What makes you goth?

Paganism is rather new if we compare it to ancient Egyptian beliefs, or even older Mesopotamia.
And when it comes to goths and religion, most goths are atheists - that's a statistic. Yes, they are fascinated with the occult, paranormal etc. but they'll rather believe in Darwin's theory of evolution then in Odin.

black_magnolia wrote:

Paganism is rather new if we compare it to ancient Egyptian beliefs, or even older Mesopotamia.

Yes, true. Reconstructionist religions are barely 200 years old. The problem is that a lot of belief systems (mainly in Africa, Southern America and Polynesia) are considered to be a form of paganism, although they haven't changed or been forgotten in hundreds, if not thousands of years.

I'm not up to date with the goth statistics, but you're most probably right. Goths tend to be not just open minded, but also quite often (self)educated and inquisitive. Since Darwins theory (which too is faulty on some points, apparently) is much easier to explain and prove than the existence of a god, they and most people around us would be more willing to take the former one for granted.

My crowd made me an honorary goth :lol:

At school I was the weird nerdy child who was nice, but just a little too strange. Fortunately, the goth crew took me under their collective wing, despite my love of 80s rock and neon clothing. I currently work in an alternative club and even though I don't fit under the conventional definition of \"goth\", I have never felt more at home anywhere.

I keep meaning to buy clothes from one of the alternative shops near me, but usually I take one look at the price and head straight to Primark! Saving up for some AG jewellery for my wedding though

The nice thing about goth, you get to say what it is for yourself. You don't have to buy expensive things, I often buy simple clothes at Target, then head to the craft store, and buy ribbons, fun buttons, lace, or whatever else and make my cheap-o Target clothes into something unique. You don't even need to sew, just get iron-on interfacing, and you just need to be able to iron to add ribbon, lace, and other trims.

Prices of goth/alternative clothing aren't that steep. If I want a frilly goth shirt, I will usually pay around 50 to 60 euros. For a decent dress shirt, I will put down between 30 to 60 euros, with the better the quality or better known the brand is, the more expensive the shirt is going to be.
Also, goth clothing is produced in smaller numbers, so they will cost more per piece. You won't be able to produce them at the vast quantities mainstream clothing is produced.
DIY is a great solution, or even more, be a little creative with what you wear. Some darker toned mainstream clothing can usually provided a great base for an ensemble that would suit most of us.

That's what I mean. I don't have to pay $50 for every shirt I buy, I can go to the regular shops and buy a black button-down shirt for $30, and then spend a little more for a dressier skirt, or buy a $35 jacket and then add my own embellishments for a few dollars more and have something completely unique. Even better than mass-produced clothes, and more fun.

I spend a lot on feathers for hats, though. I change the feathers out on my hat to match my outfits. Just a regular black top hat, but I clip different things to it (a frilly bow, a big red rose with feathers, peacock feathers and a rhinestone pin, etc.) to match my outfit. More fun. People still look at me strange when I wear a top hat, though, but maybe I am expanding their minds.