Corporate Goth - An Analysis

@thisisryansframe

One of my favourite outfit trends right now is corporate goth. Even if I don’t consider myself a goth, I love that being tattooed and dressing hauntingly is being normalised.

Which got me thinking, why I have been resonating with the latest alternative look?

Let’s start with the basic: I work in an office. Obviously it’s not surprising I would gravitate to a trend that is tailored (pun intended) towards girlies that listen to heavy music and spend their disposable income on  chunky platforms. Some of my favourite creators being @Yung.Planet and @Aussiedomxo whose styles have heavily influenced my own as of late. But it’s more than an aesthetic that seems to be drawing people in.

Personally, I feel my best when I dress the part. Dressing in all black with my Sinclairs brings me comfort (metaphorically speaking, I still haven’t broken in my Docs after two years). Even if my outfit isn’t recognisably goth, I still feel a sense of myself while sticking to my workplace dress code. As someone in her early twenties I’m still experimenting with my style, but this is difficult to do in an office environment. Subseque, the popularisation of corporate goth makes someone like me feel like I can still experiment without have to be outwardly heavy with makeup or clothing like more historic goth styles. Hell I only figured out how to wing my eyeliner two years ago.

But, it’s more than the look. It’s the reassurance that I’m not the alone in working 9-5 in a community that prides itself on going against the system. That while I don’t have a particularly exciting job to others, it pays for a lifestyle that I enjoy. Acquaintances I’ve met through gigs will often tell me that they pulled an all nighter on a Wednesday night or camped all day of a Monday for artists I love. For someone like me it’s not feasible. There has always been a sense of envy that I’m missing out on experiences that seem so common in this community. People so close to my age group too. But not everyone has a full time job, usually these friends of friends are university students or still live at home with family. I’m neither of those.

And finally, my last thought on the popularity of this trend: Stability. Everyone knows the alternative community is viewed stereotypically as ‘chaotic’. Mosh pits aren’t exactly to everyone’s taste and not everyone wants to look like they’re dressed for an Addams family reunion. Someone like myself has always valued structure, I like knowing all my plans are colour coded on my calendar.

Who knows, maybe everyone just loves an all black outfit with tattoos to accessories.