There's always pastel goths
this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2026
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Funny you should ask that, I was just trawling around looking for memes to post on !gothindustrial@lemmy.world and came across this classic image:
It's from like 2007 but still got a lot of truth. See here for a breakdown of the various "stereotypes" of goth types by the same artist, many of which do not involve monochrome: https://www.deviantart.com/trellia/gallery/25271332/goth-stereo-types
If you check out pics from last summer's Wave Gotik Treffen, you'll notice that yeah, black is the baseline but it's not exclusive: https://piefed.social/post/883617
As for your question "why?" idk but wikipedia says:
The anchor that holds all elements of dark culture together can be viewed as the color black with all its associated symbolism. It is seen as an expression of seriousness, darkness and mysticism, but also of hopelessness and emptiness, melancholy, as well as its association with mourning and death.[2][6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_culture
But a lot of tradgoths will say you don't have to dress or act any certain way to be "goth", you just gotta enjoy the music. idk tho, I'm more into industrial!
Yup, the original look was individual expression and rebellion. Treating it as a uniform or mandatory style is antithetical. Dress as black as your soul, or just wear T-shirt and jeans. It shouldn't impact your cred. And if it does then your trying to join an adjacent clique. Or someone just aping the style above all else.
This is a great answer. I appreciate you taking the time to explain clearly, link references and fish up the image. This is something I really knew nothing about and am legit amazed. Thank you so much!
(Assuming you are/were a goth) May I ask what makes darkness really appealing to you? I mean I guess we all enjoy some darkness and I've had my dark times so I can understand a bit but umm... Could be wrong but I feel like darkness speaks to those who have a lot of anger or sadness somewhere. Does that make sense?
I also have the preconceived notion that goth culture has to do with rebellion / reappropriation of ostracism / exile / Thanos aka desire for death / ~~Demon worship?~~ and similar drives. Does this sound right to you? How would you put it?
Just trying to understand how the world looks like for a goth.
"goth" means different things to different people. sorry, I'd write more but I'm comin down with a cold or something.
Just trying to understand how the world looks like for a goth.
ok how about this:
That actually helps a lot. thanks and hope you get better soon.
check out additional info here: https://lemmy.world/post/41612178
i feel a bit exposed now, but interesting replies. thanks.
oops sorry, I removed your username from there. for what it's worth, !gothindustrial@lemmy.world has a smaller audience than !asklemmy@lemmy.world.
Yeah I noticed and appreciate it very much!
How do scene kids relate to this image? Descend from emo?
Lol for cyber goth
bro doesn't even know about bubblegum goths, lmao
Or rainbow.
Or visi.
Now you're just fucking with me
I am but also those are both real things
Or high-visi goth. That narrow selection of cybergoths plastered with retro reflectors.
THIS NINJA
IS SNEAKING
There's no way that's a thing
Let's not discard my Cybergoth phase. I had plenty of colours, as long as they were neon
You can't just go around in life cosplaying cyberpunk 2077 or mortal kombat outside some kind of nerd convention willy nilly. We live in society. There are rules.
Cybergoths predate Cyberpunk 2077 by like 25-30 years
I had no idea they were from 2047-2052
Yes, one of the rules is to never confuse Cyberpunk with Cybergoth. It's mildly acceptable to conflate it with gravers (Goth Ravers), but not if you want to make friends.
We live in society. There are rules.
Nobody has more rules than hyper niche cliques. If your locks had foam, you were very clearly deeply wrong about the actual deep meaning of whatever we imagined ourselves to be about and you're doing everything wrong.
You might be hard pressed to find any cybergoths in the wild, though looking at current fashion, maybe I should dig up some stuff.
This is fascinating, confusing and somewhat concerning all at the same time. How can someone be a goth raver? Is bipolar disorder required? If so, are they taking in new members?
Yeah I've also seen the gatekeeping and purity tests that come with these tribal arrangements in all of their variations. This is such common issue for me that at some point I had to make a gif about
the role people sometimes assume.
I don't think I've seen any in the wild, at least based on what I saw come up in a few searches. They look like fascinating life forms though. I wonder if they're nocturnal or just crepuscular and what their feeding habits are. Nature truly is a marvelous thing.
Thanks for the fun reply. Just maybe stay away from glow sticks for a while if you don't want to relapse.
You might be hard pressed to find any cybergoths in the wild,
There are still meetups at festivals like Amphi and WGT, see here for various links: https://piefed.social/search?q=cybergoths+Amphi&community=1277&language=0&search_for=posts
tho yeah, I don't think people dress cybergoth on the daily unless they're an influencer or something.
@pudutr0n@lemmy.world
I just watched the first video and this is nothing like what I could conceive a goth festival would be like.
Cybergoth is one style outta many, most larger festivals have many different styles represented, so it's not all like that.
Joke comments aside, just because we use black a lot doesn't mean we don't use other colors. A fashionable goth can style just about anything.
Just uhh don't look in my closet, behind the skeletons
Umm... What are you... nvm.
Also, are we not going to address your username being in gothic font? (don't curse me pls)
Blue is one of the harder colors. Blood reds, royal purples, toxic greens, pumpkin oranges no sweat. But blue seems a bit less common as a heavy accent color.
One of NYC's most prominent goth DJs is all blue. Dude's a bit of an asshole though
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That's because they peaked in the first couple of centuries AD, color wasn't invented until way later
Black goes with everything. But as @Sergio@piefed.social mentioned there's usually a bit more to it. Solid black is still boring. Functional but boring. Traditionally I'd say we're a bit more two tone. Black is often the base. But you'll generally see accents or a pop of color in there. Blood red crimsons, deep royal purples, shades of green and pumpkin orange are very common. Even if its just laces or a few tchotchkes here and there.
An there is a newer sub culture now literally called pastel goth heh. Not to mention those that glow in the dark.
Stop theres often red involved!
ok ok... Schindler's list then
It's similar to the weeping angels, but they lose their color (rather than mobility) when observed.
I like how you think.
Colors distract from the suffering.
With a splash of pink/red/purple.
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