As I blogged for your delectation way back in July (sunshine? Remember that?) Goth is currently in fashion, and this is a source of much inner conflict for me. On the one hand, the fact that the likes of Vogue and Cosmopolitan are getting their Goth on is making me feel a bit scratchy, in an uncomfortable “well I can’t possibly approve of this, Goth isn’t supposed to be mainstream” post-hipster manner, but on the other hand, OMG so much inspiration!
So with Goth currently being cool, (don’t worry, it’s like a virus… it’ll die out soon) it was, I suppose only going to be a matter of time until the celebrity set, and I use that phrase very loosely, jumped on the bandwagon. So, here for your viewing entertainment, I present to you five “celebs” who are currently attempting to rock the Goth look, both the hits and the misses.
Rihanna
Rihanna worked the Goth glam for a photo-shoot earlier this year, and her styling in general for 2014 has included a hefty tip of the hat to all things dark, stark and Gothic, and I have to say, she’s probably pulling the look of with more conviction than most anyone else has managed. But then she is Rihanna, and to my mind, can do anything she fucking pleases.
Marks out of Ten: Eight
Katy Perry
Of all of the celebs who, in my opinion, really have the face and hair to carry off the Goth look with aplomb, Katy Perry is what I would class as near to the top of the pack. However, there is something about her that to my mind, makes her look like she’s wearing a costume or playing dress up whatever she wears, and her take on the Goth look is no different.
Particularly in the above picture, she looks (to me at least) very much like a Barbie doll dressed as vaguely Goth, and not a real person.Gothtopia isn’t loving it either.
Marks out of ten: Six
Justin Bieber
If you wince every time you read the name “Justin Bieber,” rest assured my friends that I wince every time I type it. Never one to miss a ride on the bandwagon, Justin (or more likely, the stylists and managers that pull his strings) have decided that a fucktonne of black pleather ticks all of the Goth boxes, and so the singing puppet has been seen all over the place dressed as such for much of this year.
Marks out of ten: Three
Kanye West
Kanye West is one shrewd businessman as well as being surprisingly on the ball where fashion is concerned, and while I don’t doubt that he has a host of stylists at his disposal, something about his strength of personality and general presence lend a definite air of conviction to his Goth look.The KanyeToThe forum have been discussing this Goth-rap fusion, and whether this will encourage more people of colour to try the look out too.
This one is a win for me.
Marks out of ten: Eight
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus, the over-entitled shitshow baby that everyone loves to hate actually has a reasonable amount of history of working the Goth Lite look, as can be seen in this older picture of her (below) when she still had hair and wasn’t quite as annoying as she is now:
And if she was left to her own devices and you know, not famous worldwide for being generally awful, I reckon the spawn of Billy Ray might actually have gone the Goth route all on her own. However much as is the case with The Bieber, her current deliberate Goth look is over styled and rather soulless, and I can’t fully get on board with it.
Marks out of ten: Five
What celebs have caught your eye with their Goth stylings this year? Tell me in the comments.
