Vocabulary: What Is "Goth"?

In short, "Goth" is a style of dress closely intertwined with the musical genre of gothic rock.
Goths are people who dress in all- or mostly- black clothing with lace, fishnets, and dark or unusual makeup.

Goth History lesson:

"Goth" is a word that came from a Germanic tribe known under the same name (the Goths). Later on, "gothic" was a word used to apply to medieval style architecture, and then to literature in the late 18th century to early 19th century that usually involved death, mysticism, and the supernatural.

Goth, as a subculture, began in the late 1970's to early 1980's as a branch off from the post-punk genre.

Due to the style of goth being so closely tied to the musical genre of gothic rock, often singers for bands were the fashion icons of goth culture.
A handful of these early fashion influencers include Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Robert Smith of The Cure, & Patricia Morrison of The Sisters of Mercy.




Siouxsie Sioux

Patricia Morrison



Robert Smith

Special mention awards for goth fashion icons include Peter Murphy of the band Bauhaus, Bela Lugosi as Dracula in the 1931 film, the characters Morticia Addams (The Addams Family), Elvira (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), and Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice).

 Goth has branched off quite a bit since the 70's. There are now "substyles" of goth that that include "romantic goth" (more Victorian inspired) and "batcave goth" (closer to what earlier, punkier, goth dress was).
(more 70's and 80's inspired)
The video Below by Liisa Ladouceur, author of Encyclopedia Gothica, provides a good, brief overview of how the style of goth has evolved and branched off since the 1970's.