Morbidity Married with a Strange Beauty

I would say that phrase could almost sum up the entire Gothic subculture. Though, any subculture which is thriving and possessed of life in itself the way the Gothic subculture is cannot be so easily defined. It is a rich, complicated subculture, painted over with its own brand of dark . It has its own brands of music, literature, architecture, art, and fashion, and the subculture the way it is in its present has been around for almost forty years.

"What exactly is goth?" is a difficult question to answer. You may as well ask "What is society?" I'll do my best to answer. The goth question, I mean (though I might tackled that society question later, who knows?).

It started as an artistic movement nearly 400 years ago, and then later grew out of a music movement in the late 1970's, early 1980's (which the punk group claims they started). Goth is a group of people who are different. Goth is about being yourself, being open-minded, and not being afraid to shun normal cultural practices. Goth people are usually intelligent (not that there aren't a whole heck of a lot of exceptions), and have a dark or cynical sense of humor. They're quirky; they're creative; they're crafty. DIY crafts are a cornerstone of goth, and many goths make their own clothes (or at least alter them).

What Gothic is not: It's not a cult, it's not about being violent or depressed, and it's not about getting attention. Okay, maybe it is about that for some people, but those are usually the people who grow out of it. There a lot of people who grow into it. There are no requirements for being a goth; there's no secret Gothic cabinet which makes decisions and stamps goth points of your secret goth card. It's not always flamboyant, either. Some people just wear black t-shirts with their jeans.

Suggested sites for further reading:
Gothic Charm School
A Brief Guide to Goth
Various Wikipedic Definition of Goth

Even further reading (books):
What is goth? by Voltaire
Gothic Charm School: A guide for goths and those who love them, by Jillian Venters