercy influenced others to leave their hair long and black.^[10]
   • Bauhaus, Robert Smith of The Cure, Specimen and Dave Vanian all influenced men's fashion and Jonny slu*t, keyboardist of Specimen became the face of the band due to his elaborate style and huge, backcombed and hairsprayed death hawk.^[11]
   • However, you don't need to do anything too extreme everyday. If you prefer to have it long and black, perhaps choppy, you can. There aren't any rules on hair, but goth does have its style. If you're interested in having a certain style you can look up tutorials on YouTube.

   See Also

   Goth vs Emo: What's The Difference?Style | LoveToKnowRomantic GothEmo vs Goth
7. 7

   Check your makeup. Like the fashion, goth makeup is also based off how the goth musicians used to wear it. Some examples are:

   • Egyptian / Cleopatra inspired eye makeup, much like how Siouxsie Sioux wore hers or solid blocks of blue, purple or metallic eyeshadow.
   • Deathbrows, popularised by Daniel Ash. They were drawn on in black and then flared upwards, don't be afraid to experiment with eyeliner and eyeshadow while drawing "deathbrows".
   • Female eyebrows were either thin and high arched like Morticia Addams or pointed, triangular and thick like Siouxsie Sioux.^[12] If you don't necessarily like the style you don't have to wear it; create your own version, but a lot of fans of the music dressed like this because they were influenced by their idols.
8. 8

   Get into the local goth scene and participate in goth festivals, nightclubs, and concerts. If you can, of course. Meet new people in your scene and hear stories from when the elders were around. Festivals like Whitby Goth Weekend and Wave Gotik Treffen can help you become immersed in the subculture, and can help you become more comfortable dressing the way you dress and the way you present yourself.

   • World Goth Day is the 22nd May.
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   Discover new goth bands, and support your local scene. This includes going to their concerts, buying their CDs or even purchasing them online from Soundclick or Bandcamp. Sales help new goth musicians write, produce, and release new music which helps the scene continue its legacy. This is how the goth scene continues, and has continued to grow over the years.

   • Check out goth/dark alternative radio stations such as Nightbreedrado.com, deathrockradio.com, Dark Asylum, etc.
   • Check out your favourite goth bands profiles on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and check for updates on upcoming albums, tours, etc.
10. 10

    Go thrifting and prepare some DIY. In the original scene, goths did not have complete stores to shop at. They had their creativity and what they found in local thrift stores to work with, meaning there was no "set" goth style (although it ended up looking similar in the end). As punk is DIY, that means goth is too, and will always be a big part of it. Start experimenting with clothes yourself, and make sure they are cheap enough so that if you mess up, you aren't too bothered about it. There are several goth DIY tutorials on YouTube and on blogs to follow if you have no ideas. Meanwhile, some simple tips include:

    • Buy or paint patches of your favourite band/anything from Etsy.com and eBay and sew them onto your jacket/garment of clothing.
    • Buy or make your own goth band/logo pins and do the same to them as you did with the patches.
    • Learn how to make jewellery, you can even sell it and begin your own business.
    • Cut up old clothes with patterns on and stitch patches onto clothes. Tartan or leopard print patches look great against black jackets.
    • Buy some safety pins and get creative with them, use them to pin jackets together or simply make patterns on your clothes.
    • Bleach clothes to create permanent patterns in them.

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Expert Q&A

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• Remember to be true to yourself. You don't have to prove anything to anyone.

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• Don't feel pressured to wear goth fashion all the time, even most original goths only wore it when they were going out for the night opposed to casually everyday.

  See Also

  How to Look Emo: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

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• Remember goth and Gothic are two different things. Gothic refers to 12th century French architecture and a 18th century literature style whereas goth refers to members of the modern day post-punk scene.

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• Being different than the rest of the crowd will potentially make you a target for bullying. But remember this is never your fault, being a Goth doesn't hurt anybody and you are not responsible for the actions of other people. Never be afraid to seek legal help if you are discriminated against, and never be afraid to call the police if you are the victim of a crime.

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• If you're very young, or a baby Goth, you may face being called a poseur, even by other Goths. If so, stick it through and believe in yourself. Goths are simply tired of others trying too hard and treating their style with disrespect and stereotypes, but if you know that you're being true to yourself, other people's opinions don't matter.

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• Following the goth trend doesn't make you a Goth, especially if you are following the 90s mall goth trend or only listening to bands that are seen as goth by the public, but are actually metal (some metal genres that are sometimes seen as "goth" are nu-metal, symphonic metal, black metal, death metal, metalcore etc).

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Co-authors: 67

Updated: April 4, 2022

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