Teen Gothic

I just got invited to a "goth baddies assemble" group on Instagram and the contents sickened me. What I didn't show here that was also in the chat was clip art of sexual acts. All from the people you see in the screenshots. It was disgusting to see, and infuriating. The constant fetishization of the subculture pisses me off on a daily damn occurrence. I reported the chat itself and the people, but I of course doubt that IG will even do a damn thing. I felt the need, amidst my agitation lmao, to come to reddit to vent about it and use it as an opportunity for discussion on how you as individuals feel about this constant issue and what you do to prevail over this and any experiences you've had related to being sexualized and objectified without your consent, when just trying to exist and mind your business.

(And if any of yall feel the desire to seek out that scum and mass report them, that would just be sweet, sweet justice 🤭 but that's just a bonus lol)

What are people's opinions about taking people who aren't in the scene to spots within the scene? Normally, I didn't care, especially because I don't have a lot of friends who are into goth and alt scenes like me. So the more the merrier. But I've come to realize I think a lot of them treat it as some kind of oddity to be gawked at or like it's just some kind of amusing spectacle.

Normally, I also didn't care that much for this since I understand everyone has different tastes and aren't going to be into this sort of thing. But I had an interaction today that left me pretty offended because I'm starting to get the impression that they don't respect this stuff.

What happened is that one of my friends wanted to bring her "normie" friends to Bar Sinister in LA (I don't really like the term "normie" but you probably get the impression), and she invited me since I like going to these spots. Apparently, Aurelio Voltaire is going to be there for a show. I let her know just in casual conversation. I wasn't saying we need to attend the show or anything. But I described the type of music he does, and she responded, "that seems low key cringe."

This comment got me super heated tbh because Voltaire was super influential in defining my taste and aesthetic when I was a kid growing up. I even have two signed vinyls of his lol. And to hear my friend just dismiss it so bluntly felt like her just dismissing a lot of myself. I took a lot of offense to it because it really came off as if she doesn't respect the culture. Though I definitely know not everyone in the scene is into Dark Cabaret and that kind of style. But that's different because it comes from people in the scene, not someone else just dismissing parts of the culture outright. And looking back at some of her and other people's comments, I definitely have reinterpreted them like I described above when it came to the overall music and aesthic.

In some fairness, Bar Sinister definitely leans into some of the "spectacle" of the goth aesthetic, and it got pretty mainstream leaving mixed opinions of it by some people in the LA goth scene. But it still plays good music so I like it still, and the event throwers actively supports the goth/alt scene here.

But now I'm like, if you don't even really like the music and are treating dressing up for it as almost dressing up for Halloween, why are you going? It's kind of insulting to me since this is a core part of my identity. Idk. I'll calm down a bit but I'm still heated by her comment before.

Anyone have experiences with this? Differing opinions? Thoughts?

I always wondered this ever since I started to get into the goth scene. As a black goth, I get called shit like whitewashed, wanna-be white, school shooter, satan worshipper, etc. Plus, I go to a catholic school so the insults are like times ten. Some of my aunties even call me "fast" for wearing black & red (idek why…)

I wanted to know what was the goth experience like for a POC during 70s to 90s, maybe even the 2000s (even though the 2000s really isn't that old). I'm curious lol.

Just like the title says. I'm a baby bat, black, and I wanna get deeper into goth culture. My dad discourages it since the goth style is for "white people' since there's not a lot of black goths especially where I live :(does anyone have any experiences? I'd love to know!

Exactly as the title says! I’m someone who’s both goth and religious (Catholic) and I’m curious about other religious people’s experiences, both of being religious in goth spaces and being goth in religious spaces. I’ve always found being simultaneously religious and involved in subculture to be a really unique experience because there’s an expectation that the two are mutually exclusive and when you’re both that breaks a lot of stereotypes that both outsiders and many people within those groups hold. My experience is ultimately my own though and I’m incredibly curious as to what other goths from all different backgrounds and faiths think and feel. This could also be a good place to ask (respectful) questions and try to build a bit of mutual understanding between each other.

If you read this far, thank you for giving your time! Have a nice day 🙂

I would love to see how others reacted when you introduced your friends and families to our scene of music. I’ve been lucky enough to have people in my life who are open minded to new experiences even if it’s outside of the comfort zone. I’ve invited my people, including my parents, to clubs, shows and other alternative/goth ventures. Lots of them really enjoyed the experiences and have come back for more, started listening to some of the bands. Some of the things they have said are along the lines of “I thought y’all listened to screaming music” and “I didn’t know goths like to get down” lol it’s always a good time to share our subculture with those who are only aware of it through it’s often faux representation in forms of media.

Hi all!

I am writing my Master’s thesis for the University of Amsterdam, and my topic is about the relationship between gender and subculture. In order for me to gather data to analyse this, I’m conducting a survey targeted at members of some subcultures, and I thought it would be a good idea to look at some Reddit communities.

Here you can find the link to my survey. It only takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, and I need at least 100 responses by June so that I can receive my Master’s diploma. It would be such an amazing help if you could give me your insight into your experience within this community and of course, any feedback on the survey itself is more than welcome. You can contact me through Reddit itself or through my email (which you can find in the survey).

Finally, if you could take the time and send it to some other goths that you know, that would be amazing. The more responses I get, the better I can represent the community!

Thank you so much in advance, I’m very excited to find out about your stories.

I’m doing a project for school and I wanted some real people’s experiences on being treated in public as a goth person. For example, I have been called a freak in public and have had nasty comments like “it’s not Halloween yet!” shouted at me. I want to spread knowledge about the gothic subculture and part of it is sharing the experiences we go through by just expressing ourselves. Please feel free to share if you’re comfortable!

Edit: if you do dress gothic