Imagine getting harassed for being smarter than everybody else. Imagine getting harassed for being more attractive than everybody else. Imagine getting harassed for not acting immature like the other kids. Many human beings dont make sense, they're just dirty little insects. Some people think this is the death of culture of America, or even Western civilization. I'm still angry about it and I'm 44. Been angry for a long fucking time now.
I read the title, and yes, fvck yes we did. I see young girls with wild dyed hair today working retail, and I know our past generations made this possible. We went through hell to express ourselves and paved the way for them. They have no clue how easy they have it.
We do now at last and we are very thankful, some of us including me live in regions where its still a bit hard, not close to what you had to endure, but we also will get there. Again, I'm very thankful for everything that that previous generation did for us today, we will walk this paved way with honour
Its hilarious I grew up seeing people with outlandish hair and it was a marker of possible common ground. These days I have to keep reminding myself I'm as likely to dislike them as anyone else. I really need to get with the times :P
It is funny how Nine Inch Nails was considered goth due to lack of quality information and their mainstream presence back then. Nowadays people argue if they even count as industrial.
Very good point! I still like NIN but I was a teen in the early/mid 90's and he was huge then. I was more alternative, I guess. Gosh that was a long time ago!
Whoa don't forget the private set between NIN and Peter Murphy. Or the amazing dead souls cover on The Crow as well as recorded a version with Murphy. The beautiful "Metal" cover with Numan. I would say they are quit Goth. So much so he crapped out Manson. Lol no disreapect to Manson. Plus the Award wins with his goth/industrial twists he tiea into movie soundtracks. Hell, Cash's "Hurt" cover still had a goth bend. Trent is goth.
@@piratetycollectorguy5608 trent was never goth and never will be. Despite his collaborations with peter murphy. He will always be a ripoff of nivek ogre from skinny puppy.... But despite all of that, he's a good musician!.
I remember people thinking that I worshiped the devil back in those days. The funniest thing about all of this. The same people that thought that alternative people were freaks..are the same people that post about wanting a " goth gf" lol
It is ironic how superstitious people were back then. Hell, dungeon masters that hosted DnD back then were remarked as cult leaders. The hilarity of humanity!
@Wytchfinde I do think DnD for many people was a form of healthy escape. CEOs and educators channel leadership skills in DnD where a fantasy world had hierachies and social contracts similar to reality. I started DnD around my final high school years! It was also a place to explore the self as well. (Warlock single/multiclass since 16).
You’d think it was two centuries ago, not two decades ago! It was perpetrated equally by Republicans and Democrats, evangelicals and secular people, etc.
@@j0nnyism There are a lot of churches that encourage DnD. It is a game that teaches people how to approach difficult and sometimes morally complicated scenarios. There is actually a priest or two here that are dungeon masters, running a more Christian friendly module for 5e. I would not judge so quickly.
this reminds me of the story of sophie lancaster, who was attacked and killed for being goth. it is so sad how people can want to physically assault someone just for being different. i'm glad we have progressed more in recent years towards accepting alternative subcultures
@@obitouchiha3865 was that what she wore when murdered?! I remember being attacked multiple times. I wore fishnets, cocktail dresses, corsets, fuck me pumps.. all black. Damn, I had it quite easy compared to some but I know how they felt .
I can remember walking down the street with my daughter, who was small at the time, wearing my black bondage skirt, net shirt and parasol. Another mother and daughter team walked passed saying disgusting things out loud. I remember Voltaire in that interview. I say, stay strong and don't bully ANYONE!
A kid once said a few years ago that it was tough being Goth in the Bible Belt, I smiled and told him that my generation took the worse abuse by being ourselves than he would ever know .
Goths are all over the world and come from all different walks of life, the beauty of being goth is having that community in diversity. I'm a Muslim goth, My best friend is an agnostic goth, I know someone who is Mexican and he's a goth. Goth isn't a religious movement and it's not a cult. It's more like a family than a cult. I see other goths in the street that I've never met before and we're both like "hey, I love your boots, where are they from?" "Ayy, loving that lords of the new church shirt, what other bands are you into?" I go to places I've never been before and I'm uncomfortable but as soon as I see another goth there I feel like I belong. So, to make a long comment short, everyone has to find the community that feels like home, some find it in rap, some find it in country and others find it in goth.
Something that kazlovesbats/the goblin queen (She’s off youtube now for some reason) pointed out a few years back was the elitism in the goth subculture. She said it wasn’t really talked about but that it’s happening mainly with some of the children of goth parents. She said it was like a weird mindset of them thinking that since they are born into goth because of their parents then they are in a way more authentic goths. Bur it’s widely accepted that most goths are community oriented in their own way and have their own ways of making newcomers feel like they’re joining an understanding and supportive community.
Yeah I've seen Christian goths too. I think mabey some goths associate the darkness of goth with the satanism. But as a whole they nice people. I have goth friends and they super fun to hang with and offer new perspectives on life.
open your mind λολολlololol well, that's a sore subject to touch on for both goths and emos, I'm going to try and explain this as respectfully as I can. goth is a subculture and a lifestyle with decades of history where as emo is a movement and a style. The easiest way to explain the difference in a visual way is that if goth and emo were vampires goth would be Bela Lugosi's Dracula and emo would be Robert Paterson's Edward Cullen
@@elisabet5739 The Church of Satan doesn't worship Satan, the same goes for many Satanists its just a name. But obviously this doesn't speak for everyone
I'm an Indian Goth...being a goth in a place where people have zero idea about Goth culture...is tough! I shared a pic as a goth in reddit Goth subreddit and got really positive response... ! (it's been an year to me to be a goth ! I don't dress alternative all the time because it's difficult in public places)
Don't feel bad or less authentic because you can't be goth everywhere or everyday. A time and place for everything. For me it's the transformation that is awesome. At 40 now, I Never thought I'd be coming back to my roots when I was 15. It feels like a triumph and rework to my past. I know you're comment is 2yrs old but just my 2 cents.
I bet a lot of people in India see the goth subculture as Eurocentric, but what was the attitude of the public to punk in India? I don’t think India had punk back in the seventies.
Wow. I have an even greater respect for Voltaire for just how calmly and eloquently he addressed each question he was given in order to help out our subculture. Thank you for sharing this as well as your always fascinating stories, Angela!
Watching your videos, reminds me of my own goth days in the 90s before all the crazy, elitist, weirdness that has taken over the goth scene. I just enjoy your realness and no bullshit tolerance. It's the best!!
80s and 90s kids were treated brutally and then "free range" boomer parenting very vocally, and very clearly, with their own words, made the POINT to refuse to parent us resulting in NO protectionor recourse at all. Most of our mothers very publically had never wanted children. That was MOST of my peers that I knew this about. The administrations, the lawmakers? Also boomers. Remember this was all before Mandatory Reporting laws even existed. I have Gen X friends who are do fundamentally damaged by our childhoods- the stories I can tell you would fry your brain- and we lived in a time where it was not unheard of for grown ass adults to lose control of a classroom entirely, or even JOIN IN with the bullies because they were afraid of/intimidated by some of these students; and even common for authorities to not even question marks, bruises, unusual behaviors, and even direct requests for help of innocent children. Don't get me started on bullying of disabled or neurodivergents like myself. I'll stop now.
I was in high school between 2006-2010, and I’d have to say that things were pretty harsh for me and my fellow goth friends, but we lived in a place that was pretty far behind in cultural norms and was very conservative.
Attended high school from 2005-2009 and I can attest to the same. There was absolutely no acceptance and you'd get yelled at by grown adults from their cars while you walked home. If it was a group of older boys from the township over, they'd actually pull over and try to hit you with food or something.
Alexis G Yeah, I think depending where you are it’s not easy being different. I was beat up, ridiculed, mocked, threaded to be killed, told to kill myself, had food thrown on me, my clothing damaged in class or stolen to likely be thrown away, called horrible things by both kids and adults, etc. Funny thing was me and my group of friends were actually all lovely people and were always being complimented on our politeness by people who took the time to be a genuine human being back. We also picked up trash around town for fun and always gave our spare change to the homeless. 😅🤷🏻♀️
I was in middle school 2004-2007 and high school 2008-2012; it was still very much like that. I was called horrible names, beaten, things thrown at me, told to kill myself, and suffered so much abuse. Now its become mainstream, funny thing those people that bullied me act like nothing happened and pretty to be all accepting towards goth. We already get enough crap from the outside world, we don't need it from elitists!
Ayla Zelana Grebiel exactly!! I feel like 90’s goths feel like they went through more for some reason? Very elitist. I mean I like the poster of this video, she puts out great content and is overall accepting of all types of goths in all stages (I believe in a video she even mentions that you should be nice to baby bats). I just think it’s easy to feel like your own struggles are the worst cause you went through them personally.
Honestly I'm still in school (senior in highschool) and I got pretty relentlessly bullied through elementary and middle School for being goth. Not as bad as what was shown in the video but I was severely ostracized by my peers and made fun of I'm just lucky it was never physical but it really hurt my self esteem.
I'm surprised more goths didn't get into MMA, Muay Thai, Jiujitsu etc. I was bullied at school because I was a skinny asthmatic kid with Asperger's. My reaction, start pumping iron, join a kung-fu club where 90% of the time we sparred, bare knuckle, no pads. When we got injured we bled, then when the bleeding stopped, if we could still train we trained. It was harsh but it got us very used to fighting, used to being hit, and gave us an incentive to get our blocking right. By the time I was 16 I'd punched a bully in the throat and severely bruised the spine of another. They stopped bullying me and started avoiding me. I never picked a fight, but I ended enough to make them stop.
@@wanderingoryx3710 No anger issues. The guy I throat-punched was mid-air, trying to jump on my back so as to face-plant me into the asphalt. I'd heard him, pivoted to the right & caught him with what was intended to be a block. The other guy was, admittedly an exercise in percussive instruction. I'd had months of him & his mates, & it got pretty bad at one point. I won't go into it but it was thoroughly deserved.
@@wanderingoryx3710 Sometimes, you have to make a point. When literally everyone targets you, isolates you, treats you badly and generally makes your life hell you have to fight your own corner. Outsiders rarely start the fights, but we sure as hell end them. Going around picking fights? Yeah I'd agree those people have issues. Defending yourself and others who for whatever reason can't? That is just following natural instincts.
@@wanderingoryx3710 Of course that is a possibility, that is always the issue with the internet. People can claim to be great and justified but then turn out to actually be awful. Acting and creating a desired images behind a keyboard is always easy. I guess it is possible that I try too hard to see the best in people and assume they are being truthful. However, if we take the comments as they are put to us originally by Skia then it is understandable to see why they would think it is best to defend themselves physically if they are being threatened.
I've also noticed a lot of this goth-on-goth bullying online and it doesn't make any sense at all. And people are so scared of confronting these bullies because they don't want to lose followers on social media or whatever. What I've also noticed a lot is that people who dress goth but have no clue whatsoever about the subculture are going after those within the subculture with "You're not goth enough because you wear too little makeup" or stuff like that. I got attacked by these kind of people who claimed they're goth due to their style because I spoke up when someone talked about discrimination against people who dress differently due to belonging to other cultures/religions than the Western world, and in the same they were thinking that goths could just take off their freaky clothes and makeup and look normal if we don't want to be discriminated. That's just hypocrisy, and I don't understand how someone who dress alternatively themselves can approach such an attitude.
@@wanderingoryx3710 I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I buy my makeup and clothes in regular stores. Were you referring to something in particular in my initial comment? :)
@@wanderingoryx3710 Considering its roots, yes, it's originated in the Western world, but goth is not tied to any culture or religion. You can be goth and in the same time embrace any other culture. I'm still sincerely wondering though if your question about where I buy my clothes and makeup had anything to do with my original comment or if you just wanted to know? :)
Enjoyed this video. Everyone looks so fresh-faced and young. Lol. It's funny when I reminisce about the '90s. I was a goth in Atlanta. You didn't need a faceful of piercings, tattoos, and black clothing. You were a freak just for dying your hair bright colors. You're looking good btw. I hope things are well. 💜
@@LareesieAlice In Spain at the same time I never experience those religious-bigotry comments. It ´s a predominant christian-catholic country, but people here mind their own religious bussines in privacy. But if I were to receive this coment i´m sure I would answer some like ¨Maybe, but I´m not sure about you...¨ Then left. Well, I´m atheist, that kind of crappy attempt of judge me out of the blue wouldn´t mind me at all, but is more funny to leave them thinking about their rudeness turning towards them.
@@LareesieAlice That's really funny! I'm in Southern Cali too but I'm a Christian Goth. So when people tell me "Jesus loves you" I pull out a Christian track, hand to them, and say "And he loves you too." Or sometimes I have my Bible with me and I'll flash them with thE WORD OF GOD
The "normal" people always scare me. Being transgender, and goth, made me a double target. But it also meant that I had to learn to be stronger than they are, to be better than them. Listening to Voltaire trying to explain goth to someone whose prejudices just got blown up makes me remember that era. Columbine shocked people, and anyone who was different was now regarded as a potential mass murderer. I also remember Marilyn Manson having to defend himself-well-from accusations that his music influenced the killers. Today, it's easier to be goth, or transgender, or alternative. But there's always someone who decides that you're somehow a threat to "normal, Gawd fearing Amuricans" and tries to legislate us back into the darkness. So, enjoy your freedom, but be vigilant and proactive.
My 1st love is the person who made me goth. I remember the day I first saw her, the day she entered the class and automatically everyone called her a freak because she was a 'satan worshiper' which was far from the case. I defended her right to dress the way she wanted and I told her that she was beautiful. We became friends and much to my parent's reluctance I slowly became a goth. But because we were in middle school we didn't go to any clubs or parties because they weren't in our area (A little town that has the affectionate nickname as the sister city to Compton) and I remember going to her house and watching The Craft, The Crow, and other movies that she loved and she even did my make up and even helped me with my clothing style (I've always been a bit heavier but she made it work for me.) She got me into all the goth music, we did everything together and unfortunately like all goths in the 90's we were targeted. While we weren't a couple, everyone would call us lesbian freaks and other terrible things but we ignored it and of course, the rest of our friends in our group were targeted. One day a huge group of students (around 20-ish) ganged up on us and had what they would call a lynching party. We didn't fight back because we were outnumbered and we would get into trouble if we did. We got suspended and sent to the hospital. My 1st love's injuries were so bad that her parents removed her from school and I wasn't allowed to ever see her or contact her. To this day I wonder if she remembers me, I wish I could have told her how I felt and thanked her for shaping me into the woman I am today. Watching this video and a lot of your videos about the hardship resonates with me so deeply and it brings back terrible pain but also beautiful and treasured memories. I'm glad that times have changed, I'm glad people are willing to accept and even learn but they will never understand the fights, the struggle, the pain that you and a lot of us went through back then. Sorry for the long story, it's just something I needed to get off my chest.
Goths bullying goths is a big trend right now. Especially people making angry rant videos about other goth RUclipsrs for making Haul videos is getting ridiculous
In the 1990's and 2000's I was in middle school and high school. Middle school in the late 1990's and high school in the early 2000's. I got into a lot of fights because everyone was always saying I was a freak who was going to shoot up the school. I was always having my note books taken away by the school authorities because my writing supposedly "incited violence". After awhile my step mom banned me from wearing anything that would be considered goth. She said it was Satanic and was tired of me getting in trouble in school. Even though I was the one being attacked. So yeah I completely remember these kind of things
it breaks my heart because here I was thinking that your generation, the one that went to middle school in the late 90s not the late 80s like me, i had assumed had it easier. Well, at least you have mandatory reporting laws and you can get authorities in trouble if they don't protect you. There are consequences for them now.
@@angelabenedict It's fine! You're a perfectionist(and that's perfectly okay). This was a very intense video, I wasn't expecting the animosity to be of this proportion. But yeah, Columbine really fucked up our reputation in my local area at the time. This may be my favorite video of your channel so far. Very, very fucking well done. I was moved.
As someone raised in a super accepting community in the 00s it completely boggles my mind how difficult it used to be for alternative scenes. My parents dislike anything dark or seemingly occultish (So I usually have to have a more subdued style) and people tend to be surprised that a black person can be into any sort of alternative music but I don't really have to deal with anything worse than that. It makes me wonder if I would have had the guts to be openly goth in the 90s, but I probably would been a bit tougher than I am now anyway.
I started watching your videos recently, and although I'm not a goth myself, I do have a great respect and appreciation for the subculture. And you, Angela, are a force to be reckon with! I really like your videos, your content, your stories, your passion and devotion, and I really like you as a person. I can't say thanks enough for your videos... you really inspire me and I am always looking forward to hear and see you :) Again, thank you! You are beautiful. Keep going please and don't stop making awesome content that you do. Greetings from Belgrade. P. S. Has anyone ever told you that you bear a resemblance to Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil? :))
We’ve come a long way since I was a kid, I’ll admit. but here in the southern United States a lot of people still treat goths like murderous satanists. Important topic people forget. Thanks for reuploading! ✌️💀
I remember taking these pictures with roses, on the floor, wearing lace and cheap corsets (couldn't afford anything better). That's why I love your videos, they're like a trip down the memory lane, as we're similar age! Being European, we didn't have problems like you did in school. We were hit on mercilessly by guys trying to get a "freak" girlfriend, but that's harmless in the general scheme of things. We had the whole "it's not Halloween, who's funeral is it" shouts but we were... Kind of proud of it? Always laughing it off. To us it showed we're doing something right. We weren't afraid. My mom was cool with it as well, she was proud her daughters were going "against the grain" (my older sister was heavily into the black metal scene). Then again, groups like Him went no 1 in the mainstream charts (not goth, but shows a tolerance towards darker subgenres of rock by the general public, I think it was '99). Continental Europe was very different to the US and UK in that respect. Perhaps we were lucky. Keep doing the great work, let's keep the 90s/00s look alive!
Thank you for reposting. This info is so important for younger people to know, not just those looking to be part of the goth culture. Thanks for your personal experiences/story🙌💋
Greetings from the UK 🇬🇧 🤘🏽 As a former Goth(Now a bitter old man/upstanding pillar of the community) I’ve gotta say...I thought you were extinct 😳😄 Back in London, the scene died years ago. The music too. And I don’t see anymore “youth tribes” or anyone picking up the mantle. Cyber Dog - empty. The Electric Ballroom - Now a venue for mainstream music. Vampire Bar, Ben Crouch’s - GONE The closest I get is attending fetish nights. WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE?
jason newstead As it happens, I'm working on a book about the south London music scene and I'm looking at this question. The answers I get included increased brand awareness, greater lifestyle and consumer choice, the Internet has made everything part of the mainstream, corporate cooption of youth culture, to name a few. Even Fil Walters of Back To The Planet said that youth culture is very bland today, as did Angela Martin from Bugeye. She brought up social media turning us all into 1950s housewives too, projecting the correct image.
Really? This is a re-upload from 2016 so I touched on it quite some time ago. I'm also going to re-upload my video from my experiences when The Craft was released. That was also originally uploaded to my channel in 2016.
I watched her video just now and thought about all of Angela's stories from previous videos. Its interesting to see the English vs American experience.
I love your pictures from the 90s, they bring back memories, I was born in 1981. Wow .."beat a freak week" is legit abuse even sexual abuse and those kids should have been arrested for that
It must be so weird to see nowadays how goth fashion is all over the mainstream. Everyone on trend tries to look goth. And to think all you actually had to go through💔
I never got the trope in films where the "goth" was the freaky one, up until like the early 2000s I started seeing goths portrayed as the cool edgy kids.
It's great that you shared these experiences. I remember some of the odd things that used to happen to me in school as well. I started delving into the Goth scene in Middle school and there was this school cop guy who used to harass me and the other alternative kids any chance he got. It was to the point where a parent had to go up to the school and get involved. That didn't stop it completely but it helped a bit. I was mostly the main target of his prejudice. In High School, I used to get people yelling things at me, pushing me, and verbal altercations in classes. When I walked home people used to scream, catcall, honk, and sometimes throw things at me from their vehicles. Stuff like trash, beer cans, bottles, cigarettes, and the like. I think it may have changed a bit thankfully but it's important that stories like yours are shared. Thank you.
I agree that people have become more accepting of goths but I've already had (some) crap happen to me because of the way I choose to dress and if this is good compared to what happened in the 90s and even the 80s I'm glad I wasn't alive during that era sheesh. So far I've had people whisper about me (school), had some chick call me a freak and had a physical fight with her (school), obviously some stares, and I can't confirm but I'm pretty sure a group of year 9s were laughing at what I was wearing. They would look back at me to see if I was walking behind them and they laughed pretty hard, I was blasting sisters of mercy so that made me happy. However the only person whose ever said anything to my face was the chick I got into a fight with and she's notorious for being a bitch anyway, perhaps people are scared I'll be a gOth KilLer and murder them if they insult me lmao? One of my friends was not so lucky, she's goth and had a group of chavs shout in her face "IT'S NOT A PHASE MOM" and they started to touch at her clothing. Wish I was there so I could have clocked those scum. People are so damn ignorant, if a bitch wanna look spooky how tf does that affect their lives? Oof
@@wanderingoryx3710 This happened pretty recently so I doubt they changed their minds. It's funny how upset people get, just because another person dresses differently and listens to different music. What babies
Oh this takes me back to my baby bat days in high school! The band that got me into the subculture was Sisters of Mercy and from then on, I discovered so much about the subculture. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
In high school their were not very many goths. I was made fun of for dressing alternative/freak style.I was the only mixed girl in the entire school that dressed alternative. The goths,and skater freaks were accepting of this. To be honest though I did not care.I listened to the music I resonated with,and dressed the part regardless,because I was in love with the aesthetic,and it made me the person I am today. Still love the style.😍
Voltaire was the first Goth I encountered when I was a tween and probably the most authentic Goth too from what little exposure I had as a baby bat. His music and incarnation in the online adventure quest world opened the lid to the Goth box but it wasn't til my late teens that I found post-punk and 80's Goth music. It was then that I truly understood what Goth was about and I think it's integrity is worth protecting . I grew up in the witchy countryside of Pendle, in Lancashire, England. The only way I knew anything about Goth out there was by vague results from Google in the 2000s and visiting the one Gothic clothes and Wicca supplies shop in Burnley: Zodiac.
thank you so much for making this video!! i wouldn’t necessarily consider myself goth, but alternative. i wasn’t alive in the 90’s, but i take a lot of inspiration from the alternative style of that time period. it’s a lot better nowadays for alternative kids, but there’s still some discrimination that i face for my stylistic choices. it’s incredibly refreshing to hear you talk so comfortably about how you dress and it’s awesome that you stayed true to yourself despite the constant challenges. it reminds me that i’m not crazy. it reminds me that i am just as deserving as everyone else. i might look a little intimidating to others, but i am really a sensitive person that takes things very personally, and it’s hard to deal with the rudeness of others that don’t understand. thank you. 🖤
Goth and punk kids were so kind when I was in school,I don't know why anyone would treat them in a disrespectful manner.Oh and your absolutely gorgeous.
Damn, it sucks that you had to endure this. I remember being in high school in the mid/late 2000’s and people calling me names and making crazy assumptions about me. Goths even had a designated area to hang out in our school. We’ve come such a long way only to have people within the subculture bully others. It’s a crazy world we live in.Thanks for sharing this!
I love this so much. We were in high school the same years. I was in the Deep South though in Texas. And yeah, there was a lot of hate. I tried to “fit in” as an adult… but I just can’t anymore. It’s all so plastic and fake. But, part of that was because I am autistic and I tried really hard to make it in academia. Well, I got my MFA, but, long story short, I trauma trauma trauma, and then no more. I won’t be someone else for everyone anymore. Love your channel. Xoxo
I remember a kid following me through the halls pushing me for wearing black lipstick in 98. I tried to ignore him but he stayed behind me. I made it to my locker and opened it, him still behind me yelling freak, satan worshipper and I continue to ignore I reached into my locker and he kicked my locker shut causing a fracture to my wrist. He was expelled for it. However the judgement never stopped and as I got older only got worse. People are horrible
last year my aunt was talking to me about how interesting my style is and as soon as I uttered the word goth she started asking me if I still love animals and I was like yes of course??? She started telling me back in her day goths were satanists and would kill animals and I just stood there and was like.... No? Also when I was nine years old somehow I mentioned the word goth to my teacher and she kept trying to steer me away from it and my mom later told me its because she thought goths do a ton of drugs. People are ridiculous.
As a gothic girl i suffered and still suffering the bully and centure especially when you live in a country u NOT allowed to be yourself...sorry for my bad English
In Miami the goths and ravers would mingle. Mostly because both respective music would be played at the same clubs. We never had any issues everyone just mingled and had fun.
Even though this video is old i wish i was in the 90s its batter then 2022 because in the 90s for goths there are so much to do yeah there was the beat the freak week but now days if you black and want to be goth it’s much harder because you’re black family would say why are you trying to be wite And i hate that so much like im not trying to be anything but goth I love the subculture its very beautiful and i love your videos because I know so much about being goth so I think you so much on what your doing
Thank you so much for the kind words! If possible, maybe you can point out to your family that the black kids was involved in building the goth scene just as much as the white kids. Also, show them this -- post-punk.com/goth-so-white-black-representation-in-the-post-punk-scene/
I am a middle-class, complacent white male with my happy life and my happy family...and listening to you talk about 90’s goth and your general viewpoints on life are just so spot on with how I feel on the inside, despite having conformed on the outside for a piece of the American dream. Love you! Hope you and yours are healthy! Thanks for making the nostalgia vlogs because they are food for my soul. 👍🏻
I really enjoyed this video. Your personal experience & the major societal perspective you spoke about during thie times makes it all the more eye-opening to the younger generation (such as myself).
I remember the 90's. The bands were better, the economy was better, weed didn't completely incapacitate you, I got laid a lot more often. It was great. I was long out of high school by then though, so I missed "beat the freak" week. Lucky me.
I know I'm late, but honestly thank you for talking about the 'beat the freak' era, I remember that shit. I was going to school in the bible belt back when Columbine happened. In my area, almost immediately, a lot of the preppy christian kids organised their youth groups and started physically attacking mostly the girls in our groups. The teachers honestly knew about it and either did nothing, or encouraged it. Luckily for me, I was one of the weird punk rock guys that they were usually pretty hesitant to mess with. With the weight training and kickboxing I had gotten into, I had bulked up pretty good, I also had a pretty fucked up childhood and home life, which I usually dealt with by getting into fights, and I got into quite a few back then, sticking up for my friends, mostly. I'm Catholic now, but I still don't put up with shit like that when I see it, I'm just usually smarter with how I handle it. Usually lol.
I remember all that. i didn't realize i was goth for many years after all that. I call myself country goth. it is amazin' to me how much the two attitudes have in common.
I was a freshman in HS in 2012, and that was the last time i saw goths. I wasn't goth but I was kind of sad to see that they were the last goths in my high school because I was always for the people who didn't try to fit in with mainstream just cause its mainstream. 2010s were a depressing period for me to be in HS. But oh well! Life shows you a more diverse world of people and their interests than hS ever will anyway.
Hi Angela. Very proud of you doing this! It's good to see how you are showing this for others to see the history. We fought to be where we are. We earned those tiger stripes! I was in high school from 1984-1988 and thank heavens I lived in California in the 1990s. Voltaire is awesome...its been aeons since I've seen that interview! give you Zenhugz!
See I love this. I got suspended from school, beat up, almost killed, glared at, when I was 11-14 in the 90's because of being goth and now its a tiktok trend. Strange to be around still and witness the shift in culture but I am no different now at 38 and I commend anyone that stuck to their guns.
Wow, I knew it was bad but not that bad; times really have changed. I am glad goths can be more accepted nowadays because I love Gothic fashion. This was a great video with a great message, subbed.
@@nightchild4468 I know what Goth is but there is such a thing as Goth fashion and while that may not be the primary focus of Goth it is my favorite part, personally.
Hell yeah the 90s you have to fight for a lot of what you believed in if you were considered the not normal. I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic and heavily gang cultured area. Me and my friends we were the freaks in our school, we all listened to everything from Gothic, Industrial, metal , and Punk. But we were continuously picked on year round throughout all four seasons getting harassed, having our clothes ripped and torn or any items we had stolen or broken, and even jumped for not looking and acting like everyone else in the community. But they never stopped any of us from enjoying what we really loved no matter how bad it got. I love who I am I stay true to myself , me and my group of friends are still just as tight and crazy as ever and I I'm glad you made this video so I can show this to you the younger Generations in my family maybe they can appreciate what they have a little bit more.
growing up I loved goths. They were so easy to open up to and so accepting of me and my emotions. I was cool with the popular kids and they always talked smack on the goths, and hated the facts that I hung out with them. My parents just today told me how they were afraid I was becoming gothic, saying I was wearing clothes like them. I guess without realizing I was becoming goth. But how could I not, they understood me it felt right. Today as a 28 year old I'm told I'm kind of like a hippie with a dash of goth. I believe this is probably why people come to me with their problems. They can feel I'm open to anything they need to say and not judge them. Goths taught me how to be a good, kind person. I love goths...real goths
Glad you re-uploaded 😊 always good to rewatch. I was bullied for being "evil" when I was a kid in PUBLIC school in the 90s and the teachers answers were try to fit in stop wearing black
As a Goth girl growing up in a rural small town where they don't like goth people is hard. However, going out on the town I usually get compliments even people asking if they could take pictures of me because of how awesome my Goth look is. I've even had people ask if I'm in a metal band which I tell them yeah but it's mostly goth rock. Bottom line is, no matter what people say do what makes you happy and I love standing out and being creepy like the crow or Elvira. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🕷🕸🕷🕸🦇🦇
My brother was a goth during those times and had a few goth friends and I would feel so bad for him because they would get bullied. The school didn’t really care about the goth, dark or/and different styled kids. I’m lucky I grew up and went to school in the present because they take that bullying stuff seriously and do try to help.
You are so amazing, thank you so much for making this video :,) 🖤I love you and I appreciate you for explaining to others the pain that we have gone through as a community and a subculture🖤.
I've watched this video before about 3 or 4 times just bc I love it so much, and here I am once again, watching the reupload lol. Love your stuff so much. 🖤
Thank you. I was just talking about this. How tons of people would treat goths horribly. My argument was for those who say that goth fashion doesn't matter or there is no such thing as goth fashion or clothing. My argument is, it is also important to appreciate the fashion as part of the subculture. The way these people back then picked out "freaks" wasn't who they listed to. It was how we dress. You looked goth or like a "freak" dispite being treated just like you said because this did happen I grew up in NYC at the same time as you and your account is 100% right. But my point to the people recently who dismiss the fashion part of the scene is... if it meant nothing to us and nothing as part of the scene we would have dressed normal and not gotten beat up or harrassed. It is because it was part of us and part of the goth scene and is/was part of who we were that we weren't going to gove that up because of these people and I feel that it is more excepted today because of the goths who didn't give into what society wanted them to. So I feel that these people who like goth music but hate the style yet want people to still call them goth are kind if hypocritical. Now I know people can't dress it because of work and for the most part have everyday wear and club wear and now people think you aren't goth enough if your everyday wear isn't as extreme as your club wear. But this "clothing can't be goth because goth is only about music" trend that new goths seem to follow I find a little insulting to the goths who put on there clothing each day. Clothing that made them happy dispite knowing that those clothes were going to make strangers scream at you, call you names, and have people attack and throw things at you, and this wasn't a once in a while thing. This was multiple times a day every single day. Maybe it happened more being in NYC because you come in contact with more people in a day, but no one was going to make me stop dressing goth, and the goth clubs were like the one place where other people liked the same music and those people weren't going to beat you up or call you a freak and they would actually complement your clothing. So this dismissing of that side of the scene like it shouldn't be as least treated like it is part of it. I agree that you have to like the music, but I feel that you have to like the fashion too even if you don't wear it. Respect the things that other goth went through who did wear it and the people who act are pushing that fashion isn't or can't be goth need to stop putting false information out there and disrespecting the scene and what goths have gone through. Sorry, went on a bit of a rant, but I figured if any one understood what I mean it is you.
It’s amazing actually seeing someone talk about this kind of thing, someone who experienced these things. I knew it was rough. But I never imagined to that extent. Seriously, "beat the freak week“ I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like to go through or how schools would handle something like that, now.
I honestly think one of my professors was goth at some point or another. He commented on my Cruxshadows shirt when I wore it one day, and he mentions Voltaire quite a bit, citing him as a goth musician when he does. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the effects of discrimination first hand as a goth. Of course, it's nothing I'd ever have a full discussion with him about, but it's kinda cool.
You and I are around the same age and I remember the struggle of being the weirdo in school! It was nowhere near as bad as beat the freak week but I’d always get abuse shouted at me about it not being Halloween and so on. I wouldn’t change it though, I can’t think of anything worse than being ‘normal’
Imagine getting harassed for standing out and having a very creative sense of style, make that make sense
Imagine getting harassed for being smarter than everybody else. Imagine getting harassed for being more attractive than everybody else. Imagine getting harassed for not acting immature like the other kids. Many human beings dont make sense, they're just dirty little insects. Some people think this is the death of culture of America, or even Western civilization. I'm still angry about it and I'm 44. Been angry for a long fucking time now.
I know it’s amazing that someone would be bullied for standing out. Amazing
My biggest takeaway from this video is that I cannot believe that you are in your late 30s. You look amazing.
Thank you so much! 40 in less than a year.
I mean late 30s and early 40s isn't old , so idk why people say wow you look great for 39 ? It's like literally still young.
Angela Benedict wow you literally look 23! You have great genes haha you’ll still be just as stunning in 20 more years!
All the blood drinking 😂
Just kidding
She looks cute but amazing...NO
I read the title, and yes, fvck yes we did. I see young girls with wild dyed hair today working retail, and I know our past generations made this possible. We went through hell to express ourselves and paved the way for them. They have no clue how easy they have it.
And yes, I'm glad the times have changed, and society is more accepting. So baby bats be free!
Fly free baby bats!!
We do now at last and we are very thankful, some of us including me live in regions where its still a bit hard, not close to what you had to endure, but we also will get there. Again, I'm very thankful for everything that that previous generation did for us today, we will walk this paved way with honour
Its hilarious I grew up seeing people with outlandish hair and it was a marker of possible common ground. These days I have to keep reminding myself I'm as likely to dislike them as anyone else. I really need to get with the times :P
Thank you for your service gen x Goths
-millennial and gen z Goths
It is funny how Nine Inch Nails was considered goth due to lack of quality information and their mainstream presence back then. Nowadays people argue if they even count as industrial.
I know! They had such a huge presence in the scene and their cred or place was never questioned.
Very good point! I still like NIN but I was a teen in the early/mid 90's and he was huge then. I was more alternative, I guess. Gosh that was a long time ago!
Hey, at least they had Gary Numan play with them! :)
Whoa don't forget the private set between NIN and Peter Murphy. Or the amazing dead souls cover on The Crow as well as recorded a version with Murphy. The beautiful "Metal" cover with Numan. I would say they are quit Goth. So much so he crapped out Manson. Lol no disreapect to Manson. Plus the Award wins with his goth/industrial twists he tiea into movie soundtracks. Hell, Cash's "Hurt" cover still had a goth bend. Trent is goth.
@@piratetycollectorguy5608 trent was never goth and never will be. Despite his collaborations with peter murphy. He will always be a ripoff of nivek ogre from skinny puppy....
But despite all of that, he's a good musician!.
I remember people thinking that I worshiped the devil back in those days. The funniest thing about all of this. The same people that thought that alternative people were freaks..are the same people that post about wanting a " goth gf" lol
😂
MarieMunsterful factssss
the goth gf thing is a meme.
i want a goth gf
...but they're all like 60
Deaf And Destruction first off. Those vintage goths are gorgeous!!
It is ironic how superstitious people were back then. Hell, dungeon masters that hosted DnD back then were remarked as cult leaders. The hilarity of humanity!
@Wytchfinde I do think DnD for many people was a form of healthy escape. CEOs and educators channel leadership skills in DnD where a fantasy world had hierachies and social contracts similar to reality. I started DnD around my final high school years! It was also a place to explore the self as well. (Warlock single/multiclass since 16).
Religious paranoia was the thing of the day back in the 80s and 90s. "Satanic Panic" is what they called it I think.
You’d think it was two centuries ago, not two decades ago! It was perpetrated equally by Republicans and Democrats, evangelicals and secular people, etc.
DND is devil worship. As a Crhristian I would never allow my child to play that evil game
@@j0nnyism There are a lot of churches that encourage DnD. It is a game that teaches people how to approach difficult and sometimes morally complicated scenarios. There is actually a priest or two here that are dungeon masters, running a more Christian friendly module for 5e. I would not judge so quickly.
this reminds me of the story of sophie lancaster, who was attacked and killed for being goth. it is so sad how people can want to physically assault someone just for being different. i'm glad we have progressed more in recent years towards accepting alternative subcultures
Yea I remember that. Those boys were evil. They just wanted to kill someone. Poor Sophie so horrible
Basically wear band t shirts and black jeans and vans
@@obitouchiha3865 was that what she wore when murdered?! I remember being attacked multiple times. I wore fishnets, cocktail dresses, corsets, fuck me pumps.. all black. Damn, I had it quite easy compared to some but I know how they felt .
Except that she was a Metalhead, and not a Goth.....
I can remember walking down the street with my daughter, who was small at the time, wearing my black bondage skirt, net shirt and parasol. Another mother and daughter team walked passed saying disgusting things out loud. I remember Voltaire in that interview. I say, stay strong and don't bully ANYONE!
A kid once said a few years ago that it was tough being Goth in the Bible Belt, I smiled and told him that my generation took the worse abuse by being ourselves than he would ever know .
@@garethmorgan8326 Why are you trying to discredit his experience though?
Why was your daughter wearing your bondage skirt?
@@mschivas9356 i dont think her daughter was wearing it, the mom was. That what i thought at first too, i just ro read it a bit more carefully
What’s a black bondage skirt? It sounds obscene. Please consider your child’s feelings
I was bullied for being "goth" when I was never even goth to begin with. I just happened to own a lot of black clothes and this was in the 2010s
I wore black nail polish a handful of times, and I was labeled a Satanist.
I got bullied for wearing black lipstick welcome to the we got bullied for being goth club 🤣🤣
I was bullied for wearing lovely brown cords. No man should endure such persecution from the goth community
Goths are all over the world and come from all different walks of life, the beauty of being goth is having that community in diversity. I'm a Muslim goth, My best friend is an agnostic goth, I know someone who is Mexican and he's a goth. Goth isn't a religious movement and it's not a cult. It's more like a family than a cult. I see other goths in the street that I've never met before and we're both like "hey, I love your boots, where are they from?" "Ayy, loving that lords of the new church shirt, what other bands are you into?" I go to places I've never been before and I'm uncomfortable but as soon as I see another goth there I feel like I belong. So, to make a long comment short, everyone has to find the community that feels like home, some find it in rap, some find it in country and others find it in goth.
Something that kazlovesbats/the goblin queen (She’s off youtube now for some reason) pointed out a few years back was the elitism in the goth subculture. She said it wasn’t really talked about but that it’s happening mainly with some of the children of goth parents. She said it was like a weird mindset of them thinking that since they are born into goth because of their parents then they are in a way more authentic goths. Bur it’s widely accepted that most goths are community oriented in their own way and have their own ways of making newcomers feel like they’re joining an understanding and supportive community.
Yeah I've seen Christian goths too. I think mabey some goths associate the darkness of goth with the satanism. But as a whole they nice people. I have goth friends and they super fun to hang with and offer new perspectives on life.
♪Thank you. ♥♪
What exactly is a goth ? can someone explain ? and whats the diffrence with emo
open your mind λολολlololol well, that's a sore subject to touch on for both goths and emos, I'm going to try and explain this as respectfully as I can. goth is a subculture and a lifestyle with decades of history where as emo is a movement and a style. The easiest way to explain the difference in a visual way is that if goth and emo were vampires goth would be Bela Lugosi's Dracula and emo would be Robert Paterson's Edward Cullen
That's really cool that Voltaire did that.
Except the story was about how awful goths were
an actual icon.
Thank you
We stan.
I’m a Protestant so icons are anathema to me
I’m not even goth nor emo.
I just love black.
People still think I’m a satan worshipper
Edit: thanks for the likes
STILL?!?
Luci Faery if you’re a satanist than that means you basically worship satan ? It’s like Christians. They worship Christ
@@elisabet5739 The Church of Satan doesn't worship Satan, the same goes for many Satanists its just a name. But obviously this doesn't speak for everyone
Angel Graham then what’s the point ? For some of them just being edgy and thinking if they wear pentagram clothing makes them cool ?
@@elisabet5739 For some. For a lot its just an attention grabber meant to make reactive people mad... And its works, so *shrug* good on them
I'm an Indian Goth...being a goth in a place where people have zero idea about Goth culture...is tough! I shared a pic as a goth in reddit Goth subreddit and got really positive response... !
(it's been an year to me to be a goth ! I don't dress alternative all the time because it's difficult in public places)
Wow an Indian goth. I didn’t know that existed. You learn something new everyday
Don't feel bad or less authentic because you can't be goth everywhere or everyday. A time and place for everything. For me it's the transformation that is awesome. At 40 now, I Never thought I'd be coming back to my roots when I was 15. It feels like a triumph and rework to my past. I know you're comment is 2yrs old but just my 2 cents.
I bet a lot of people in India see the goth subculture as Eurocentric, but what was the attitude of the public to punk in India? I don’t think India had punk back in the seventies.
@@j0nnyismGoth is a music based subculture and a literal music genre, so why would there not be an Indian Goth? Can Indians not listen to The Cure?
Wow. I have an even greater respect for Voltaire for just how calmly and eloquently he addressed each question he was given in order to help out our subculture. Thank you for sharing this as well as your always fascinating stories, Angela!
You are my favorite goth RUclipsr Angela. Thanks for the upload.
I'm so happy you liked it! Thank you!
Watching your videos, reminds me of my own goth days in the 90s before all the crazy, elitist, weirdness that has taken over the goth scene. I just enjoy your realness and no bullshit tolerance. It's the best!!
I think your school was satanic/ demonically possessed, sounds like a 90s horror film
It was pretty much the same everywhere back in the 90's. And by everywhere I mean Europe.
80s and 90s kids were treated brutally and then "free range" boomer parenting very vocally, and very clearly, with their own words, made the POINT to refuse to parent us resulting in NO protectionor recourse at all. Most of our mothers very publically had never wanted children. That was MOST of my peers that I knew this about. The administrations, the lawmakers? Also boomers. Remember this was all before Mandatory Reporting laws even existed. I have Gen X friends who are do fundamentally damaged by our childhoods- the stories I can tell you would fry your brain- and we lived in a time where it was not unheard of for grown ass adults to lose control of a classroom entirely, or even JOIN IN with the bullies because they were afraid of/intimidated by some of these students; and even common for authorities to not even question marks, bruises, unusual behaviors, and even direct requests for help of innocent children. Don't get me started on bullying of disabled or neurodivergents like myself. I'll stop now.
I was in high school between 2006-2010, and I’d have to say that things were pretty harsh for me and my fellow goth friends, but we lived in a place that was pretty far behind in cultural norms and was very conservative.
Attended high school from 2005-2009 and I can attest to the same. There was absolutely no acceptance and you'd get yelled at by grown adults from their cars while you walked home. If it was a group of older boys from the township over, they'd actually pull over and try to hit you with food or something.
Alexis G Yeah, I think depending where you are it’s not easy being different. I was beat up, ridiculed, mocked, threaded to be killed, told to kill myself, had food thrown on me, my clothing damaged in class or stolen to likely be thrown away, called horrible things by both kids and adults, etc.
Funny thing was me and my group of friends were actually all lovely people and were always being complimented on our politeness by people who took the time to be a genuine human being back. We also picked up trash around town for fun and always gave our spare change to the homeless. 😅🤷🏻♀️
I was in middle school 2004-2007 and high school 2008-2012; it was still very much like that. I was called horrible names, beaten, things thrown at me, told to kill myself, and suffered so much abuse. Now its become mainstream, funny thing those people that bullied me act like nothing happened and pretty to be all accepting towards goth. We already get enough crap from the outside world, we don't need it from elitists!
Ayla Zelana Grebiel exactly!! I feel like 90’s goths feel like they went through more for some reason? Very elitist. I mean I like the poster of this video, she puts out great content and is overall accepting of all types of goths in all stages (I believe in a video she even mentions that you should be nice to baby bats). I just think it’s easy to feel like your own struggles are the worst cause you went through them personally.
Honestly I'm still in school (senior in highschool) and I got pretty relentlessly bullied through elementary and middle School for being goth. Not as bad as what was shown in the video but I was severely ostracized by my peers and made fun of I'm just lucky it was never physical but it really hurt my self esteem.
I'm surprised more goths didn't get into MMA, Muay Thai, Jiujitsu etc. I was bullied at school because I was a skinny asthmatic kid with Asperger's. My reaction, start pumping iron, join a kung-fu club where 90% of the time we sparred, bare knuckle, no pads. When we got injured we bled, then when the bleeding stopped, if we could still train we trained. It was harsh but it got us very used to fighting, used to being hit, and gave us an incentive to get our blocking right. By the time I was 16 I'd punched a bully in the throat and severely bruised the spine of another. They stopped bullying me and started avoiding me. I never picked a fight, but I ended enough to make them stop.
@@wanderingoryx3710 No anger issues. The guy I throat-punched was mid-air, trying to jump on my back so as to face-plant me into the asphalt. I'd heard him, pivoted to the right & caught him with what was intended to be a block. The other guy was, admittedly an exercise in percussive instruction. I'd had months of him & his mates, & it got pretty bad at one point. I won't go into it but it was thoroughly deserved.
@@wanderingoryx3710 Sometimes, you have to make a point. When literally everyone targets you, isolates you, treats you badly and generally makes your life hell you have to fight your own corner. Outsiders rarely start the fights, but we sure as hell end them. Going around picking fights? Yeah I'd agree those people have issues. Defending yourself and others who for whatever reason can't? That is just following natural instincts.
@@wanderingoryx3710 Of course that is a possibility, that is always the issue with the internet. People can claim to be great and justified but then turn out to actually be awful. Acting and creating a desired images behind a keyboard is always easy. I guess it is possible that I try too hard to see the best in people and assume they are being truthful.
However, if we take the comments as they are put to us originally by Skia then it is understandable to see why they would think it is best to defend themselves physically if they are being threatened.
@@wanderingoryx3710 Your attempts to imply you have some moral high ground are laughable.
@@wanderingoryx3710 It's not anger issues to defend yourself. Violence can be justified.
I've also noticed a lot of this goth-on-goth bullying online and it doesn't make any sense at all. And people are so scared of confronting these bullies because they don't want to lose followers on social media or whatever.
What I've also noticed a lot is that people who dress goth but have no clue whatsoever about the subculture are going after those within the subculture with "You're not goth enough because you wear too little makeup" or stuff like that.
I got attacked by these kind of people who claimed they're goth due to their style because I spoke up when someone talked about discrimination against people who dress differently due to belonging to other cultures/religions than the Western world, and in the same they were thinking that goths could just take off their freaky clothes and makeup and look normal if we don't want to be discriminated. That's just hypocrisy, and I don't understand how someone who dress alternatively themselves can approach such an attitude.
@@wanderingoryx3710 I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I buy my makeup and clothes in regular stores. Were you referring to something in particular in my initial comment? :)
@@wanderingoryx3710 Considering its roots, yes, it's originated in the Western world, but goth is not tied to any culture or religion. You can be goth and in the same time embrace any other culture. I'm still sincerely wondering though if your question about where I buy my clothes and makeup had anything to do with my original comment or if you just wanted to know? :)
@@wanderingoryx3710 I'm sorry, I don't understand.
Tania I totally agree , I’ve seen so much goth on goth bullying online lately
Wandering Oryx Lol your lame attempts at trolling are laughable
Enjoyed this video. Everyone looks so fresh-faced and young. Lol. It's funny when I reminisce about the '90s. I was a goth in Atlanta. You didn't need a faceful of piercings, tattoos, and black clothing. You were a freak just for dying your hair bright colors. You're looking good btw. I hope things are well. 💜
Gothic SoulFlower The Chamber/Club Fetish at Masquerade?😎
@@LareesieAlice In Spain at the same time I never experience those religious-bigotry comments. It ´s a predominant christian-catholic country, but people here mind their own religious bussines in privacy. But if I were to receive this coment i´m sure I would answer some like ¨Maybe, but I´m not sure about you...¨ Then left. Well, I´m atheist, that kind of crappy attempt of judge me out of the blue wouldn´t mind me at all, but is more funny to leave them thinking about their rudeness turning towards them.
@@LareesieAlice That's really funny! I'm in Southern Cali too but I'm a Christian Goth. So when people tell me "Jesus loves you" I pull out a Christian track, hand to them, and say "And he loves you too." Or sometimes I have my Bible with me and I'll flash them with thE WORD OF GOD
Interstellar Fool that's amazing 😂
I was a called a satanist for wearing black nail polish
The "normal" people always scare me. Being transgender, and goth, made me a double target. But it also meant that I had to learn to be stronger than they are, to be better than them. Listening to Voltaire trying to explain goth to someone whose prejudices just got blown up makes me remember that era. Columbine shocked people, and anyone who was different was now regarded as a potential mass murderer. I also remember Marilyn Manson having to defend himself-well-from accusations that his music influenced the killers.
Today, it's easier to be goth, or transgender, or alternative. But there's always someone who decides that you're somehow a threat to "normal, Gawd fearing Amuricans" and tries to legislate us back into the darkness. So, enjoy your freedom, but be vigilant and proactive.
❤
I’m a normie you have nothing to fear from me so long as you’re not a devil worshipper because some goths do do that. I will always fight the devil
🖤🖤🖤
My 1st love is the person who made me goth. I remember the day I first saw her, the day she entered the class and automatically everyone called her a freak because she was a 'satan worshiper' which was far from the case. I defended her right to dress the way she wanted and I told her that she was beautiful. We became friends and much to my parent's reluctance I slowly became a goth. But because we were in middle school we didn't go to any clubs or parties because they weren't in our area (A little town that has the affectionate nickname as the sister city to Compton) and I remember going to her house and watching The Craft, The Crow, and other movies that she loved and she even did my make up and even helped me with my clothing style (I've always been a bit heavier but she made it work for me.) She got me into all the goth music, we did everything together and unfortunately like all goths in the 90's we were targeted. While we weren't a couple, everyone would call us lesbian freaks and other terrible things but we ignored it and of course, the rest of our friends in our group were targeted. One day a huge group of students (around 20-ish) ganged up on us and had what they would call a lynching party. We didn't fight back because we were outnumbered and we would get into trouble if we did. We got suspended and sent to the hospital. My 1st love's injuries were so bad that her parents removed her from school and I wasn't allowed to ever see her or contact her. To this day I wonder if she remembers me, I wish I could have told her how I felt and thanked her for shaping me into the woman I am today. Watching this video and a lot of your videos about the hardship resonates with me so deeply and it brings back terrible pain but also beautiful and treasured memories. I'm glad that times have changed, I'm glad people are willing to accept and even learn but they will never understand the fights, the struggle, the pain that you and a lot of us went through back then. Sorry for the long story, it's just something I needed to get off my chest.
Thank you for your service in the early goth days 👏🏻 us young goths can’t forget our history, it’s important.
Goths bullying goths is a big trend right now. Especially people making angry rant videos about other goth RUclipsrs for making Haul videos is getting ridiculous
Then there's the fake goths *coughs*SNIPPERWOLFONTWITTER
If you look at his other videos, he does a really good job at complaining and shitting on other people who've done nothing to him in general.
Caitlin Halliday you give off the same vibe as the people tiffany are mentioning (not saying sniper is goth idek who says that)
@@rachelfourie9083 really. Which videos I wanna watch them
That's because Goth is a MUSIC based subculture, not a fashion haul.....
Voltaire has always been so well spoken
Y’all paved the way to make goth more acceptable, bless you
In the 1990's and 2000's I was in middle school and high school. Middle school in the late 1990's and high school in the early 2000's. I got into a lot of fights because everyone was always saying I was a freak who was going to shoot up the school. I was always having my note books taken away by the school authorities because my writing supposedly "incited violence". After awhile my step mom banned me from wearing anything that would be considered goth. She said it was Satanic and was tired of me getting in trouble in school. Even though I was the one being attacked. So yeah I completely remember these kind of things
it breaks my heart because here I was thinking that your generation, the one that went to middle school in the late 90s not the late 80s like me, i had assumed had it easier. Well, at least you have mandatory reporting laws and you can get authorities in trouble if they don't protect you. There are consequences for them now.
I suffered a prolapsed anus because of the abuse I suffered at the hands of so called “goths”
*1990s *2000s. Punctuation matters.
Really cool to see your own transformation! Thank you for sharing this!!!
That audio is killing me!
@@angelabenedict It's fine! You're a perfectionist(and that's perfectly okay). This was a very intense video, I wasn't expecting the animosity to be of this proportion. But yeah, Columbine really fucked up our reputation in my local area at the time. This may be my favorite video of your channel so far. Very, very fucking well done. I was moved.
As someone raised in a super accepting community in the 00s it completely boggles my mind how difficult it used to be for alternative scenes. My parents dislike anything dark or seemingly occultish (So I usually have to have a more subdued style) and people tend to be surprised that a black person can be into any sort of alternative music but I don't really have to deal with anything worse than that. It makes me wonder if I would have had the guts to be openly goth in the 90s, but I probably would been a bit tougher than I am now anyway.
Im not a goth but I've worked in the music industry for 20 years and everything she is saying is true.
I started watching your videos recently, and although I'm not a goth myself, I do have a great respect and appreciation for the subculture. And you, Angela, are a force to be reckon with! I really like your videos, your content, your stories, your passion and devotion, and I really like you as a person. I can't say thanks enough for your videos... you really inspire me and I am always looking forward to hear and see you :) Again, thank you! You are beautiful. Keep going please and don't stop making awesome content that you do.
Greetings from Belgrade.
P. S. Has anyone ever told you that you bear a resemblance to Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil? :))
Jakob Langenberg in my opinion and I she probably gets this a lot but she kinda looks like wensday addams
We’ve come a long way since I was a kid, I’ll admit. but here in the southern United States a lot of people still treat goths like murderous satanists.
Important topic people forget. Thanks for reuploading! ✌️💀
I remember taking these pictures with roses, on the floor, wearing lace and cheap corsets (couldn't afford anything better). That's why I love your videos, they're like a trip down the memory lane, as we're similar age!
Being European, we didn't have problems like you did in school. We were hit on mercilessly by guys trying to get a "freak" girlfriend, but that's harmless in the general scheme of things. We had the whole "it's not Halloween, who's funeral is it" shouts but we were... Kind of proud of it? Always laughing it off. To us it showed we're doing something right. We weren't afraid.
My mom was cool with it as well, she was proud her daughters were going "against the grain" (my older sister was heavily into the black metal scene). Then again, groups like Him went no 1 in the mainstream charts (not goth, but shows a tolerance towards darker subgenres of rock by the general public, I think it was '99). Continental Europe was very different to the US and UK in that respect. Perhaps we were lucky.
Keep doing the great work, let's keep the 90s/00s look alive!
Angela-
Thank you for your videos 💕
-Fellow 90s Goth teen
Thank you for reposting. This info is so important for younger people to know, not just those looking to be part of the goth culture. Thanks for your personal experiences/story🙌💋
Thank you, Rachel! Its important to not take these things for granted. I hope I help those who needed it!
Greetings from the UK 🇬🇧 🤘🏽
As a former Goth(Now a bitter old man/upstanding pillar of the community) I’ve gotta say...I thought you were extinct 😳😄
Back in London, the scene died years ago. The music too. And I don’t see anymore “youth tribes” or anyone picking up the mantle.
Cyber Dog - empty. The Electric Ballroom - Now a venue for mainstream music. Vampire Bar, Ben Crouch’s - GONE The closest I get is attending fetish nights. WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE?
yeah i noticed in nyc i rarely see any goths around anymore, back in the 90s they were everywhere
jason newstead As it happens, I'm working on a book about the south London music scene and I'm looking at this question. The answers I get included increased brand awareness, greater lifestyle and consumer choice, the Internet has made everything part of the mainstream, corporate cooption of youth culture, to name a few. Even Fil Walters of Back To The Planet said that youth culture is very bland today, as did Angela Martin from Bugeye. She brought up social media turning us all into 1950s housewives too, projecting the correct image.
I have to admit I’m not surprised at your bitterness regarding your previous bad taste in clothes
They're at Slimelight.
Of herbs and altars talked about this too
Really? This is a re-upload from 2016 so I touched on it quite some time ago. I'm also going to re-upload my video from my experiences when The Craft was released. That was also originally uploaded to my channel in 2016.
I watched her video just now and thought about all of Angela's stories from previous videos. Its interesting to see the English vs American experience.
I love your pictures from the 90s, they bring back memories, I was born in 1981. Wow .."beat a freak week" is legit abuse even sexual abuse and those kids should have been arrested for that
Voltaire is so cool and well-spoken.
The dead French philosopher? He was exceptionally well spoken. The guy on the video on the other hand has obvious learning difficulties
It must be so weird to see nowadays how goth fashion is all over the mainstream. Everyone on trend tries to look goth. And to think all you actually had to go through💔
"Go make out with a nine volt battery!" Lol! I've laughed both times I heard it now.
I never got the trope in films where the "goth" was the freaky one, up until like the early 2000s I started seeing goths portrayed as the cool edgy kids.
I remember watching this when you originally uploaded it. Always loved your story time 🖤
I wrote an essay on hate crimes against alternative subcultures and I wish I found you while writing it! I would have totally quoted you.
"Beat the freak week" That gave me a bad feeling just hearing it. Geez
the school should address the psychological/community effects of having normalized violence towards certain groups of people on everyone.
Ahh, what I love this channel for: the stories. Even if it's a reupload, I'll listen again.
It's great that you shared these experiences. I remember some of the odd things that used to happen to me in school as well. I started delving into the Goth scene in Middle school and there was this school cop guy who used to harass me and the other alternative kids any chance he got. It was to the point where a parent had to go up to the school and get involved. That didn't stop it completely but it helped a bit. I was mostly the main target of his prejudice. In High School, I used to get people yelling things at me, pushing me, and verbal altercations in classes. When I walked home people used to scream, catcall, honk, and sometimes throw things at me from their vehicles. Stuff like trash, beer cans, bottles, cigarettes, and the like. I think it may have changed a bit thankfully but it's important that stories like yours are shared. Thank you.
I agree that people have become more accepting of goths but I've already had (some) crap happen to me because of the way I choose to dress and if this is good compared to what happened in the 90s and even the 80s I'm glad I wasn't alive during that era sheesh. So far I've had people whisper about me (school), had some chick call me a freak and had a physical fight with her (school), obviously some stares, and I can't confirm but I'm pretty sure a group of year 9s were laughing at what I was wearing. They would look back at me to see if I was walking behind them and they laughed pretty hard, I was blasting sisters of mercy so that made me happy. However the only person whose ever said anything to my face was the chick I got into a fight with and she's notorious for being a bitch anyway, perhaps people are scared I'll be a gOth KilLer and murder them if they insult me lmao? One of my friends was not so lucky, she's goth and had a group of chavs shout in her face "IT'S NOT A PHASE MOM" and they started to touch at her clothing. Wish I was there so I could have clocked those scum. People are so damn ignorant, if a bitch wanna look spooky how tf does that affect their lives? Oof
@@wanderingoryx3710 This happened pretty recently so I doubt they changed their minds. It's funny how upset people get, just because another person dresses differently and listens to different music. What babies
@@wanderingoryx3710 Upset, angry, annoyed, offended. I guess that's how they may feel if they react so horribly
Wow, Voltaire really handled himself very eloquently. Also, great video - the goth vs goth feud is so nonsensical..
I love Voltaire's news story interview
Oh this takes me back to my baby bat days in high school! The band that got me into the subculture was Sisters of Mercy and from then on, I discovered so much about the subculture.
Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
In high school their were not very many goths. I was made fun of for dressing alternative/freak style.I was the only mixed girl in the entire school that dressed alternative. The goths,and skater freaks were accepting of this. To be honest though I did not care.I listened to the music I resonated with,and dressed the part regardless,because I was in love with the aesthetic,and it made me the person I am today. Still love the style.😍
Voltaire was the first Goth I encountered when I was a tween and probably the most authentic Goth too from what little exposure I had as a baby bat. His music and incarnation in the online adventure quest world opened the lid to the Goth box but it wasn't til my late teens that I found post-punk and 80's Goth music. It was then that I truly understood what Goth was about and I think it's integrity is worth protecting .
I grew up in the witchy countryside of Pendle, in Lancashire, England. The only way I knew anything about Goth out there was by vague results from Google in the 2000s and visiting the one Gothic clothes and Wicca supplies shop in Burnley: Zodiac.
thank you so much for making this video!! i wouldn’t necessarily consider myself goth, but alternative. i wasn’t alive in the 90’s, but i take a lot of inspiration from the alternative style of that time period. it’s a lot better nowadays for alternative kids, but there’s still some discrimination that i face for my stylistic choices. it’s incredibly refreshing to hear you talk so comfortably about how you dress and it’s awesome that you stayed true to yourself despite the constant challenges. it reminds me that i’m not crazy. it reminds me that i am just as deserving as everyone else. i might look a little intimidating to others, but i am really a sensitive person that takes things very personally, and it’s hard to deal with the rudeness of others that don’t understand. thank you. 🖤
Goth and punk kids were so kind when I was in school,I don't know why anyone would treat them in a disrespectful manner.Oh and your absolutely gorgeous.
I actually watched the original video, yet here I am lol
Same!
I did too! Mostly wanted to read comments.
I didn't watch the original video or this one yet, yet here I am. LOL
Voltaire Is the best. I love that interview
Damn, it sucks that you had to endure this. I remember being in high school in the mid/late 2000’s and people calling me names and making crazy assumptions about me. Goths even had a designated area to hang out in our school. We’ve come such a long way only to have people within the subculture bully others. It’s a crazy world we live in.Thanks for sharing this!
I love this so much. We were in high school the same years. I was in the Deep South though in Texas. And yeah, there was a lot of hate. I tried to “fit in” as an adult… but I just can’t anymore. It’s all so plastic and fake. But, part of that was because I am autistic and I tried really hard to make it in academia. Well, I got my MFA, but, long story short, I trauma trauma trauma, and then no more. I won’t be someone else for everyone anymore. Love your channel. Xoxo
You didn't change one bit from your teen years. It's almost as if someone from the 90s froze you in time for 20 years.
Thank you!
Didn't have any issues where I lived. There was a nice group of us and we never got any shit for it.
I remember a kid following me through the halls pushing me for wearing black lipstick in 98. I tried to ignore him but he stayed behind me. I made it to my locker and opened it, him still behind me yelling freak, satan worshipper and I continue to ignore I reached into my locker and he kicked my locker shut causing a fracture to my wrist. He was expelled for it. However the judgement never stopped and as I got older only got worse. People are horrible
Oh yeah this was in Springfield Oregon
last year my aunt was talking to me about how interesting my style is and as soon as I uttered the word goth she started asking me if I still love animals and I was like yes of course??? She started telling me back in her day goths were satanists and would kill animals and I just stood there and was like.... No? Also when I was nine years old somehow I mentioned the word goth to my teacher and she kept trying to steer me away from it and my mom later told me its because she thought goths do a ton of drugs. People are ridiculous.
I'm the 666th viewer! Always nice to see how you grew up and how the scene was in the 90's, something most videos dont even or cant even recount!
As a gothic girl i suffered and still suffering the bully and centure especially when you live in a country u NOT allowed to be yourself...sorry for my bad English
"go makeout with a 9 volt battery"
Favorite insult. Glad this was in my recommende. o/
I went to a club called Confetti's in Salt Lake City Utah every weekend from 1992-1995, it was an incredible experience.
In Miami the goths and ravers would mingle. Mostly because both respective music would be played at the same clubs. We never had any issues everyone just mingled and had fun.
can confirm, my boyfriend ex raver from miami
Even though this video is old i wish i was in the 90s its batter then 2022 because in the 90s for goths there are so much to do yeah there was the beat the freak week but now days if you black and want to be goth it’s much harder because you’re black family would say why are you trying to be wite
And i hate that so much like im not trying to be anything but goth I love the
subculture its very beautiful and i love your videos because I know so much about being goth so I think you so much on what your doing
Thank you so much for the kind words! If possible, maybe you can point out to your family that the black kids was involved in building the goth scene just as much as the white kids. Also, show them this -- post-punk.com/goth-so-white-black-representation-in-the-post-punk-scene/
I am a middle-class, complacent white male with my happy life and my happy family...and listening to you talk about 90’s goth and your general viewpoints on life are just so spot on with how I feel on the inside, despite having conformed on the outside for a piece of the American dream. Love you! Hope you and yours are healthy! Thanks for making the nostalgia vlogs because they are food for my soul. 👍🏻
I really enjoyed this video. Your personal experience & the major societal perspective you spoke about during thie times makes it all the more eye-opening to the younger generation (such as myself).
I remember the 90's. The bands were better, the economy was better, weed didn't completely incapacitate you, I got laid a lot more often. It was great. I was long out of high school by then though, so I missed "beat the freak" week. Lucky me.
VOLTAIRE PREACH
I know I'm late, but honestly thank you for talking about the 'beat the freak' era, I remember that shit. I was going to school in the bible belt back when Columbine happened. In my area, almost immediately, a lot of the preppy christian kids organised their youth groups and started physically attacking mostly the girls in our groups. The teachers honestly knew about it and either did nothing, or encouraged it. Luckily for me, I was one of the weird punk rock guys that they were usually pretty hesitant to mess with. With the weight training and kickboxing I had gotten into, I had bulked up pretty good, I also had a pretty fucked up childhood and home life, which I usually dealt with by getting into fights, and I got into quite a few back then, sticking up for my friends, mostly. I'm Catholic now, but I still don't put up with shit like that when I see it, I'm just usually smarter with how I handle it. Usually lol.
Its good to see that you adress bullying and I think we should be alerted that it can happen anywhere and to anyone.
I remember all that. i didn't realize i was goth for many years after all that. I call myself country goth. it is amazin' to me how much the two attitudes have in common.
I was a freshman in HS in 2012, and that was the last time i saw goths. I wasn't goth but I was kind of sad to see that they were the last goths in my high school because I was always for the people who didn't try to fit in with mainstream just cause its mainstream. 2010s were a depressing period for me to be in HS. But oh well! Life shows you a more diverse world of people and their interests than hS ever will anyway.
Hi Angela. Very proud of you doing this! It's good to see how you are showing this for others to see the history. We fought to be where we are. We earned those tiger stripes! I was in high school from 1984-1988 and thank heavens I lived in California in the 1990s. Voltaire is awesome...its been aeons since I've seen that interview! give you Zenhugz!
See I love this. I got suspended from school, beat up, almost killed, glared at, when I was 11-14 in the 90's because of being goth and now its a tiktok trend. Strange to be around still and witness the shift in culture but I am no different now at 38 and I commend anyone that stuck to their guns.
Wow you are a perfect speaker, well met. Always goth! :)
Thank you i needed this tbh
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I am so glad you put this out there
Wow, I knew it was bad but not that bad; times really have changed. I am glad goths can be more accepted nowadays because I love Gothic fashion. This was a great video with a great message, subbed.
Goth is a MUSIC based subculture, not a "fashion"....
@@nightchild4468 I know what Goth is but there is such a thing as Goth fashion and while that may not be the primary focus of Goth it is my favorite part, personally.
thank you for speaking about this
Hell yeah the 90s you have to fight for a lot of what you believed in if you were considered the not normal. I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic and heavily gang cultured area. Me and my friends we were the freaks in our school, we all listened to everything from Gothic, Industrial, metal , and Punk. But we were continuously picked on year round throughout all four seasons getting harassed, having our clothes ripped and torn or any items we had stolen or broken, and even jumped for not looking and acting like everyone else in the community. But they never stopped any of us from enjoying what we really loved no matter how bad it got. I love who I am I stay true to myself , me and my group of friends are still just as tight and crazy as ever and I I'm glad you made this video so I can show this to you the younger Generations in my family maybe they can appreciate what they have a little bit more.
90s were tough. Being in Philly at the time, you really had to watch your back if you were punk, goth, metal etc.
Super fun to watch these reuploads...hadn't seen your videos for a while. Storytime is always welcome (even if we heard it before haha).
growing up I loved goths. They were so easy to open up to and so accepting of me and my emotions. I was cool with the popular kids and they always talked smack on the goths, and hated the facts that I hung out with them. My parents just today told me how they were afraid I was becoming gothic, saying I was wearing clothes like them. I guess without realizing I was becoming goth. But how could I not, they understood me it felt right. Today as a 28 year old I'm told I'm kind of like a hippie with a dash of goth. I believe this is probably why people come to me with their problems. They can feel I'm open to anything they need to say and not judge them. Goths taught me how to be a good, kind person. I love goths...real goths
Glad you re-uploaded 😊 always good to rewatch. I was bullied for being "evil" when I was a kid in PUBLIC school in the 90s and the teachers answers were try to fit in stop wearing black
As a Goth girl growing up in a rural small town where they don't like goth people is hard. However, going out on the town I usually get compliments even people asking if they could take pictures of me because of how awesome my Goth look is.
I've even had people ask if I'm in a metal band which I tell them yeah but it's mostly goth rock.
Bottom line is, no matter what people say do what makes you happy and I love standing out and being creepy like the crow or Elvira. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🕷🕸🕷🕸🦇🦇
My brother was a goth during those times and had a few goth friends and I would feel so bad for him because they would get bullied. The school didn’t really care about the goth, dark or/and different styled kids. I’m lucky I grew up and went to school in the present because they take that bullying stuff seriously and do try to help.
You are so amazing, thank you so much for making this video :,) 🖤I love you and I appreciate you for explaining to others the pain that we have gone through as a community and a subculture🖤.
I've watched this video before about 3 or 4 times just bc I love it so much, and here I am once again, watching the reupload lol. Love your stuff so much. 🖤
Kayla Steward 🐱
I love this. So much respect for the video, the message it conveys and for her.
Thank you. I was just talking about this. How tons of people would treat goths horribly. My argument was for those who say that goth fashion doesn't matter or there is no such thing as goth fashion or clothing. My argument is, it is also important to appreciate the fashion as part of the subculture. The way these people back then picked out "freaks" wasn't who they listed to. It was how we dress. You looked goth or like a "freak" dispite being treated just like you said because this did happen I grew up in NYC at the same time as you and your account is 100% right. But my point to the people recently who dismiss the fashion part of the scene is... if it meant nothing to us and nothing as part of the scene we would have dressed normal and not gotten beat up or harrassed. It is because it was part of us and part of the goth scene and is/was part of who we were that we weren't going to gove that up because of these people and I feel that it is more excepted today because of the goths who didn't give into what society wanted them to. So I feel that these people who like goth music but hate the style yet want people to still call them goth are kind if hypocritical. Now I know people can't dress it because of work and for the most part have everyday wear and club wear and now people think you aren't goth enough if your everyday wear isn't as extreme as your club wear. But this "clothing can't be goth because goth is only about music" trend that new goths seem to follow I find a little insulting to the goths who put on there clothing each day. Clothing that made them happy dispite knowing that those clothes were going to make strangers scream at you, call you names, and have people attack and throw things at you, and this wasn't a once in a while thing. This was multiple times a day every single day. Maybe it happened more being in NYC because you come in contact with more people in a day, but no one was going to make me stop dressing goth, and the goth clubs were like the one place where other people liked the same music and those people weren't going to beat you up or call you a freak and they would actually complement your clothing. So this dismissing of that side of the scene like it shouldn't be as least treated like it is part of it. I agree that you have to like the music, but I feel that you have to like the fashion too even if you don't wear it. Respect the things that other goth went through who did wear it and the people who act are pushing that fashion isn't or can't be goth need to stop putting false information out there and disrespecting the scene and what goths have gone through.
Sorry, went on a bit of a rant, but I figured if any one understood what I mean it is you.
It’s amazing actually seeing someone talk about this kind of thing, someone who experienced these things. I knew it was rough. But I never imagined to that extent. Seriously, "beat the freak week“ I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like to go through or how schools would handle something like that, now.
I honestly think one of my professors was goth at some point or another. He commented on my Cruxshadows shirt when I wore it one day, and he mentions Voltaire quite a bit, citing him as a goth musician when he does. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the effects of discrimination first hand as a goth. Of course, it's nothing I'd ever have a full discussion with him about, but it's kinda cool.
You and I are around the same age and I remember the struggle of being the weirdo in school! It was nowhere near as bad as beat the freak week but I’d always get abuse shouted at me about it not being Halloween and so on. I wouldn’t change it though, I can’t think of anything worse than being ‘normal’
90s.... We fought hard and broke ground in 1985! Thank you for keeping the good fight!
You kicked some serious ass - Thank you!