Gothic Influence on the Mainstream

I know, I know. I posted like five seconds ago. But now I'm watching Doctor Who, and like any nerd, this gives me ideas. (no. no, you gross dickheads. i'm not into amy.)

Gothic influences pop up everywhere, from high fashion - where we smugly tilt our chins up and scoff, saying "we've been doing that for years" - to run-of-the-mill clothes shop and TV shows. Whether they like it or not, the mainstream copies from the Gothic subculture far too frequently for the amount of shit they give us.

Take, for example, Doctor Who (yeah, shut up). According to Doctor Who, 99% of all future societies and alien planets will be victorian/steampunk styled, and a disproportionate amount of episodes happen in the Victorian-Edwardian years. Take for example post-death Miss Evangelista from Silence in the Library (the very premise of that episode - deadly shadows - is very goth).

While not actually a picture of her from the show, it looks exactly like it.
Enough to be creepy.

Much of the storytelling, too, is gothic. The settings of the neo-victorian other worlds, and occasionally industrialgoth, lend a very affectionate vision of the culture.

Even the royal wedding had just the slightest touch of Victoriana to it. Kate...well, i guess it's Kate Windsor now, isn't it? Had a very lovely and very Victorian dress.

I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't horrible,
to be honest.

I mentioned in my previous post about Dita von Teese. While not explicably Gothic, she definitely has her roots with us - and she is very, very well-loved in mainstream culture. She is beautiful, sophisticated, and the kind of woman who can appear naked (and has done) and still be the height of utter sophistication. (In fact, I have often considered her career path. What do you guys think?)

It seems no matter what they do, the mainstream can't shake us - despite portraying us in the news as bloodthirsty, sick and defected.

If you hate us so much, why do you copy us?

Take, for example, these, from various stores' winter catalogue (mainly Kmart and Myer)

If I'm not mistaken - I'm not - those bare an uncanny resemblance to Victorian boots, a goth staple.

The military jacket, of which this is a poor example of, has become very popular over the last year or so, and that of course means it'll cost me $500 (or "never") for a good jacket.

Victorian riding coat if I've ever seen one. 

That's a Gallery Serpentine shirt with the sleeves cut off, come on!

How about these, from Jay Jays (a shop I frequent and love)?

This is pretty cute, although the cut-off head is a bit disconcerting.

I have a jacket pretty much exactly like this, minus the belt and bottom pockets.


I think I've made my point clear.


Reguardless of how the world and media likes to portray us, they actively copy and take from us, and then deny it - all the while making it easy for us to shop on a budget. Too often I've been jeered at and called names by girls whose whole outfits are from Jay Jays - just like mine on those occasions. Believe it or not, mainstream, so much of you - from the clothes you buy from Kmart and Supre to the music you listen to (lady gaga, for example) - borrow from the Goths.


Reguardless of how you think of us, we're here to stay.