Many youth just don’t seem to fit in with the preppy, cheer-leading crowd. The fashion, music and hobbies don’t interest them and that makes them an outsider.
But testimonies have shown that kids and teens that choose the Goth subculture gain self-confidence, self-acceptance and find friends they can relate to on a deeper level.
Researchers have been asking, “Why?”
Well…let us enlighten you.
1. They become a part of a community. And not just any community. One that accepts them however they are. We don’t judge if someone likes to dress in all black, write dark poetry but occasionally listen to the latest top 40’s music. Be who you are and we accept who you are.
2. Those that realize they are Goth (because it comes from the inside, it’s not just about outward appearance) tend to possess a greater intellectual depth. Reading Edgar Allan Poe and Sylvia Plath and understanding and relating to their plight requires an emotional and intellectual depth that a lot of youth don’t want to undertake. Therefore when they find other Dark Souls like themselves, their friendship and bond is stronger than your average teen clique.
3. The Goth subculture encourages you to accept yourself. Be who you are. We love who you are. It’s okay to love yourself! So when someone stares at you at the bus stop because of your purple hair and black dog collar, you don’t care. You can smile at them and be confident that we like who we are and what you look like. Goths have found where we fit in.
There will always be the negative types that say, “That’s not Goth, or you’re not Goth,” but in saying that, they themselves are not embodying the Goth spirit. And who died and made one person the infinite judge on what is Goth and what isn’t Goth? No one.
The true Goth community accepts anyone who doesn’t walk straight down the yellow brick road. We like unique, different and creative. We like…you.
So who wouldn’t want their teen to have self-confidence, accept themselves and have friends that understand them and are going to support them through life’s ups and downs?
Despite everything naysayers preach, Goth is good.
Kinda ironic, huh?
