Subculture Exploitation Without Representation

                                                               (Image via Pinterest.)

 

The other day I stumbled upon a Zimbio slideshow titled “The Most Goth Movie Characters Ever.” I'm always on the lookout for subculture representation in media, so I was intrigued. Unfortunately, the article turned out to be a little misleading. I was expecting a comprehensive list of film characters who actually participated in the goth subculture. Many of the characters listed live in fantasy or sci-fi settings where their morbid sense of style, while it might appeal to goth viewers, is not really an act of societal rebellion. For example, the article included Professor Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange from the Harry Potter films, Trinity from The Matrix, and Darth Vader.

The slideshow also includes characters who are depicted as participating in an alternative lifestyle, and yet cannot be considered goth because of their lack of choice or understanding. Wednesday Addams would fall under this category, because her whole family is completely unaware that their lifestyle is anything other than ordinary. (Morticia Addams, oddly enough, doesn't appear in this list.) The same goes for Edward Scissorhands, because his aesthetic was chosen by his creator.

                       (Peg and Edward in Edward Scissorhands. Image via huffingtonpost.com)

A lot of characters on this list weren't really goth in any sense of the term. Ramona Flowers of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, for example, has an extremely colorful wardrobe which, while alternative, isn't goth in the slightest. The same applies to Amelie of Amelie. She may be strange, but that doesn't make her goth.

                                       (Ramona Flowers. Image via scottpilgrim.wikia.com) 

What I concluded from reading this list is that there seems to be a misunderstanding between character designs that borrow from the goth aesthetic, and characters who are actually portrayed as participating in the goth subculture. A lot of the characters listed in "The Most Goth Movie Characters Ever" have great style, but it would be nice to see more characters that actually represent the subculture.