Teen Gothic

I will preface this by saying this was a disagreement on tiktok which sounds so silly and i realize this.

Anyways, this girl posted a makeup look with dark eyeshadow and eyeliner and she put “#gothic” as one of the hashtags. People were grilling her in the comments saying this wasn’t goth, she didn’t look goth, etc. and I personally felt that was wrong. I commented and shared how goth is a music based subculture and that as long as you love the music, know the ideals and history of this subculture, you are goth! The makeup and fashion is just a plus. And I went on to say how there are plenty of folks who are goths and do not look the part (me included most of the time, thanks Covid)

And someone argued with me saying that goths follow a certain aesthetic and the one she’s dressed as is not it. And I said that I understand that but I think there should be more room for individual expression because the typical goth aesthetic is not one size fits all. And then they shot back at me saying things such as “well you can’t wear lip gloss and pink and be considered goth, etc” and I just am wondering where this whole mindset is coming from?

It was really giving off “you don’t look goth enough if you aren’t wearing x/y/z” vibes which I think could give baby bats a bad taste when first entering the subculture. Why can’t we wear pink and lip gloss and still be goths? I ended the argument with a respectful exit but I’m curious what you guys think. I personally think that since the core foundation of goth is music, it shouldn’t matter what you look like. But this is simply my opinion and any other thoughts are welcome! No opinion is wrong, we all have our points of view and I accepted hers with grace even if I disagreed

I also apologize if this is not the right space, please remove if need be!!