Looking Goth

Okay, so there are probably some Goths somewhere that have been told that they don't look Goth because they don't have pale skin, black hair, black eyes, black clothes, a black heart, black blood, a black brain, a black kidney, a black soul . . . . Or maybe I'm alone in this. Somehow, though, I doubt that. No, really, I do.

Back when I was still going to SPHS (which was just last year--as in 2011, not the eighth grade), I sat in the very back in my English 1 class, next to another boy. He and I had gotten along okay for the past few days, but people had finally started to notice that I wore at least two things that were black every day. This boy heard some certain rumors, but he wanted to ask me personally, I suppose.

"Are you Goth?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look Goth. Do the other Goths call you 'Goth'?"

"Some probably wouldn't, but I think most would."

"So you cut yourself a lot?"

"No, emos are more prone to do that, actually." (NOTE:  I am not saying that Goths can't.)

"I didn't know there was a difference."

Well, that was the conversation, basically. We talked a few times after that (I know, I wasn't accused of murdering a toddler! *GASP*), but he never asked what Goth was, and I never really bothered to explain it to him. I didn't think that there was too much that I would be able to do that would convince him otherwise that I am a Goth, even though I don't cut myself and have black hair.

There was another instance where a kind girl in the twelfth grade told me that she was pretty darn sure that if I was really a Goth, I would wear nothing but black, have black hair--well, have the list that I made in the first paragraph of this post. I did try to explain it to her, but she just nodded in that way when you know people aren't really listening to what you have to say. I gave up on trying to convince her and left her believing that I was a wannabe.

Now. I'm sure that really everyone has been told that they're not a Goth for some reason or another, but at this time, I'm focusing on the reason being because we don't look it, not because we're not depressed and don't write horrible poetry and practice self-harm. Sometime or another, though, I probably will get to the other side of being told that we Goths aren't really Goths.

If I had to guess, I think that the Ice Goths would probably be the most recognizable targets for these types of accusations, and then maybe Ghost Goths, then Casual Goths, and then Perky Goths (please keep in mind that there is a vast number of "types" of Goths, many of which are different from the next and I don't know all of them). The Ice and Ghost Goths wear a lot of white, we Casual Goths wear simple clothing, and Perky Goths wear a lot of pink and purple. I don't think there's much wrong with any of that, but . . . .

There are people in the world who don't agree with me (*cough*logic*cough*), both in and out of our lovely subculture. If I had to guess--and it's hard for me to say anything about this with confidence, because Perseus and I are the only Goths in this part of Mississippi that I know of--I would say that you're more likely to be told that you're not Goth by someone who has no idea what in the world Goth really is, rather than be told the same thing by a black-clad forty-year-old elitist (like I said, I'm not saying that it doesn't happen). So when the redneck in Wal-Mart tells you that you aren't a Goth because you're not crying, maybe you should just ignore him.

Or, better yet, tell him to leave you alone in a very threatening way.

On the other hand, if you're being told that you're not a "real Goth" by someone who was in the first generation, then it might hurt your pride a bit. You could choose to ignore them, or you could try to explain to them that you love Bauhaus and The Sisters of Mercy and all of those olden bands--your call. It might not be a wonderful idea to name any of the newest bands, since a lot of older Goths are moaning that the scene is dead.

I, for one, am not about to go out and buy corsets and stockings just because I have been told that I don't look Goth, and I hope that anyone who is reading this doesn't do it just because someone told them that they don't look Goth. If you're doing it for that . . . maybe this subculture isn't for you.

ENTER: Anastasia

Listening to:  "Another Brick in the Wall, Part Three" by Pink Floyd

Hello there, everyone. How are we today?

I myself am doing pretty good. Neutral, I suppose you could say. This is my first post (yet again), and I hope that I actually stick with this blog. Y'know, for once. Basically, this is just a really quick introduction to yours truly and nothing more. After this, I might do a few more posts to introduce y'all to some other people who may (or may not) appear in this blog. I'm sure that they will . . . heh. Perseus especially, since I'm attempting to lead him into the Goth subculture. It's nearly a case of "the blind guide the blind", though, because I'm a Baby Bat (yes, I capitalize my Goth types -- what? I want to!) myself. But at least I have the world's greatest blog to guide me through things, so just about every time he comes over I shove it in his face . . . .

BUT, before I go on a long-winded explanation of my buddies, I might want to write what this post was intentionally made for:  an introduction to the blogger.

Vocab lesson anyone?

Goth - (1) a music-based subculture; (2) a person who follows a type of music.
Baby Bat - a person who is new to the Goth scene.
Goth types - there are many different "types" of Goths. Like the Ice Goth, for example. An Ice Goth is simply a Goth who wears large portions of white as an alternative to black. And you've also got the Perky Goth, which, to an extent, could be considered more of a mood rather than a type -- thought I don't agree.
Casual Goth - a Goth who dresses very, very casual. You could even say that my style hasn't changed that much since I switched from the "unnoticeable quiet girl" to the "unnoticeable quiet girl who now wears quite a bit of black" a few months ago.
goth - though many people don't capitalize the word "Goth", I do it in a different way. If I say, "They're goth," then I'm actually saying "They're a Mall Goth."
Mall Goth - a person who is sadly misinformed about our subculture and believe that they have to sacrifice virgins on the full moon to be a REAL Goth. Okay okay, that's just a bit exaggerated, but you get the point. I think? Wait, let me reword that:  they fall victim to the godforsaken stereotypes! Yeah, I think that's better.
Emo - this is a completely different subculture from Goth, and I must say that I don't know nearly as much about it as I do my own. However, I will say this, for the fashion:  most of the time, you can identify an Emo if they wear skinny jeans, Converse, lots of bracelets and/or long sleeves, and have bangs that cover one eye.
emo - scroll back up there to the goth definition and sort of apply it to this one. When I say someone is emo rather than Emo, I'm saying that they probably think that Goth and Emo are the exact same thing, think that they have to cut themselves to be Emo . . . yeah that sorta thing.
Christian - a person of the Christian religion who actually lives by the laws of our God (ya know, that stuff about PEACE and LOVE for ALL).
christian - a person who, while may be Christian, need to learn some things. I'm not saying that I know everything in the world -- far from it! -- but I at least know that just because someone is different is no need to target them relentlessly.

Okay, so there's going to be a test later on (I'm just kidding . . . OR AM I?!).

Now, a few things about me.

I am a Christian. I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I believe that it's a relationship, not just a religion. I believe that Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead to save us all. And I believe that He loves each and everyone of us.

I am a Christian, and I don't hate homosexuals/bisexuals/transsexuals/etc.

I am a non-homophobic Christian who is highly interested in things that are before my time . . . like the best band that has ever walked the face of the Earth, Pink Floyd, (yes, I said it; my favorite band isn't a Goth band. So bite me) perhaps? Yes, exactly! I can particularly connect with the album The Wall . . . .

I am a non-homophobic Christian Floydian who is a Baby Bat still exploring the scene. It was only earlier this year when one of my old classmates started asking me if I was Goth. And -- hush, Anastasia! Your testimony comes later.

I am a non-homophobic Christian Floydian Goth who is probably long-since insane. But that's just me.

You know the name up there:  Anastasia? That's not my real name. I strongly dislike my real name for personal reasons that I doubt I am going to cover in this blog. So I'm trying to get Perseus to start calling me Anastasia. Why? I like the meaning of it. What's the meaning? Read the title above:  "she who will rise again". It's inspirational.

I am now in like the eleventh week of high school. Big whoop. What's the big deal? There's not much of a difference between it and middle school from what I can see. But then again, I transferred schools; that may have a lot to do with it. You never know.


Wanna hear some anti-stereotypes?

Question number one:  Are you in a cult of any kind? What's your religion?
Well, I've already answered this, but I'll say it again:  I am a Christian. At heart, non-denominated, but technically Baptist. Not something I'm very proud -- and that's not to say that I don't like Baptists! It's just that I don't want to conform (heh ^_^') to any denomination. No, not necessarily just because I'm a Goth (well, it is because of that but . . . wait . . . sigh. We Goths aren't a big fan of conformity, okay? There.), but also because in the Bible it says, "There are many ministries but only one God."

Question number two:  Do you have a hit list?
A little boy once asked me something like this on a bus ride home after asking me if I was Gothic. For a split second there I thought about saying, "Yeah, and you're on it!", but decided not to. Instead I just told them that I didn't.

I have never thought about killing anyone, let's make that clear. I do enjoy books (Harry Potter, anyone?) and a few movies with murder scenes in them, but never ever have I thought about actually killing someone.

Generally, Goths are peaceful. Very sarcastic and snarky, but mostly okay. Most aren't bullies at your local school. Most aren't murderers. Most aren't the ultimate antagonists of the entire novel you're reading. And most will never kill anyone.

Question number three:  Do you have a diary, and if so, do you write a bunch of angsty crap in it?
Umm . . . wellll . . . yes. And yes. I do have a journal, and I do write a bunch of angsty crap in it. But, as a HUMAN BEING, I have a right too. I wrote the same stuff even before I became interested in the Goth subculture. It's not about me not being able to get any dudes to notice me. It's not about me slicing my wrist in half (and no, I an not a cutter). It's about my own personal problems. Everyone has them, you know.


Question number four:  Do you write poetry?
Not a lot, no. I don't consider myself to be that much of a poet. I'm more of a story-teller, preferably fantasy, but some fiction.


Question number five:  Are you in love with Marilyn Manson?
No. The man is not Goth. He does shock rock. And furthermore . . . the only song I can think of that I've heard by him is "This Is Halloween". Which I honestly don't like. It's a little too repetitive for me.

Question number six:  Are you fixated on death?
Nope. I do not wear black because I love the idea of killing and/or suicide. I do not wear black because I am depressed. I do not wear black because I hate the world. I wear black because I love black. I love this fashion.


Question number seven:  You're an attention-seeker, aren't you?
No. A lot of people don't even realize that I'm Goth, and when they either ask or I say it, they can't believe it. It's because I'm a Casual Goth, I think.


Question number eight:  Are you in love with anyone? If not, have you ever been, or do you think you ever will?
What I am going to say may present some problems, but I assure you that my answer is completely different from other people. Like these two people who you may recognize:

Ah, famous Perky Goths from that show . . . what's it called . . . The Amazing Race, right?
Source:  Google Images

These two underwent a bit of pain on their own and became infamous "celebrities".
Source:  Google Images

So your answer . . . well . . . Goths can and do fall in love. But I myself am not in love, nor have I have ever been. I'm fourteen. Most people don't fall in love at this age, you know?

Question number nine:  What's your sexuality?
My sexuality is heterosexual. However, that does not mean that I hate any others!


Question number ten:  *Snickers* Are you a vampire?
No. And, to a small extent, that cliche really does get on my nerves. I'm not that into vampires as much as some of my peers are. Though they definitely are cool.


One (unfortunate) thing about me is that I have no way to buy clothes from any Goth store. As far as I know, there aren't any joints or clubs in my area, nor are there any shops. Buying things from the 'Net is out of the option, to, because my parents simply don't want me to do things like that. Money's tight, see. But one of these days . . . .

But, regardless of any lack of favorable clothing stores, I do wear clothes. From Goodys. Or Goodies. Or whatever that shop is. And Walmart. And where ever else I can buy things.

I've been in Hot Topic, but I've never bought anything from it. If I see a BVB shirt there, though, I'll probably buy it. Black Veil Brides isn't Goth, but I love that band!

Down below's a crappy picture of me. I don't actually have a camera, but I'll pull some strings in order to get one. In other words, rob my parents.

Listening to:  "The Trial" by Pink Floyd