Gothic is not only a medieval architectural direction. Since the 80s, it is also a separate subculture that arose due to the musical direction of the same name. Followers of the subculture are famous for their love of dark topics: death, darkness, vampires and so on. This is often frightening to a simple layman, but in vain: the Gothic subculture is full of its unique beauty. What are the long-haired Goth guys in costumes of the XIX century! Let's see how men from this movement look and dress.
The Gothic Origin
The beginning of the existence of Gothic as a subculture is considered to be 1979, when the Bauhaus group released the single Bela Lugosi's Dead, dedicated to the actor Bela Lugosi, who played the role of Dracula. This track sounded in the first minutes of the Hunger movie about vampires, released in 1983. In the very first frames of the film, Bauhaus soloist Peter Murphy appeared in an image that we would now call Gothic - with eyes down and a spectacular hairstyle. At the same time, there appeared groups Joy Division, Southern Death Cult, Sex Gang Children, Specimen and others, similar in sound.
The gothic trend in music developed in a punk environment. And the followers of the subculture themselves learned a lot from the punks - the love of black, piercings, jewelry from chains. True, the Goths dressed much more elegantly than punks. Gothic gradually branched into several directions - both in music and in the style of clothing. Such musical directions as gothic rock, death rock, darkwave, gothic metal, gothic ambient appeared. Separately from them, more dynamic and sharp styles of EBM, industrial, dark electro developed. A separate style called visual key has formed in the east.
Now the representatives of the Gothic direction rather went underground, but the culture continues to live. Major gothic festivals are held around the world. In Germany, these are Wave Gothic Treffen in Leipzig and M'era Luna in Hildesheim. In the USA - Convergence, which is organized in different cities. In Poland - Castle Party, held right in the medieval fortress of Bolkow. In Finland - Lumous, taking place in the city of Tampere (by the way, it is considered the most northern Gothic festival). In Britain - Whitby Gothic Weekend, considered one of the most prestigious Gothic festivals. It is held in the city of Whitby due to the fact that it is mentioned in the novel "Dracula". Representatives of the Gothic culture also have their own holiday - World Day is ready, which is celebrated on May 22 starting in 2010.
Victorian Goths
Already by name, it becomes clear that Victorian Goths draw inspiration from the images of this era. Goth guys imitate the aristocrats of the 19th century: a three-piece suit (frock coat, trousers, vest) top hat, possibly a cane - of course, all in dark colors. Ideally, facial skin should be pale, characterizing its owner as a frequent visitor to decadence salons. Many let go of their hair (Goth guys with long curls are not uncommon at all).
Any representative of the Gothic subculture is a rare esthete and in everything strives for sophistication and elegance, and even an admirer of the Victorian era - even more so. If you meet a goth guy dressed in a tailcoat, then you should know that this is a real gentleman who knows thoroughly the rules of etiquette. And if he is not familiar with etiquette, then at least he will behave courteously, as befits an image. Most often, the interests of such people are also straight from the 19th century - poetry evenings, visits to operas and theater, receptions and balls. Yes, it’s balls - many Gothic communities from time to time organize events of this kind.
Goth vampires
Why do many goths like the image of a vampire so much? They are attracted by the deliberate detachment of these creatures, their love of darkness and nightlife, in the end, elegance - remember, did you see at least one movie of a scruffy vampire?
The style of ready-vampires is very close to the Victorian style of dressing - at least sometimes they can even be confused. The inspiration is the images of Count Dracula, the vampire Lestat from the work of Anne Rice, as well as the famous role-playing and computer game Vampire the Masquerade, which for many has become a cult. The favorite combination here is black with red, which is more typical for girls: a black dress and red lipstick are included in the standard set of lady vamps. Often there is a love of red wine and a slight irony in the direction of ordinary inhabitants.
Steampunk Goths
Steampunk is a fantasy on the theme “What if the internal combustion engine was never invented?”. Steampunk reality implies that all inventions are based on steam energy, clockworks and other bizarre technologies. Steampunk is often played in literary works, computer games, as well as in the style of clothing. The heyday of the steam engine is taken as the basis - the same Victorian era. However, unlike the Victorian goths, who try to observe historicity in their images, for steampunk goths, the effectiveness of their outfit is more important.
There are actually quite a lot of steampunk images that the Goth guys can beat: an air pilot with goggle glasses on his head, a crazy inventor whose suit is decorated with gears. Frequent accessories are a cylinder, a watch on a chain, and even a pince-nez.
Cyber goths
Gothic flirts not only with the past, but also with the future. Unlike previous branches, cybergoths look like aliens from the high-tech era. Their costumes can be made of latex, include bright neon elements. The hairstyle often contains dreadlocks made of bright Kanekalon or cyberlocks - plastic tubes woven into the hair. The music that cyber goths listen to is also different from gothic rock and other styles. These are fast dance tracks, close to the direction of industrial.
Corporate Goths
Corporate Goths are those who began to play according to the rules of the system, having turned into a full-fledged representative of society, but still remain committed to their favorite style. They can also be called "Goths on Fridays." Their everyday clothes do not go beyond the generally accepted framework, but they are ready to give out individual details in such guys and girls. Perhaps they wear exclusively black with silver jewelry or buy accessories with bats and skulls. Most likely, the music they listen to is also not among the popular ones.
Gotabilly
What if Elvis Presley was a goth? This subculture plays with a mix of rockabilly, 50s pin-up style and Gothic. For guys, this means having a short leather motorcycle jacket, a must-have hairstyle with brioli and dark glasses. Often they have large old-school tattoos. Of course, everything will be in dark colors and within the Gothic theme. By the way, girls who love the style of gotabilly are repelled by the images of Dita von Teese (the former wife of Marilyn Manson).
Old school goths
The Goths of the old school are the ones who are most capable of shocking ordinary people on the street. In the 80s, when the Gothic trend was just forming and had not yet completely broken away from punk culture, the Goths looked like punks who preferred black. They had dark Iroquois with shaved temples, and sloppy hairstyles sticking out in all directions. From here - a large number of punctures on the face, jewelry with chains, long spikes and rivets, leather jackets and torn clothes.
Worldview Features
It is a big mistake to think that the Goths only do what they think about death. Yes, dark aesthetics is close to them, but the main word in this combination is aesthetics. The Goths really appreciate the beautiful in all its incarnations - in art, literature, human appearance, in the end. They, as a rule, possess a pronounced individuality, are deeply interested in rare trends in art and fashion. No matter how strange the Goth-boys in the photo may seem to you, romance is not for them. They can charm not only with their unusual appearance, but also with a delicate taste and wide horizons.
Mature representatives of the Gothic culture do not have to shock you with their appearance in everyday life - they will choose a casual image, but not without grace. But at themed parties or festivals, they are ready to properly "come off" in everything that relates to the costume. In fact, creating a beautiful and spectacular costume is quite expensive - you need beautiful fabrics, high-quality fittings, sometimes rare details. Goths do not like to look like they were dressing in the nearest market. Wearing a black hoodie with the logo of your favorite group is characteristic only of schoolchildren.
Goth guys - models: photos
In fact, the Gothic subculture among young people is not as popular as it was 10-15 years ago. All the Goths of that time either grew up long ago and changed their style, or still remain faithful to their beloved images. Unlike our country, you can meet even over the age of 45 years old abroad. Among the young generation there are also representatives of the Gothic, who found themselves in this cultural layer.
Beautiful Goth guys can often be androgynous in appearance - the first time you can’t tell whether this is a boy or a girl. It’s very funny in social networks to watch the reaction of commentators who scatter in compliments in front of the “lady”, and then discover the truth. As a result, not a girl turns out to be a model, but a goth guy.
There is also another type, whose representatives do not seek to diminish their masculinity, but rather behave in an exquisitely refined manner, like aristocrats of the 19th century. They dress stylishly, elegantly and expensively, always look good and have a very wide range of interests. A chic black suit, tie, shirt, cufflinks, ring and necessarily a perfume - a fan of the Gothic style tries to look like a needle. It could be different: a long black cloak on the floor, rude shoes, leather trousers. You definitely cannot confuse such a guy with a girl - he looks very masculine, using the image of a sort of modern demon.
Do make-up guys goths? Photos in collections on Gothic themes show that the answer to this question can be yes or no. Rarely do any of them wear makeup in everyday life. But the festival or party is applied. Goth men can not only bring their eyes down, but also paint their nails black. Paleness can also be artificially added. A frequent element of the image is multi-colored lenses (white, red, yellow), as well as sclera lenses that cover the entire protein of the eye.
By the way, the opinion that all Goths dye their hair black is also a common misconception. Yes, the black color is loved by many, but they prefer to dress in it, and hair can be any shade. Look at the photo below: Goth guys love to use the image of the Witcher or the elven prince. Very interesting image, isn't it?
Goth Guys: Art
Gothic art is similar to illustrations for sad tales and gloomy stories. Heroes are drawn with accentuated and refined features, often in a mysterious and unfriendly atmosphere.
Such images are often very symbolic and full of signs. Popular elements of Gothic art are related to the themes of darkness, death and vampirism: skull, bat, raven, black cat, bones, crosses, blood, fangs, claws.
Colors for gothic art are muted - often this is an abundance of black, various shades of dark gray, wine red, dark blue and so on. Bright "cheerful" colors can only be used in an ironic manner.