Some of us don’t mind if our Goth looks have solidified or we have developed a favorite go-to Goth look. Personally speaking, a black tee and black jeans over block heels with hair tied up and black lipstick with shades is my go-to Goth look.
However, there does come stagnation at a certain point and some of us just want to experiment. A lot of people complain about how they don’t know how to switch their looks up because there is way much restriction on how Goth looks.
We think that the mindset that we are not allowed to experiment a lot is the biggest problem in the community. We are, in fact, a real diverse community drawing our influence largely from anything that comes under the umbrella of unconventional.
First off, the biggest misconception is that whatever it should be, it should largely be black or should have dominant black tones. No! you don’t need to cater to the black whatever if you don’t want to. It is alright to switch yourself up in colors and still maintain the Goth vibe through one or the other ways of boots, makeup or anything that seems like a marker worthy of Goth vibes.
Don’t be afraid to use flashy colors as well. If real life demands you to wear a purple dress with like.. heels, choose to wear typical high black heels or suit yourself with steampunk boots and maybe throw in a steampunk goggles.
You don’t need to go full steampunk. Fusion is a thing and is appreciated by a lot of people. we understand that if you do run a platform, you might be a little conservative to try on colors because the Goth community is built that way. We respond very quickly if we think that something isn’t up to the mark.
However, we also know a lot of Goth bloggers who have moved across experimenting and using different colors and are still seen as Goth. Do your research and go ahead.
You can also use culture to draw references. We draw a lot of references from the tribal traditions, the witch community, or the Satanic community. You can also draw references from your own original ethnic community if you please so. However, make sure that you don’t culturally appropriate the theme. You are to explore and represent, not homogenize. Also, be open to experimenting. We have discovered that black lipstick goes with glitter eye shadow really well or that black eye shadows and nude shades look really heavenly.
Also, don’t be scared to put out neons. What we are trying to say is that nothing can stop you if you are up to research and follow your intuition (yes! you heard it). You don’t have to be restrictive of what you choose to wear just because you label yourself as a Goth. There is a performative aspect of being a Goth but you are an individual first and you need to explore that too.
