Feeding off each other?: the relationship between the dress style of the lived Goth subculture on-street and that of Gothic characters on-screen

Abstract

The question often arises whether the dress style and taste of an on-street youth subculture are represented on-screen. To investigate the existence and extent of such representation, this study investigated the dress style and taste of the Goth subculture and the representation thereof on-screen. A selection of eight films was analysed to determine whether what Gothic characters wear on-screen, is representative of what is found in Goth wardrobes. The possibility exists that on-street Goths feed off the style of Gothic characters on-screen. Chapters are devoted to the origin of Goth as a subculture, the current Goth dress style as seen on-street, the various hybridisations of Goth, followed by an analysis of the selected films. The study concludes with the indication of links that exist between what is on-street and what is on-screen.