Teen Gothic

I'm new to the scene, but have my own theories as to why we like the ankh – and any form of Ancient Egyptian iconography in general – so much.

First, there's the fact that Ancient Egyptians seemed to be much more lax surrounding the topic of death. There's definitely an air of openness and acceptance towards it, especially when you look at gods such as Anubis, or the entire mummification process. Canopic jars, elaborate tombs, storing away one's belongings for use in the afterlife, etc. It's a stark contrast to Western culture and our ideas surrounding death here, where there's a lot of fear and taboo attached to it. I'm guessing it's somewhat similar in Britain where Goth originates?

Second, we have the fact that Goth subculture and music is more open and accepting towards death, which can be seen in song lyrics/names, band names, album art, taking inspiration from Victorian mourning fashion, and terms like "deathrock/deathrocker".

Siouxsie Sioux drew heavy inspiration from Ancient Egyptian culture when it comes to her iconic eyeshadow look. She even dressed up as Bast, the Ancient Egyptian goddess of cats, once. Then you have Cleopatra records, which uses the Eye of Horus in their logo.

What are your thoughts? I thought this would be a fun topic to explore, and a good opportunity to learn about goth history from those more knowledgable than me. 🙂