Aesthetics as Self Identifiers and the Death of Subculture

This is my first analysis video about something that has been on my mind for a while. Not bashing anyone's personal style, just bringing up the opportunity to ask why, and now what.

ABOUT ME:
what’s poppin! I'm Becca + i like fashion, movies, art, technology, and science. they're more closely related than most people realize. if one of my videos makes you smile, let me know💖

Sources:

THE AESTHETICS OF PERSONAL STYLE: THE INTERACTION BETWEEN

Goth: Undead Subculture by Michael Bibby

for exposure: #euphoria

[kamsiyonna]

My favorite part is "learn who you are as a person and then decide how you want to look later". It's something I am still learning to do know. I primarily thrift and its so easy to fall into looking for trends at the thrift as well. Also wanted to mention if anyone one else went looking for the mycelium leather the artists name is Aurelie Fontan. I misspelled it as well searching and couldn't find it at first.

[enVschat]

“Goth” fashion was inspired by some of the looks by the early bands such as Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Cure, Bauhaus, and Sisters of Mercy. That being said Goth is a music based subculture so if you like goth music you can be goth. I wear a lot of black but they are just regular shirts and jogger sweatpants. I don’t like fishnets, chokers, teased hair, or eyeliner. I wear eyeshadow but I am not going to dye my hair black or paint my face with white paint. I do not want to “look like a goth” because why should I feel forced to look a certain way, I am goth because I love the music. If I have any advice it is to allow yourself to just like things, don’t make one thing your identity, and fashion wise you can take and leave aspects (not counting cultural appropriation).

[m.b.]

It’s just sad that nowadays, many people no longer have their own personal style to present their identity. Now, we see people dress in different types of ‘aesthetics’ that they feel like they have to follow if they’re into it. My stand is this: you do you but if it’s taking over your life and impacts your time, mental well-being and money, let it go.

Thanks for speaking out about this, it was an excellent video! At this point we’re just thrown into a category based on our ‘aesthetic’, just like those “personality tests” and “zodiac signs”.

[qsm]

[laughs in goth while watching this]

if goth is dead, i guess i need to tell everyone at the monthly goth night i go to that always gets packed out. don’t look at a few egirls and conclude an entire subculture is dead because of that

[selenastratsukino]

For example, in japan, jirai kei is popular rn. It's based on runaways that ends up in kabukicho, most drink until late, take drugs etc. Basically misfits in depression (i sound rude sorry). People use it as an aesthetic but the origin is very sad and it isn't just a style.

[milk]

it paints me to see how "self expression" has turned into what it is currently. since a very young age ive been drawn to the punk and goth subcultures, studying their history, listening to the music, and participating in the communities. this has also led me to diy my own battle jackets and crust pants, and buy clothing pieces and accessories and such by small artists and fellow punks/goths. ive also been very into alternative japanese fashions such as lolita, decora, cult party kei, and i like to combine my interest in all of these subcultures and styles and play with them to create outfits i feel comfortable in and reflect who i am.

i definitely feel like my passion and connection to these subcultures and styles is definitely influenced by the fact that i am gay, trans, and autistic. my mere existence and experiences are outside of the norm of most of the world, so i am naturally drawn to these outside expressive groups, styles, and music. like they were made for me and for my comfort, compared to the norm that tries so hard to push me away and make me feel discomforted. seeing these subcultures being twisted into money printers for crapitalism and being eaten up by consumers who dont know where these things come from is so hurtful.

[mery]

I dont know what the hell is going around.
I think self style has lost completely to a type of aesthetic. As a hip hop lover, this type of Y2k aesthetic, tattoos, dye hair, baggy clothes and lots more… Is just the same for every one. I see every R&B, trap, soul artist look very similar.

Other thing that i dont understand is the facial and body surgery. It seems in 2022 every one wants to be a bratz.

I Love your talk, thanks for sharing 💜🍓

[otmlpnk]

i think you just materialized a thought i was really stuck with - personal style and aesthetic are separate. i started feeling a little pressured to dress and be perceived as my aesthetic and the more i tried to adopt the aesthetic, the more i felt like an imposter.. which took the fun out of the creative subculture. not falling into that again — especially for social media clout

[carowolff]

I can admit that aesthetics can help lead someone towards finding their style, but it can also lead to a conformist path. I've seen people feel inadequate or confused because they cannot find "their aesthetic" or they like many aesthetics and cannot chose which one to settle on. The belief that one needs to stick within a single ridig style is too prominent. I think we need to teach adolescents that they are allowed to cross the lines and combine different styles so they can properly express their individuality

[hellothanksforbeinghere]

I feel sorry for young people trying to explore their identity through fashion because they grew up with the super confusing social media landscape. I think they're just as susceptible to the societal, cultural and political antagonists that people before them faced. I think they also face a whole lot of scrutiny about the way they dress too which isn't fair imo. I admittedly watch a lot of these young YouTubers and they have kinda glossy lifestyles but they seem super fucking lonely and i kinda feel for them. Not to say they're all victims but they've just grown up with a different set of rules / tools for self- expression (as you've so cleverly put in this vid!). I feel really old writing this lol. Anyway thanks for making the brain do a bit of thinking haha. Great vid.

[keepskes]

one reason I had to stop using tiktok was because of this. i’ve always used my clothes as a form of self expression, but for years i didn’t have a strong sense of self to express. the peak of feeling insecure in my sense of identity coincided with me buying into tiktok microtrends the most, and it was negatively affecting the way i thought about fashion and engaged in consumerism. once i started to come into my gender queerness and regained confidence in who i was, i started to just buy and wear things that i felt the most myself in, not just what i thought looked cool (i’m not above being Influenced tho, sometimes i just actually really fw what happens to be on trend). i try to tune out tiktok because, even if what i’m wearing is microtrend #8 of the month, it’ll still feel personal. i don’t need the algorithm to push some random style on me that fast fashion + vintage resellers are going to capitalize on heavy… this video was really really great btw :)

[connie]

This was suchhhh a good video! It's really interesting, and I'e notice on platforms like tiktok that there are a lot of videos pushing back against the way we view subcultures as aesthetics in relation to the last few years- I've noticed in the alternative area (ie. punk, goth etc) that there's a lot of upset towards people that are now looking back on when they tried 'e-girl/alt' for a year with shame, it's upsetting to see people use it as a a trending aesthetic as you said, only throw it away when they're done with it, ignoring the actual history and people behind it. I think especially with younger people who have less of a sense of identity, aesthetics are a way to try out different aspects of yourself, but it's being done from a superficial perspective rather than being introspective and genuinely considering who they are as people.

[annabowden]

I don’t think subculture is dead I think we fall into the failure of realizing that truly being apart of a subculture is to be apart of them in real life. A lot of alternative subcultures are based in music and being apart of the music and diy scene is still alive. Online subcultures definitely fall into the pandering or vapid nature of being an aesthetic. But a lot of subcultures are real spaces on real life

[ZwarteKonijn]

As someone who is in the alternative/punk subculture, I think the thing that only bothers me is that such a huge part of punk and alternative styles is to thrift things, to not buy corporate, to dyi things, make things your own (even a bit of critique to the people in the punk subculture, who can be too absorbed with the look and music to realize the look isn't really that punk. It's the attitude and the mindset that's punk. I do think there are 'punk' looks out there right now, but it's not what most people think of with punk).
To think of what you buy. Not buy what's in at the next fast fashion store.


Besides that, I am kind of happy that the interest in the aesthetic/look, is what gets people interested in the subculture, and learn the history of it, where it came from and what it actually stands for. I've definitely seen the rise of people joining the subculture again. But it can still be weird because social media is so visually, a lot of people just think it's a look, not a subculture, especially for the people who aren't really interested in anything more than the look. I've definitely heard the same from people who are gothic.

But I do think the hypes around these aesthetics will die down in a while again for other looks.

[TheImaginaryCat]

This is a little bit of a nitpick and I'm not sure how this is viewed outside of the Nordics where I live. Here the japandi feels more like the continuation of the cultural exchange between two very different cultures that still somehow manage to share similar tastes and sensibilities. We find it intriguing so we blend the two, at least that is the attitude I've seen. More like a positive celebration of two cultures with different history but similar values than cultural appropriation of either.

[eleesiasportraits]

I'm happy the algorithm recommended you. This was a great video.

I think it is possible to find a subculture that you feel you identify with and actually want to engage with long term.
The issue is that if you are only looking to monetize or use the look/aesthetic to stand out from the rest (Ariana/ Miley/ Gwen), then you just hop from one 'look' to another without trying to understand the origins or the culture it came from. You don't ever admit that it's just a marketing ploy. You just act like this is 'the real you' (cough cough Akwafina) until it financially benefits you to change.

I think the people who truly engage with the cultures and subcultures won't be trying their hardest to seem like the 'face' of it. They just belong to it.
Meanwhile the people who want to stick with whatever is popular just bounce from aesthetic to aesthetic in an attempt to seem 'relevant' and 'interesting'.

[nayi]

i struggle with this because ive been into the cyber y2k late 90s new millenium since 2012 when it was popular in tumblr based off the music you listen to. im 23 now and i still love rave music im actually trying to become a dj. so for me my style has always been a direct representation of the music i like ixed together. my issue was when the cyber subversive basics, post-apocalyptic style came about and i was watching fashion videos about not giving into micro trends and i started having an existential crisis because now i was questioning if i was falling victim into the micro trend cycle. i then tried to reimagine my style but didnt feel myself. i stopped paying attention and kept DJing and focusing on my music again and naturally my style reverted back. ive experienced the wave of the cyber aesthetics come in and out at least twice in the last 5 years

[emilyonizuka]

great video. when I first started hearing about these aesthetics I thought it was so fun and pretty innocent. but then things seemed to just...get out of hand. it's like how when I was younger, you got labelled a goth, punk, skater, prep, nerd, scene, emo, etc. but to another level. on one hand, younger people are experimenting with their identities and sense of self and if this is one way to do it, cool. but it's also important to remember that it isn't everything.

[DeLaSoul]

As someone who has been into punk and post-punk since late 90's, I appreciate your clarifying of Kurt Cobain's place in the evolution of the genres (calling Cobain "grunge" is like calling Jesus a Christian... he was Jewish... and Cobain was punk).
I also appreciate you bringing up the impact of X-Ray Spex and Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Stooges, etc. Usually people say "sex pistols" and "the cure" and leave it at that.

Well done! You clearly did your research! 👏

[funkathrusta]

How do you only have 48 subscribers?! I am so excited to see what else you feel drawn to talk about and see you grow as a creator.