skirtcafe.org

I wonder why 'normals' often seem to find Goths intimidating? Is it the (usu.) black clothes? I've always found Goths to be quite laid back, quiet folk (apart from the heavy rock music!) and generally friendly. Did they not occur in the USA before the 80's? Certainly common (in cities, rather than towns) in the 70's, in the UK. The only place I regularly note any number nowadays, is in Linz, in Austria, which is rather splendid as nobody bats an eyelid at the old bloke in a long black skirt, or even in the ubiqitous denim mini!

merlin wrote:I wonder why 'normals' often seem to find Goths intimidating? Is it the (usu.) black clothes?

There's certainly the black clothes, but lots of folks wear black nowadays and nobody notices. I think that (at least here in the US) it may be more of the makeup (e.g. black nail-varnish) or body-piercing aspects that seems to go with the style than anything else. I'll candidly admit not caring for black nail polish (it looks too much like what I went through after giving a couple of my fingers a righteous bashing when I was a kid), although I find black preferable to blues, which, for some unknown reason, make me viscerally queasy.

I've always found Goths to be quite laid back, quiet folk (apart from the heavy rock music!) and generally friendly.

I don't happen to know any, personally. The seeming fact that they're articulate and laid-back is encouraging, however, and may serve to encourage us lot.

Did they not occur in the USA before the 80's?

Not in my personal experience, although that's just one experience out of millions. If Goths were around in the '70s, they were nowhere to be seen from my personal vantage point.

Locally, the reaction by the "normals" has been to the black clothing, multiple piercings, chains and attitude (surly)

However, on their "turf", like Hot Topic stores or Newbury Comics they're nice folks.

I think the attitude is a defensive thing. Once they realize that I'm not going to bite or criticize and that I have my own weirdness, things are OK.

Here, the all black look has gone through several incarnations over the decades: the Bohemians (1940s, before my time), then the Beats (1950s/1960s)(Ginsburg, Ferlinghetti), then the Beatniks(1960s) and then Goth.

The hippies and the Flower People seemed to fall in between Beatniks and the reemergence of Black (Goth) in the late 1970s where it was truly a copy of the European trend, rather than a reincarnation of the earlier Black costumers

Did they not occur in the USA before the 80's? Certainly common (in cities, rather than towns) in the 70's, in the UK.

No - the Goth thing wasn't 'invented' until the 1980's. You must be thinking of Punks - or maybe Skinheads.

Goth subculture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goth_subculture

Mmnn, I really hope the more extreme 'body-piercing' aspect of the US Goths doesn't repeat itself in Europe. It's dreadfully sad to see so many young folk here going down that particular (piercing) road, in the last decade. On the 'black' side, I rarely wore any other colour (is black a colour?) during the whole of the 70's, almost every item of clothing, except some shirts, in fact! Never did any form of 'make-up' though - too risky with my over-sensitive skin, but more because I deplored that kind of 'vanity' in a bloke! I do remember some of the arty Goths saying their body was their living canvas (fair enough!) and they certainly must have spent hours perfecting their artform - 1000% better than donning jeans and automatically struggling to even be described as, "mediocre", at best! I suppose the current US look would be best described as "Goth meets Punk"?

ChristopherJ wrote:No - the Goth thing wasn't 'invented' until the 1980's. You must be thinking of Punks - or maybe Skinheads.

Nah! I spent the whole of the 70s 'in the black'! Some of my friends did likewise (my 'partner-in-crime' at college, Susan, wore black thighboots with either a very short black mini-skirt or dress. With her long, naturally dark hair, she looked stunning!) - we always used the word "Goth" then, to describe the look. We never associated with Punks (I rather liked the 'his&her' tartan [kilted] skirt look, though!) or Skinheads, either!

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No - the Goth thing wasn't 'invented' until the 1980's. You must be thinking of Punks - or maybe Skinheads

I stand corrected. I was actually thinking Punk.

Personally, I went from Beat to the "folksong Army"

“None of us wanted to be the only freaks on the boat" sounds like some skirted men too. While some of the guys are happy to go it alone others want to be normal (or at least one in a bunch) which makes me realize we should have a Men in Skirts cruise.

The other quite from the article that has parallels for us here is, "Paul Bresock, a 36-year-old mechanical engineer from San Diego said fellow cruise passengers would approach him with compliments. They told him, 'You guys are having so much fun. I wish I could let loose like that,' he said." I have seen that expressed by men reporting favorable reactions to their skirts. There is a certain amount of envy for the people who do take risks others won't. Shame more people don't make it over that hurdle to have fun like the others.

Quiet Mouse

My question is how do these Cruise Goths expose themselves to the sunny tropics but still maintain that lovely, ashen, sickly/spooky pallor? Is there a SPF 4000 sunblock? (Yes, I'm being sarcastic. )
Sasq

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I've seen up to SPF 75.

I usually go with SPF 50. Despite being half Hispanic, I have very fair skin that burns easily. The joke used to be you could tell I had a tan when I turned flash colored.

It is well worth taking care to avoid sun burn. Very wise. I have started to wear a baseball cap in summer, as I am going a bit thin on top.

Sasquatch wrote:My question is how do these Cruise Goths expose themselves

Seeing that quote by sasq..I started thinking how perhaps Tom Cruise might look exposed in Black Gothwear...hehehehe just an idee... :)8)

Thanks, Since1982. My mind thinks of them all (Cruise Goths) trying to convert the other people to Scientology!