New to the goth subcultre and i need some advice

Hi Eli, I'm also kinda new to gothic music and subculture but here are some of the ways I think about it:
 First, being a part of the subculture doesn't mean people who look and act more goth than you have a better opinion so don't take any one person's opinion as the complete truth.

The second is that it is not really about politics. Still, there are "alternative values" that goths usually go by, which are simple things like "don't be racist, homophobic, misogynistic," and most goths are left-wing and don't really accept right-wing goths(you can usually just avoid politics if people are cool.)

Third: IN MY OPINION, im not gonna call myself goth or a part of the subculture until I'm like super sure, people are always gonna call people posers bc they think they are better than others. Most goths ive met agree that if you listen to gothic music enough, you are goth, but idrk...

Music suggestions: Type O Negative is my fav band rn (some say they arent goth but they can go cry me a river lol), Stange Botique is super cool and they actually just dropped an album which I havent listened to yet. Pink turns Blue, The Cure, Christian Death(not really my fav), Zombie girl is like  cool techno goth stuff, and many like Alien Sex Fiend but I havent explored that much... 
IM SURE IM MISSING A LOT OF CLASSICS AND STUFF PROBABLY THIS WAS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD

Hey Eli!

I was super involved in the goth scene for a few years when I was 16-19 :) 

First things first, you don't HAVE to like any of the mainstream goth bands to be goth. Goth is mostly a music-based subculture, so as long as you enjoy genres such as post-punk, darkwave, EBM, etc. you are technically involved in the goth scene. No one is "more goth" because they look a certain way.

In theory, all music genres in alternative subcultures are somewhat politically charged. Goth is no exception, while there are seldom goth bands (especially from the Batcave days of the 80's) that produce political music, there is a strong sense of community in the scene. No racism, homophobia, etc is/should ever be allowed. 

If you want to call yourself Goth, it just depends on the music you listen to. Bands like London After Midnight, the Cure, Rosetta Stone, etc. are common bands that fall under the goth umbrella. Call yourself Goth if you want to! Anyone getting upset at a teenager trying to make their way into any scene is a loser. :) Do what makes you happy! 

I have my spotify linked on my profile, and I have a 13 hour long Goth playlist if you're interested. If you have any questions IM me! <3 

Quick disclaimer, I'm not a goth but I am a metalhead and the two subcultures have long intersected and share a lot of similarities but yaknow, grain of salt and all that. 

First off, I want to second the previous comment, anyone getting pissy and gatekeeping others who are clearly new to a scene is not worth engaging with. If you identify with the music or the fashion and the culture surrounding it then you go ahead and call yourself goth if you want to. It never hurts to be knowledgeable of the subject but whether you like only some of the big acts or you prefer some more underground ones the result is the same, you are engaging with the culture on your own terms which is what matters. Your tastes may also change with time so if you dont like something now, dont worry about it. Its only poser behavior if you pretend to be into something you arent ;)

Regarding the politics, goth is an outsider culture and like most outsider cultures it has a history of being misunderstood, discriminated against and generally frowned upon by the rest of society. This generally tends to foster a more progressive attitude in people as well as a sense of unity and camaraderie but it is by no means universal, you can find all sorts of views within the umbrella of goth though my experience has been that anything leaning towards conservatism/racism/bigotry or what-have-you is generally met with disdain by most. If you dont want to engage with the political side of it, you dont have to but I would say you should at least be aware of it if you are going to be a part of the culture. 

On the topic of recommendations you've already mentioned Sisters of Mercy which would have been my suggestion so I'll go with some not really goth but goth adjacent stuff that I like. Those being Yuma Sun and The Vision Bleak. 

hi!

first off, im super excited for you! goth is such a fun subculture, im envious of you getting to explore it for the first time. 

To answer your questions, you dont need to like mainstream bands to be goth! listen to whatever goth music tickles your fancy. :) also dont be afraid to listen to non goth music—only listening to one genre would get boring so quickly!!

about the politics—goth did come from punk, so politics are important. basically, leftwing, progressive ideologies. goth is all about celebrating self expression and uniqueness, so being accepting and a fierce supporter of people of all ages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities is very important. 

if you like goth music you can totally call yourself a goth! you don't need to fit a certain mold, or look to be a goth, and most goths understand that, so i dont think you need to be worried about being called a poser. and if they do, so what?? goth is about being rebellious, and unabashedly yourself. (anyone who calls people posers isnt worth your attention.)

as for suggestions, here are some of the bands that first got me into goth:

bauhaus (but youre already on top of that :)

lebanon hanover

kælan mikla (my favourite band ever!!)

twin tribes

the cure

at the end of the day, just be you! do what makes you happy, and try not to care about what others think of you. goth is fun, so go have fun!!

Hi guys,

This is my very first time writing something here on space hey so im kind of nervous 

But anyway i'll introduce myself real quick, my name is Elisabeth but everyone can call me Eli and i'm 15 years old, I've come across the song the passion of lovers by bauhaus recently (let's say a month ago i think) and i have been in love with that song for a while now, i also got into the album Floodland by sisters of mercy and  Psycho magnet by London after midnight. And look i really think the subcultre is really cool but i'm actually kind of scared to call myself goth because i'm afraid people will call me a poser or something like that while im actually kind of trying to figure it out. I tried to do some research on google but it was still a bit hard to understand everything so thats why im asking my questions here.

So, first things first, do you have to like mainstream bands to be goth?

Second, I heard that goth had something to do with politics because (if im not mistaken) goth comes from punk? and if so can somebody explain them to me because it doesn't really makes much sense. 

Third, can i already call myself goth? Like i already said i'm kind of scared to put a label on myself because i'm afraid of other goths/people's judgement. It's not that im scared to dress differently because ive been doing that for a while now but its kind of being afraid on how other goth/alternative people would perceive me, like what if i say something that isnt actually right? If that makes sense.

Lastly, i don't know a lot of bands and albums yet and i would love to learn more about the entire scene so if anyone has music recommendations or more things that i should know about please let me know xx