The Goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found all over the world. The Goth subculture has associated tastes in music and fashion, whether or not all individuals who share those tastes are in fact members of the Goth subculture. Styles of dress within the subculture range from death rock, punk, androgynous, medieval, some renaissance and Victorian style clothes, or combinations of black.

In the 1990s, the term “Goth” had become more debatable. New subcultures emerged, or became more popular, some of them being united with the Goth subculture by the general public and the popular media. This fuse of the groups was primarily based on appearance, social customs, and the fashions of the subcultures, rather than the musical genres of the bands associated with them.

This has led to the introduction of Goth slang terms that some Goths and others use to differentiate between Gothic groups and closely related ones. The groups are neogoths in Western Europe and North America, mallgoths in the US, cucarachas in Spain, dark in Latin America and Italy, hackians in New Zealand and spooky kids, moshers or mini moshers in the UK. More positive terms, such as mini-Goths or baby bats, are used by Goths when they refer to new Goths whom they see as exhibiting potential for growth into mature Goths later on. The prevalence of slang terms, regarding to Goths have become distorted and misunderstood.

The response of these newer groups to the older subculture varies. Some, newer groups take offense to being called “Goth” because they act similarly but not fully like Goths while others choose to join the existing subculture on its own terms. Still others have simply ignored its existence, and create their own definition for “Goth”. Even within the original subculture, changing trends have added to the complexity of attempting to define precise boundaries.

Most Goths become Goths because they have been rejected by “normal” society because they want to live their lives differently from society’s norms. Goths are free spirited thinkers; they do what they choose to do base on their on beliefs than the beliefs set out by the norms of society. Since they are free thinkers, society reticules them because they are not following what everyone else believes so they become Goths where they can find support in people who act just like themselves so Goths have banded together to associate with other free thinkers “Goths”. This has a beneficial to both society and Goths because both individuals are allowed to express their views in a place where they won’t be criticized. Goths gain a sense of belonging, and friends they can associate with.

However, in conclusion of course this is not the case for all Goths. Many Goths today are Goths for a variety of other reasons and have different belief and view points on what being a Goth is. But this is the stereotype Society puts on Goths to give people a generalization of Goths are. It doesn’t matter what they are labeled as or what they look like, at the end of the day we are all still human.