Life Stages of a Goth - Moving into Adulthood

A blog or two ago I wrote about my young friend Aquamarine when she was a Babybat.  She’s 26 now and she moved on from her Babybat stage quite a few years ago. She has a job, friends and responsibilities, and during the week the only traces of her gothic life are a pentagram around her neck, (hidden under her top), and a blue tint in her dyed black hair.

She constantly listens to gothic music, although now and then a bit of nostalgic 90’s pop creeps in. Gothic literature and films adorn her bookcases and her fascination with death and all things mystical has endured.

She wears black tops and trousers to work and saves her gothic dresses and corsets for the weekend. Her style combines romantic goth, a bit of cyber goth and a touch of steampunk at the moment, but it is a constantly evolving thing.

Aquamarine has never ‘grown out’ of her Gothic-ness.

So why is it that some people just dip their toes into Gothdom as a teenager and then move onto the next thing, others stick with it for a while until something else distracts them, while a percentage of people embrace Gothdom as a permanent lifestyle?

An article by Dr Paul Hodgkinson sheds light on the sociological reasons why some people continue to live life as a Goth, well beyond what could be described as a ‘phase’.  His study explains that Goths tend to have a ‘positive view’ of academic achievement and don’t require people to be anti-education. This means that Gothdom doesn’t have to be sacrificed for a career.

His study also concluded that being drawn to gothic music, having an interest in the ‘dark side of life’ and having a personality predisposed to ‘angst’, are characteristics that some people already have.

Does this make them more likely to become a Goth?

It’s the whole chicken and egg scenario. Which comes first, being a Goth or being interested in gothic things?

I must admit that the time and effort it takes to become knowledgeable about gothic literature and music, to build a fine gothicwardrobe and to learn about the different sub cultures, is not something to be taken lightly.

In my opinion, Gothdom is so fascinating and there are so many different elements to it, that it can take a lifetime to absorb it all.

I’ve turned my gothic lifestyle into a business and Aquamarine has found a way to balance being a goth and fitting in at work. How do you incorporate your gothic interests into your adult life? Share your story by submitting a comment.

Steampunk - what is it?

"Steampunk is what happens when goths discover brown." - Jess Nevins

Steampunk brings together romance, technology, the Victorian era (the steam) and rebellion (the punk). Its origins are in 19th century science fiction literature and authors like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne whose novels were set in Victorian England but revolved around futuristic machines from other worlds, like in War of the Worlds, or machines that transported people to fantastical places, like in Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

The modern term 'steampunk' is said to have been created by K.W. Jeter in 1987 in this citation:

"Personally I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Power, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of that era; like 'steam-punks' perhaps." (1987, K.W. Jeter in Locus, Apr. 57/2).

Modern steampunk began as a subculture of cyberpunk but has developed into a culture of its own, with modern examples of steampunk literature and media being seen in the works of Philip Pullman, the TV show Warehouse 13 and the comic series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Steampunk's popularity grew thanks to a panel held in 2012 at Stan Lee's (Marvel co-creator) Comikaze Expo. The title of the panel discussion was Steampunk 'Super'-Culture: Symbiosis Between Various Subcultures and Fandoms. The panel concluded that steampunk was becoming a super culture because of its inclusion, diversity and incorporation of other subcultures such as romantic goth, neo-Victorianism, and cyberpunk. A further panel discussion was held in July 2013 called Steampunk as a SUPER-culture: A Symbiosis between various Fandoms and Subcultures. Steampunk was embedding itself firmly within Gothdom.

Steampunk fashion has few rules and makes use of; gowns, corsets, petticoats, bustles, vests, top hats, jackets, coats, trousers, parasols, gas masks, goggles, spats, military outfits, monocles, timepieces, cogs, wheels, gears, ray guns, compasses, space helmets, canes and much, much more - whew!!

Anything that can be put together to create clothing, jewellery and accessories with a Victorian, futuristic, industrial, steam-inspired appearance can be called steampunk. Styles range from the subtle to the outrageous and even modern accessories such as mobile phones can be given a Victorian appearance - see Warehouse 13 for inspiration.

The largest European steampunk event is Weekend at the Asylum which has been held in Lincoln, England every September since 2009. The event is hosted by the Victorian Steampunk Society, a not for profit organisation which promotes steampunk as a genre, a community and an art form.

In January 2013 IBM conducted a sentiment analysis of more than half a million posts on message boards, blogs and social media and news sites. The results predicted that steampunk will 'conquer the earth' by going mainstream in the next two years. The analysis predicted that the style will move from high cost production to low cost, mass production. The high street has already started to anticipate the growing popularity, with Japan, in particular embracing the steampunk themed Lolita and Aristrocrat styles.

The Victorian Steampunk Society says, in their 2011 update of their article What is Steampunk?, that the steampunk community is made up of people with a strong DIY ethic who value craftsmanship, sustainability and durability. I imagine they will be feeling somewhat concerned about IBM's analysis of the future of steampunk. 

The article includes a quote from a global group that attempted to define steampunk:

"Steampunk is a creative social movement that draws inspiration from Victorian and pre-war history in an anachronistic mix of science fiction, modern values and a sense of fun."

The society stresses that this not a definition of steampunk as it is a personal thing that should be defined by the individual, but they say it is 'a fine place to start'.

Life Stages of a Goth – Babybat – The Beginning

Aquamarine is a 26 year old who looks like a Goth, talks like a Goth, has the interests of a Goth, knows an awful lot about all things Gothic and has a room that shouts Goth from all its four corners. She doesn’t call herself a Goth because she is on a journey and won’t label herself as she feels that will place limits where there don’t need to be any.

This blog is about the birth of a Goth and will be part of a series exploring what a journey through one person’s Gothic life is like. Why am I starting in middle? Well, because Aquamarine’s view of herself has changed dramatically from when she was a young teenage Babybat and first developed an interest in living a Gothic lifestyle. In those first years, as an emerging explorer of alternative ways of being other than what was considered ‘normal’, she was adamant that she was a Goth. Her reluctance to label herself now shows her maturity and her acceptance that Gothic elements are a part of her life, not the whole of it.

People come to Gothdom for different reasons. In Aquamarine’s case it was in response to a constant feeling of being an outsider. At school she was like a koi carp in a tank full of goldfish. She never quite fit in and could never quite understand the social rules that teenagers seemed to automatically know. Being a Goth offered her a way to celebrate her difference and stick two fingers up to the society that, in her opinion, rejected her.

The first sign of her new lifestyle came when her wardrobe turned black. As a new Babybat (young Goth up to 21ish), she completely rejected any colour and dressed from head to toe in black all day, every day. Then she found purple and black and stuck to that for a few years. She studiously read everything she could find about Gothic style and experimented with make-up, jewellery and other accessories. She was romantic and lacy Goth one day and punk Goth the next. Her eyes were heavy with the blackest eyeliner one day and not the next and her lips were either black or blue. A lot of the time she looked like she’d gone a week without sleep and someone had smacked her in the mouth.

Aquamarine has always been a pale girl but she bought the whitest make-up she could find and plastered it on until her face was drained of all colour. One day she put her make-up on in the middle of summer without realising that she actually had a bit of a tan. The line around her neck made her more clown than Goth but it wasn’t long before she learned how to apply her make-up properly and started to look dark and mysterious as a good Goth should.

She carried bags in the shape of bats, coffins and skulls and she collected any jewellery and accessories that had even a hint of Gothic imagery or symbolism on them. She found Iron Maiden and My Chemical Romance but she still liked Eminem, 911 and Blue. She was relentless in her hunt for all things Gothic and she devoured movies and books with Gothic themes while also watching Disney cartoons and Malcolm in the Middle. It wasn’t long before she found anime and became an ardent fan.

My point in relating Aquamarine’s story is to highlight that at the beginning, many Babybats, Baby Goths, Gothlings, whatever you want to call them, have a similar tale about why they found Gothdom. Either their rejection of the community around them or a perception of being rejected by that community often makes Gothdom an attractive alternative, a way to opt out of a world they don’t feel a part of. Many new Babybats will explore and experiment with different subcultures and with the different elements of Gothdom until they find their place within it.  Aquamarine’s tendency for overkill in the beginning is quite common.

For some new Babybats, being a ‘Goth’ will end up being a passing phase but for others it will be the first step on a lifelong journey, as it was for Aquamarine.

The reasons people are attracted to Gothdom are myriad. Children’s literature and movies are peppered with the Gothic themes of supernatural beings, dark and scary happenings, good and evil, forlorn love and overwhelming emotion. Puberty is an emotional time so it’s not surprising that Gothdom is attractive to this age group. Harry Potter, the Spiderwick Chronicles, The Addams Family, The Nightmare before Christmas, Batman and Snow White, are all children’s books and films that have Gothic elements.

Aquamarine went on to adopt being ‘Goth’ as part of her overall lifestyle but the way she wears ‘Gothic’ has changed. It is now a part of her but not the whole part of her. The next part of her story will be told in my next blog ‘Life Stages of a Goth – Adult Goths’.

I'd love to hear how you became a Babybat - leave a comment and tell me your story!

Romantic Gothic Clothing Guide

“This style relies on traditional 18^th and 19^th century clothing for its inspiration and closely ties in to the 80’s New Romantic movement.” Andrew Fereday

The Romantic Gothic style worn today has its origins in Victorian and Edwardian mourning clothing. This style of Gothic clothing also incorporates the cloaks, waistcoats, long gowns with sleeve extensions and swashbuckling pirate shirts from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. 

The style is dark but elegant and captures the romance, poetry and tragedy of the gothic novel s that were popular in the Romantic period from 1790-1830 and during the Victorian era.

The fabrics tend to be brocades, velvet, silk and satin with frills and overlays of black lace for women and leather look, cotton, velvet and satin for men. Romantic Goth style usually has a foundation of black but often, this is expressed in black lace over a colour or as a black background with coloured patterning. There is an emphasis on strong colours with ‘blood’ red and purple being favourites for all Gothic styles, including the romantic style.

Romantic Gothic clothing for women imitates the Victorian or Edwardian staples of corsets, bustles, fascinators, hats and gloves. This style sometimes incorporates brown, green or gold as well as the standard red and purple. Brown and gold were introduced in recent years with the "Steampunk" theme which is based on the age of discovery in the early 20th century. Sometimes the fascinator or hat may have a fuchsia pink or shocking blue flower to add a dash of colour. Mix and match hats, fascinators, corsets and skirts to create a multitude of different looks to suit your mood.Another style for women harks back to the Medieval or Renaissance period. This style relies heavily on cloaks and long, simply styled flowing gowns with tight sleeves, sometimes with sleeve "extensions" of lace. These sleeves can have two or three pieces ending in a point and can be as much as thirty six inches long. 

Today cloaks are usually worn for rituals or circle work and less often in the street but they are an important element in the Romantic Goth’s wardrobe. The main aim for this style is to recreate an atmosphere of castles, abbeys and epic battles with supernatural forces.

Romantic Gothic men don’t tend to have the range of choices that women have but they do have the swashbuckling pirate, the Victorian gent or the Medieval or Renaissance poet as the foundations to build their unique persona on.

The swashbuckling pirate with his frilled poet’s shirts and waistcoats, belts, buckles and boots is a popular choice. The shirts can be dark colours or white and often have frills, ruffles or ties. The trousers are usually tight and leather, leather look, denim or cotton.

The Victorian gent can be recreated with a tight fitting shirt in black, purple, red or white, tailored velvet or brocade jacket with tails or a long frock coat or great coat. Top this off with a top hat and complete the look with drainpipe trousers in denim, leather, velvet, or cotton. It’s a good idea to invest in second hand suits and waistcoats, the older the better, which can be adapted or mixed and matched with other elements to create a unique look.

Medieval and Renaissance styles for men also use the poet’s shirt as a foundation. In this style the shirt is paired with a brocade waistcoat or long sleeveless coat and tunic pants. Belts, buckles and big black boots complete this look.So now you have the basics of a Romantic Gothic wardrobe and you understand a bit about where the styles come from. The main thing to remember is that being Goth is about being uniquely you, so use these suggestions to create a wardrobe that expresses who YOU are.

What's your Romantic Goth style advice to this blog - please leave a comment.