“Conforming to the Nonconformative”: Goth Culture at Penn State
Open Access
Author:
Benedetto, Courtney
Area of Honors:
Journalism
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Russell Frank, Thesis Supervisor John R Affleck, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Goth subculture acceptance Goth culture makeup death macabre nonconformity identity community inclusivity
Abstract:
Goth. It’s a subculture identified by black clothing, black makeup, somber music and all things dark and dead. From an outside perspective, Goths look scary, unapproachable — anti-society, anti-establishment, anti-you. From my four years of studying journalism, I learned that people aren’t always who they are perceived to be. And with my own familial ties to the Goth subculture, I wanted to get to the bottom of who these people are and why they love their counterculture. This journalistic work follows one of Penn State’s newest clubs on campus: the Goth Club at Penn State. Each club member has their own story, yet they are united in their shared love for the macabre and each other. My goal with this thesis is to introduce the world to a group that seemingly wants attention by being different and defying societal norms. Who are the Goths? What do they stand for? These college-aged Goths may affirm or deny preconceived notions of the subculture, but their stories are full of twists and turns and contradictions. Follow me on my journey to understanding what it takes to exist within a dark and mysterious subculture on a college campus that already has its own cult-like traditions.
