I idolized and crushed on alt girls growing up as a kid and teen [graduated in 2003]. Once I realized I could just... ***be*** that type of woman, it was a no-brainer that I'd *wanted* to be that way the whole time.
Besides. If one thing hasn't changed thru transition, it's that my favorite color is *still* black.
Even as a younger person graduated 2010 and this is still the case haha. I always loved the goth/emo scene before I even realized I was trans. I just loved the look, and I just find them those people more attractive. In my mind I guess I saw them as attractive, so I should be that to be attractive too. Plus just love wearing black it's slimming.
Graduated in 09 and this was my exact same thought. I lived thru the big Emo/Scene culture when it was thriving and always just wanted to look like the beautiful emo girls with the two tone hair teased out and a studded vest/ belt. It was through the punk scene later that I really broke the shackles of gender expectations and decided to just be who I wanted to be. But yeah Alt girls just do it better. 🤟🏻💛❤️🧡
That's exactly what I did tomboy though.. I was so jealous of them I didn't know why cuz I didn't know anything about trans back then in the old stupid days in my neck of the woods.. they were what I wanted to be I didn't even know it crazy right... 😊
Lots of non-mainstream interests and subcultures have a higher percentage of gay and trans people into them because, to put it bluntly, we’re already degenerates, so we have less deterring us from doing other things that might make us stand out—because we already stand out from much of cishet society.
Also: it’s just really cool.
I spent 30+ years of my life hating both my body and my clothing options. At this point I just want to feel good with myself and have fun.
This. I know that my style ranges from elegant to smart casual no matter my gender (I'm fluid). But when I'm fem I kind of just wanna experiment with something new and have fun.
It’s like black pirates! I always think that it was probably a no-brainer for a lot people of colour to become pirates back in the day. If society was already shunning you at best, and most likely enslaving you, why not join a life where you’re at least seen as an equal to others on the ship? There’d be nothing to lose in society anyway.
I remember being a goth boy as a teen and saying to my mates “god our clothing options are just so rigid you know, girls get so many more options!” And my friends being like “deadname, what the fuck are you on about?”
Shoulda known. I swear I thought all boys felt like that haha
One of the rare things I remember about my teenage years (dissociative amnesia) is that I desperately wanted two things: let my hair grow and be a goth.
But I found the goth style on boys awkward at best and repulsive most of the time. My best friend at the time was a goth girl, and we hung out with a bunch of others as well.
So, I wanted to be goth, but not a "goth boy"... and it still didn't click until like 15+ years later.
(For the hair thing, I remember asking my mom to let me grow my hair a bunch of times all throughout my early teens, and the response was usually a variation of "no, it looks dirty" or "no, you'll look like a homeless". I remember going as far as to want to get dreadlocks, just to be able to grow out my hair in any way. At some point, I stopped asking. Even as an adult I just pushed the hair thing so far away that it never came back until my egg cracked).
Same thing with me. When I told my parents I was transgender, my mom blurted out that I told her when I was 5 years old that there was a mistake and I should be a girl. I had forgotten about that, since she told me I was a boy and couldn’t ever be a girl and I’m sure I was heartbroken. Yes we forget bad experiences.
This is exactly what happened with me in (2013? 2012?) When i was 6 or 7.
I only remembered up until around 2020 again that i actually had multiple mental breakdowns, was mad at my mom for "her hormones being too weak, so i became a boy in the womb", and not really being able to sleep.
I didn't know/think it was possible in any way to change your gender, and my parents raised me very strictly against those thoughts, so i figured either i live the rest of my life in utter pain and misery, or i try to come to terms with it now and somehow get to enjoy life again.
WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT BURYING SHIT LIKE THIS WOULD EVENTUALLY COME BACK BECAUSE *NEWS FLASH* IT'S PART OF YOUR PSCHOLOGY, AND NOT JUST A RANDOM THOUGHT.
Honestly not standing my ground and being driven into this hopelessness by my parents, might be the biggest pain in my ass and regret in my life ever.
Oh god yeah this is right on the head of the nail with exactly my own thought process.
I admired all the alt girls in my life and wished I could dress like them and look like them.
When I would voice the idea that men’s clothing was too boring I’d always get odd looks from the boys around me.
After a certain point I just started hanging with only girls. I was close friends with all of the alt girls in middle and high school.
Eventually tho even that was ruined because most of them put distance due to them finding me or other men attractive and only seeing me as someone who would treat them like they’re only good for dating material and not the friendship I so desperately wanted instead.
We were all depressed and didn't always know why, but goth/alt music resonated with us and goth/alt girls made us want to be them. Plus a lot of us didn't conform to gender norms even before the egg crack moment, so we were treated as other/outcasts, which makes the "own being an outcast and make it look cool" subculture a natural place for us to gravitate to and feel comfortable in.
Ima be real as someone that's been goth since like 7 years old: most just think "goth is hot" or some shit and are not into the subculture or music at all.
It's sad but like 80% of people that dress alt are not in fact punk or goth.
I’m slowly transforming into what appears to be someone’s heavy metal aunt, but I’ll always have a soft spot for anti-racist, anti-sexist punks. I’ll stand with them any day.
Something about transitioning for me screamed metal band t-shirt quilt for the men’s band t-shirts of the past and leather jacket (ok, faux leather, I’m on a budget).
I know what you mean! I'm not yet at the point where I feel comfortable wearing femme clothing in public but even pre transition my wardrobe has been nothing but ripped jeans and more band t-shirts than I can count 😅
there are a lot of “closet emos” who would love to dress like us but are scared of judgement. we are already Trans so we aren’t worried about being judged for being an emo
This answer is one of the more specific and spot-on ones.
Source: Not MtF, but arguably transmasc and I often feel gravitated towards alt styles for similar reasons.
My gf and I are in the pastel and plaid and dresses menonnite style as 40 year olds. I never felt a sense of rebellion against society or my parents. A few times since coming out I have been at family gatherings accidentally duplicating my mom’s outfits.
My other two housemates are low 20’s and goth. Came from broken or abusive family backgrounds. The goth doesn’t mean higher likelihood to be trans but it is in the range of things that can be used to find ones self in the journey
In all honesty ive always been into metal and the color black, and i used that fact to be able to wear makeup before i came out, nobody questioned the fact that i wanted nail polish and eyeliner because it was just the vibe i had. Although im lucky because my mum is a metalhead too so she backed me up
In high school this is what always wanted to be but was too scared of approaching aesthetically. Even if it was something I could do while presenting male, I didn't feel like I could pull it off without being ridiculed. Now that I'm living as a woman like I always wanted to I have chosen to dress like the woman I always wanted to be.
Since we're already outside of the cultural norm anyway, we're more likely to embrace alternative things. Goth, emo, punk, or my own personal aesthetic oscillating between cottagecore and vintage. We're more likely than cis women to be poly, to embrace things like New Age and Wicca, to pursue unusual hobbies like cosplay, LARP, or ttrpg's ...
If you're going to struggle to be accepted by "normal" people anyway, why not join up with the "weird" people?
I can't answer for EMO, as I've been a goth since 1991. For me, it's a mix of intersections. I like the music, but also the 90s goth scene was gender fluid and Bisexual/pansexual. Making it a safe place for me to experiment with my sexuality. Plus 90s goth music was better than anything in pop circles at the time.
Very thoughtful answer. I didn’t put as much thought into it but that was very true in the 90’s goth scene. A big local gay club, Tracks, had a goth/industrial night in half the club and a rave night in the other half. In the middle was the bar you didn’t have to scream over the music at and a beach volleyball court - which predictably was goth vs. raver. Also, I remember a perky goth contingent that would insist on people enjoying themselves - “why are you so sad, are you goth or something? come dance!” Totally forgot it was the first place I wore makeup and women’s clothing in public.
I’m just a nerd/hipster. I live in Washington and we have a ton of trans women I see them out and about and honestly a lot of them have my style, kinda hipster kinda nerdy. I have met the more gothy trans girls, they literally were trying to get a weekly goth night going at one place. My ex does goth nights in a virtual reality space, she’s not a trans woman though but actually I bonded with her over industrial and goth music. I love music, and I love goth music… I just never got into the style.
Then there are the punks, I know more punk/dirty kids. I’ve been homeless, though rarely actually in the streets. My current partner who is also a trans girl, she was literally homeless almost her entire life. She rocks a mullet, terrible tattoos and I guess the style is called Oogle, bibs(they’re like thick overalls), mullets, trashy face and hand tattoos, folk punk. Despite the look she preferred metal over folk punk. The other homeless trans woman I knew was more goth, like a witchy punk goth look. But aside from her and the other group of kinda both trans girls, the styles I’ve seen are more hipster(in a nerdy way), punk and oogle.
They’re definitely a lot of styles regardless,
Can't help but reiterate: lots of us found/find goth girls hot, even pre-transition. I'd like to do a study to see how & if transbians' tastes in women pre-transition affected their personal style because it looks like that's incredibly common.
I wanted to be a goth chick all my life... When I became chick, the goth aesthetic *just didn't work for me*. I didn't expect being an angelic cottage core queen, but here I am!
Personally I really like the goth style and dreamed about being a hot goth girl when I was younger :3
Also, many shared interests, hobbies and even taste for music of mine are closely tied to Goth culture, I also love being able to be both Hot and degenerate, especially since my other goth friends can back me up :3
Goth was like the popular underground scene to highlight in media when I was growing up (in my mid-30s), with movies like The Craft, and The Crow highlighting goth influence, and any highschool-oriented movie always having at least one goth kid. Granted, it wasn't always quite "goth", and a fair bit of punk and metal culture got mixed in there, too, since hollywood rarely gets subculture representation completely accurate.
But it was sort of the "mainstream way to be the weird kid" in a way. A lot of us certainly felt like the odd one out, but never got the chance to *be* the weird kid, or never bothered to try because that was too much effort and time to invest in a "self" that wasn't even truly us at the time, so we take the opportunity now and draw upon our influences from growing up.
I don't consider myself goth, personally, and don't really think I could pull off the look even if I like it. Instead, I went more the route of taking pastel goth, mall goth, y2k, generic 90s punk, and e-girl and throwing it all in a blender.
We never got to have an emo phase as teens lol Same as a lot of cis women who are alt in their 20s. Parental repression, social pressure, etc. kept us from exploring that side of ourselves when we didnt have full legal autonomy of ourselves. Plus in your 20s/30s people just dont care as much. In some schools emos got bullied pretty mercilessly.
The fact that for a lot of us who didn't transition as kids, those were the aesthetics that were both cool and utterly inaccessible for us. Personally, I'm leaning into "suburban mom" as my aesthetic, but I can see the allure.
Had a goth gf. Loved how she looked. Love the music. Also like that there’s different styles of goth. (Had to stop dressing that way since my now ex bf didn’t like the attention I got) Going to start dressing like that again tho :>
Black is very slimming, and the style kinda thins the line between binary genders. I always had a dark style, and as a teen I would wear eyeliner, paint my nails, and even had a few pairs of women's jeans, long before I identified as trans
I blame goth girls in popular cartoons and TV shows like Raven from Teen Titans, Sam from Danny phantom, Lydia from Beetlejuice, etc.
There's always something about the macabre and the supernatural that has always caught my curiosity.
Between the ages of 15 and 16 I discovered punk rock and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
I don't trust goth or anything but I've always wanted to and as I continue transitioning, I will eventually update my wardrobe for that style
First off, Goth and Emo are *EXTREMELY* different, entirely different styles and music subgenres
Ofc you can be both, no gatekeeping in either community, but they're super different
anyways onto important stuff, a lot of us just really idolized people who dresses that way, it gives a bunch of us gender envy, and we like to emulate that style
Being goth is often associated with prominent eyeliner, which is an easy way to feminize your face. Moreover, the fashion often includes corsets, skirts, fishnets, or other clothes emphasizing a female-type figure and signaling that, or the exact opposite, flowy shirts and dresses, covering the less-typically-feminine shapes, hence why trans women may choose this aesthetic as a pass-helping device. Also goth girls be hot.
Source: Am trans goth girl
Because I'm into metal and that's a huge aesthetic in that scene. Getting gender envy from people and thinking I had a crush on people. Also, Shego from Kim Possible.
I saw people that were scene, goth, emo, alt, etc. as a kid. I thought it was super pretty and cool, and stood out in a nice way. It stuck with me. Now I'm a guy and still wear whatever I feel because clothes don't equal gender, unless you want them to. And a lot of styles are gorgeous.
Two theories:
1) a lot of us that figured things out later thought that we were experiencing crushes on the goth girls and then later realized it was gender envy, and are now living out a fantasy.
2) while we exist in all cultures and subcultures, we can be more us when those places are more accepting, and as a general rule, goth places tend to be more accepting.
I think it’s the same reason so many trans women are D&D nerds. They’re both subcultures that subvert traditional masculinity in a lot of ways and encourage you to recreate yourself.
I'm more of a grungy tomboy personally.
But I have to imagine it's because a lot of trans women, especially those in the 20-30 demographic, grew up in a time when that alt/scene/goth/emo aesthetic was pretty popular, that 2005 to 2015 time period.
It's living out an aesthetic we weren't able to partake in when we were teenagers, or younger adults than we are now.
In my case, I'm just following in my goth mom's footsteps :)
I can't really fully immerse myself into it though. I always preferred progressive rock to any other music, and horror stuff never was my forte. But the fashion is great.
I also really like the hippie look, kinda harder to find good stuff.
Being goth gave me a great way to wear skirts and other feminine attire, wear black nail polish, wear makeup, etc., and everyone just chalked it up to the goth subculture; older people in my life who may have been transphobic wouldn’t hassle me. For me, being goth brought decades of safety and allowed me to be myself before I was able to come out.
IMO I want to embody it but I dont think i look good in it - but I think its from those characters in tv shows growing up. Like Sam from danny phantom, Gwen from TDI, countless other examples.
Idk, for me I always loved the style, with some real life counterparts as well - always badass and confident
I was emo/scene kid, we all wore right pants, had long hair, painted out nails, etc.. they're a subculture that are already somewhat gender queer. It's only natural it would resonate with trans people even before those trans people knew they're were trans ( me being an example).
I feel you, I usually describe myself as pretty normcore compared to a lot of other transfemmes, in that I don't have a set style or dress very flamboyantly. That's not in a derogatory way at all, sometimes jealous with how interesting they present themselves over how plain I am, and it's less a confidence thing and more having the time, energy and skill to dedicate to my appearance regularly.
In terms of why, I would guess a lot of trans people spent a lot of time repressing their true selves and caring a lot about what other people thing, so when the shell cracks, it cracks hard, and they try lots more different things at once to dive into their new revelation, a bit like how most cis women experiment with fashion and identity as teens and young adults, trans women are just often later to the punch on this.
Another linked reason, and one I personally connect with and sometimes encourages me to dress or act a little 'weird,' is bigots are bigots. Anyone who's prejudiced against trans people will still be prejudiced whether they pass perfectly and look like the most homebody, conventional cis woman, or they dress and act like a dom goth mommy. If you're gonna stand out no matter what, you might as well do it with reckless abandon and do whatever the hell you like.
Tho why goth specifically, I guess it's cool and easy to style. Black goes with everything, even black!
Not any hate to goth emo trans girls BUT IKR???? I am like hyperr femme super girly, Like I am a barbie doll lol, probably a bit too close to a basic white girl but Oh well.
Again no hate :))
Because I had enough playing it small and hide my self. It was time for my internal fem to shine dark 🖤also being gothic adds fierceness to my personality and choices in life (positivily).
I was always an outcast, found comfort in alternative music and clothes and the darker side, was always melancholic. However had to supress some of these feelings and how to express myself when living as a guy.
Was always a bit emo but now after I came out I've stared leaning more into the goth style. It's just easier to make it look "grown up" in a romantic/corporate kind of way, where as emo tends to be more youthful looking, but I totally fuck with the emo vibe still!
I went from an emo skatergirl to a goth looking girl, but i'm definitely into both genres of music!
And I think in general these subcultures are way more accepting of "outcasts" and LGBT members so feeling part of the community is very easy.
When you need to fill out 25 years of girlhood you go straight up for the style that summarizes it all. Plus, any alt style is super representative of the trans experience. At last, when you spent the last 15 years fantasming about girls metal head you go straight for it when you understand that you are the girl metal head
I'd be curious to see how that breaks down age-wise. At 46 I look like the quintessential 40 year old divorced soccer mom who's only child just went away to college and is getting back out in the world.
Though I was wearing a black leather dress and black leather heels last night, but my aesthetic is definitely more pink and colorful than goth.
I wonder a lot about how our ages delineate our commonalities.
Was goth before. Still goth now.
It's that simple, to be honest. It's the subculture and community that raised me and transitioning didn't change that. If anything, it made me appreciate it much more.
Lots of people probably want to be goth but are too shy or self-conscious to try it. Once you've done something as scary as start transitioning, trying out a new aesthetic is suddenly less frightening.
How it was for me anyway.
Ah, yet another stereotype. If it was actually true that most tranfems are goth then I’d assume they are trying out different styles and vibes and fashion now that they are actually able to girl mode and be themselves :3
My parents were in the goth scene at it’s origin, I was raised into it 😅, but I definitely think that alternative self-expression and gender nonconformity go hand-in-hand
It’s a good style that lets u experiment with make up and feminine clothes in a way that cis ppl won’t get in ur face abt it. Also the fact that alt clothes are awesome in general and the music scene slaps.
Honestly, I think a part of it is the desire for visibility. The same way transbians also appear to be a majority of trans women even if they aren't: they are just the ones more likely to be openly trans/still a vocal part of the community because it is still a key aspect of their life.
Those that don't choose to present as alternative are also those more likely to be 'stealth'. An aspect inherent in them being 'stealth' is that we are less likely to see them. Moreover, from what I've noticed, many such trans women also spend less time.in the trans online community.
I mean i was shocked when i realize ive always desired-to-be/been dressing as i do now (power fem) since junior high. If i had to guess id say its a similar circumstance except theyre goth/emo/punk/etc.
For me I grew up as a skater kid/scene kid so as an adult it was the logical choice, especially as I work in corporate so corporate goth is my go to.
I also like that there are lots of coverups I can use, chokers , rings, bracelets etc that help me feel more confident..plus I'm a massive metal head and always have been so there's that too.
It was my way of telling off the bullies (incl adults). I also got away with grunge goth make up, clothes, accessories, and nail polish. Then when I transitioned I was addicted... I was always drawn to witchy things and I loved to piss off xtians. I also dabbled in Raver looks, cyber goth is a beautiful mix of both.
Broadly speaking alternative subcultures have generally been a safe space for lgbtq and gender non conforming folks, some variation of alt fashion is bound to be popular in every decade and there's also usually some crossover between alternative music genres and the nerdy hobbies a lot of us have.
For me I watched a lot of cartoons and other media with alt girl characters as a kid/preteen and I always found them cool in a way that I didn't realize was probably some type of gender envy. I got into post punk, gothic rock and related genres later on and the music and community around goth really helped in a lot of dark moments, plus it's just a great community thats been very accepting of me.
I would save pictures of alt/goth outfits for a while but only embraced the style fully when I started my transition in 2021, before that it was just band/anime t shirts, skinny jeans and maybe a flannel or light jacket. For whatever reason I just didn't feel comfortable expressing this side of myself pre transition (possibly due to a certain family member who abandoned me when i was 13) but I'm really proud of being at this point. I'm finally happy with how I look and present and it means a ton when people compliment my look.
Because it probably aligns with feelings of alienation and feeling unaccepted from society. Outside of that dark hair is typically always the most attractive look.
I don't think most trans women are alternative IMO. Most are just normies. I'm a goth. For me I just love the goth music and to a lesser extent the fashion. Goth and other alternative subculture have always strayed away from what's conventional. When it comes to music based subculture like goth it purely about the music and the way alternative people dress is thr whlay the music makes them feel more alive. I love goth music and the darker fashion is just a way someone can express themselves.
i think we do this a lot because we miss this in our teenage years? i was absolutely so jealous of goth/alt/scene presenting girls in middle school and high school and knowing i couldn’t look like that just killed me. i’d imagine it did many people. it’s important to remember that there’s many things we might want to wear because of our earliest feelings like this but when we dress like we wanted in middle school, we look pretty out of place. i find as trans women transition for longer we tend to dress more “age appropriately” but a lot of us love the styles we’ve chosen, for me personally i dress goth unless im going to work, but even then sometimes i do to freak out the old guys i work with (diesel tech)
A lot of goth and emo aesthetics are feminine or androgynous, for a lot of trans fem kids (like me) it was their first exposure to men who didn’t conform to masculine norms
I’ve always wanted to be a goth chick but I waffle in-between. Maybe I have imposter syndrome… IMHO goth is intimidating to a lot of people so it gives a layer of protection.
I think maybe because it doesn’t carry with it the expectations of mainstream beauty standards (which most of the time are dysphoria triggering) it makes it a safer style for trans girls to explore.
Goth communities are more accepting. It's easier to pass in dimly lit ethos. It's easier to pass in communities where heavy makeup is normalized. The long suppressed wish to dress well and elaborate can be expressed in goth communities.
As a high schooler I was able to wear women’s clothes and makeup and nail polish as an emo kid and no one ever questioned it .. it was a huge outlet for me in a few ways
I think what you might be missing is the core underlying nature of BEING goth. The term, and concept, comes from Gothic literature. The core of which revolves around being beyond redemption. A lot of trans people carry around a lot of self hatred, especially prior to transition, and would be drawn to this vibe.
Then of course there's all the other little things, the penchant for excessive fashion. The body shaping clothing. The makeup. The whole gender neutral feel of the entire subculture etc etc
I always thought I'd be a goth girl, turns out no, if anything I am the "plain" or more stereotypically feminine girlfriend to a goth girl (or boy or NB( I just love goth fashion))
I think it’s partially because the style is appealing to a lot of a dolls who have always had a kinda “bland” appearance pre trans. Graphic tee’s and whatever flavour of pants are trendy at the time.
And partially because the punk/goth/emo/metal/alternative spaces are generally more open to people going against the grain. The very thing that makes those styles cool to people is that it’s not typical and there’s really no way to do an alt style wrong.
Lord knows I’d be a goth bitch if I could but alas my body makes me solidly locked into over forest librarian territory
I love wearing the girlie stuff possible. Like dressing in all pink with 5" stiletto pumps. Then I'll wear black lipstick because the juxtaposition is just so satisfying as is the entire change in tone.
My style mirrors who I am. I am cheerful and charismatic. People think I'm hilarious and fun to be around. However, I know very few transwomen who had a happy childhood and an easy life. I've got PTSD and a no contact relationship with my parents. My style lets me express that while I act cheerful there is a contrast to that without me having to bring up my trauma.
We (we're plural, that means we're many in one body) aren't exclusively goth, altho at this point it's a rather common look for us. Getting dressed up as we speak.
More than anything, we want to have fun with presentation, we want to experiment with various looks. Goth is one such presentation we enjoy, it's so much fun and there are so many possibilities. We found a lot of really awesome clothes for it when thrifting. And it makes us feel powerful (combat boots ftw), and we've always liked black anyway (been a metalhead in the past as well). People will literally full on stare at us dressed as goth, which is great for when you just want to draw attention. Gone are the the days where we're just kind of a shy nobody that no one takes notice off, we *love* taking the stage and putting our whole selves out there sometimes! It's like we're announcing our queer as hell (and cute) ass is here and we're loud and proud. And it's pretty wild going out like this and then realizing people stare at you because you're hot (we can tell), especially when you're trans that sort of thing can be a wild confidence booster.
Some people get their tastes from their parents, some just associate themselves with a certain subculture, others might even just like it and think nothing else of it (which is my case)
I've seen trans women dressing all pink and white, it may be just because it's part of their identity, it's what they feel most comfortable using or for whatever other reason.
So, while I can't speak for everyone, the reasons could be that it makes them feel more confident about themselves, that it brings physical or even psychological comfort.
But that always depends on the person no matter what
I like to dress edgy, I don't care whatever name they give it, I see pretty outfit, I get said outfit and edge my life away.
Anyways, I hope that explains it
Stay edgy 🖤
I am a super conservative person by nature. Not politically, just in my own life, I have always had reverence for tradition, and hierarchy, and whatnot. My predisposition, when first beginning to transition, was to manifest my femininity in a very traditionally fem way.
What I have found is that society makes it very difficult to do that, and you get judged a lot. Goth/emo styles are more of a safe-haven (comparatively, everything still kinda sucks). They're inherently counter-cultural, or at least exist enough outside of the cultural mainstream that people are less judgemental because in presenting like this I don't subvert their ideas of ideal femininity this way, and it's already a non-standard they've gotten comfortable with existing.
My suspicion is that being goth/emo is one of the paths of least resistance for us to integrate in society, and so, transitioning being hard as it is, a lot of us end up presenting that way a lot.
Very good question.
I've always liked big chunky jewelry, wore mostly black, because simple, easy, goes with anything.
And things just easily fit into punk/alt.
Also, some girls really wanted to date a goth girl, cause they're attractive. And then they went "wait... I don't want to date her, I want to be her" lol
I dunno..
Im a goth trans femme..
I transitioned when I finally had enough of pretending to be a good cis head...
Now I'm me.. and bright colors are just totally not my style..
For myself, I have always had a goth/metal aesthetic. So for me it's just changing it into a femme version of myself. You do have a valid observation nonetheless!
Not me I wanna be a pretty elf girl druid that lives in the forest and talks to animals that arent inherently transphobic and will never leave my side, that and they are just majestic creatures aside from the predators like wolves and such.
yesterday off tiktok I learned Goth stems from Punk, and punk has a anti (being mean to people)ism thing, which include anti-homophobia aspect, so part of that alt mind set I guess fit.
Also makes the punk festival that I went to realising how nice so many of them were
I just always wanted to be a goth girl
So true! Since I wasn’t able to be a goth girl in my teenage years, I have to make up for that in my adult life
[удалено]
Same. Just finally able to live my truth :)
I idolized and crushed on alt girls growing up as a kid and teen [graduated in 2003]. Once I realized I could just... ***be*** that type of woman, it was a no-brainer that I'd *wanted* to be that way the whole time. Besides. If one thing hasn't changed thru transition, it's that my favorite color is *still* black.
I have many coler of clothes, but I'm always partial to my black and red dresses. I think it's a staple in any women's wardrobe!
This! I watched a lot of Fuse and MTV in the early 00s and the alt styled hosts always spoke to me in a way the others didn’t.
Tina Rina 😋
Even as a younger person graduated 2010 and this is still the case haha. I always loved the goth/emo scene before I even realized I was trans. I just loved the look, and I just find them those people more attractive. In my mind I guess I saw them as attractive, so I should be that to be attractive too. Plus just love wearing black it's slimming.
Graduated in 09 and this was my exact same thought. I lived thru the big Emo/Scene culture when it was thriving and always just wanted to look like the beautiful emo girls with the two tone hair teased out and a studded vest/ belt. It was through the punk scene later that I really broke the shackles of gender expectations and decided to just be who I wanted to be. But yeah Alt girls just do it better. 🤟🏻💛❤️🧡
I’m around the same age. Never had a tattoo before. Now a I want sleeves and gauges. It just feels right. lol.
I graduated in 2003 and I could have wrote this 🙂
ermmmmmm... ackshually,, black isn't a colour ☝️🤓
[🤓](https://youtu.be/Y0kdo9QWpKU)
That's exactly what I did tomboy though.. I was so jealous of them I didn't know why cuz I didn't know anything about trans back then in the old stupid days in my neck of the woods.. they were what I wanted to be I didn't even know it crazy right... 😊
🖤🖤🖤🖤 hell yeah sister
Holy shit this is literally me fr fr :)
Exact same way for me and i was BORN in 2003.
Lots of non-mainstream interests and subcultures have a higher percentage of gay and trans people into them because, to put it bluntly, we’re already degenerates, so we have less deterring us from doing other things that might make us stand out—because we already stand out from much of cishet society.
Also: it’s just really cool. I spent 30+ years of my life hating both my body and my clothing options. At this point I just want to feel good with myself and have fun.
This. I know that my style ranges from elegant to smart casual no matter my gender (I'm fluid). But when I'm fem I kind of just wanna experiment with something new and have fun.
Very well put. I fully agree.
It’s like black pirates! I always think that it was probably a no-brainer for a lot people of colour to become pirates back in the day. If society was already shunning you at best, and most likely enslaving you, why not join a life where you’re at least seen as an equal to others on the ship? There’d be nothing to lose in society anyway.
probably the best explanation, I love it
Goth = hot
Yes
Yep. This is how I feel. Goth girls look good and I think I look better goth.
Because being a goth boi was not nearly as fun and we missed out because we were the wrong gender when it was cool. :p
I remember being a goth boy as a teen and saying to my mates “god our clothing options are just so rigid you know, girls get so many more options!” And my friends being like “deadname, what the fuck are you on about?” Shoulda known. I swear I thought all boys felt like that haha
One of the rare things I remember about my teenage years (dissociative amnesia) is that I desperately wanted two things: let my hair grow and be a goth. But I found the goth style on boys awkward at best and repulsive most of the time. My best friend at the time was a goth girl, and we hung out with a bunch of others as well. So, I wanted to be goth, but not a "goth boy"... and it still didn't click until like 15+ years later. (For the hair thing, I remember asking my mom to let me grow my hair a bunch of times all throughout my early teens, and the response was usually a variation of "no, it looks dirty" or "no, you'll look like a homeless". I remember going as far as to want to get dreadlocks, just to be able to grow out my hair in any way. At some point, I stopped asking. Even as an adult I just pushed the hair thing so far away that it never came back until my egg cracked).
Wait dissociative amnesia is a thing?
I was thinking the same thing. Is this why I remember so little of my childhood?
It's pretty likely.
Yes. Unfortunately.
Same thing with me. When I told my parents I was transgender, my mom blurted out that I told her when I was 5 years old that there was a mistake and I should be a girl. I had forgotten about that, since she told me I was a boy and couldn’t ever be a girl and I’m sure I was heartbroken. Yes we forget bad experiences.
This is exactly what happened with me in (2013? 2012?) When i was 6 or 7. I only remembered up until around 2020 again that i actually had multiple mental breakdowns, was mad at my mom for "her hormones being too weak, so i became a boy in the womb", and not really being able to sleep. I didn't know/think it was possible in any way to change your gender, and my parents raised me very strictly against those thoughts, so i figured either i live the rest of my life in utter pain and misery, or i try to come to terms with it now and somehow get to enjoy life again. WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT BURYING SHIT LIKE THIS WOULD EVENTUALLY COME BACK BECAUSE *NEWS FLASH* IT'S PART OF YOUR PSCHOLOGY, AND NOT JUST A RANDOM THOUGHT. Honestly not standing my ground and being driven into this hopelessness by my parents, might be the biggest pain in my ass and regret in my life ever.
Oh god yeah this is right on the head of the nail with exactly my own thought process. I admired all the alt girls in my life and wished I could dress like them and look like them. When I would voice the idea that men’s clothing was too boring I’d always get odd looks from the boys around me. After a certain point I just started hanging with only girls. I was close friends with all of the alt girls in middle and high school. Eventually tho even that was ruined because most of them put distance due to them finding me or other men attractive and only seeing me as someone who would treat them like they’re only good for dating material and not the friendship I so desperately wanted instead.
We were all depressed and didn't always know why, but goth/alt music resonated with us and goth/alt girls made us want to be them. Plus a lot of us didn't conform to gender norms even before the egg crack moment, so we were treated as other/outcasts, which makes the "own being an outcast and make it look cool" subculture a natural place for us to gravitate to and feel comfortable in.
This is me so much
Ima be real as someone that's been goth since like 7 years old: most just think "goth is hot" or some shit and are not into the subculture or music at all. It's sad but like 80% of people that dress alt are not in fact punk or goth.
Seems a little gatekeepy
Goth is a music based subculture, so it kind of makes sense
Damn really hit the nail on the head for me.
I’m a punk girl if that counts as an exception lol
I’m slowly transforming into what appears to be someone’s heavy metal aunt, but I’ll always have a soft spot for anti-racist, anti-sexist punks. I’ll stand with them any day.
You may have just given me a new life goal. Heavy metal aunt sounds cool as hell and I'm all for it!
Something about transitioning for me screamed metal band t-shirt quilt for the men’s band t-shirts of the past and leather jacket (ok, faux leather, I’m on a budget).
I know what you mean! I'm not yet at the point where I feel comfortable wearing femme clothing in public but even pre transition my wardrobe has been nothing but ripped jeans and more band t-shirts than I can count 😅
Haaayyyoooo! Go team punk!
there are a lot of “closet emos” who would love to dress like us but are scared of judgement. we are already Trans so we aren’t worried about being judged for being an emo
Because I'm never gonna fit in much kid And I'm goin down down on a linear route
Goth/emo/scene has always been pushing the bounds of gender presentation, which lends itself very well to gender exploration.
This answer is one of the more specific and spot-on ones. Source: Not MtF, but arguably transmasc and I often feel gravitated towards alt styles for similar reasons.
My gf and I are in the pastel and plaid and dresses menonnite style as 40 year olds. I never felt a sense of rebellion against society or my parents. A few times since coming out I have been at family gatherings accidentally duplicating my mom’s outfits. My other two housemates are low 20’s and goth. Came from broken or abusive family backgrounds. The goth doesn’t mean higher likelihood to be trans but it is in the range of things that can be used to find ones self in the journey
Had big unrecognized alt girl gender envy growing up lol
In all honesty ive always been into metal and the color black, and i used that fact to be able to wear makeup before i came out, nobody questioned the fact that i wanted nail polish and eyeliner because it was just the vibe i had. Although im lucky because my mum is a metalhead too so she backed me up
That's how i.got away with eyeliner and nail polish as well lol.
because life is a tragedy
Goth girls hot
In high school this is what always wanted to be but was too scared of approaching aesthetically. Even if it was something I could do while presenting male, I didn't feel like I could pull it off without being ridiculed. Now that I'm living as a woman like I always wanted to I have chosen to dress like the woman I always wanted to be.
Since we're already outside of the cultural norm anyway, we're more likely to embrace alternative things. Goth, emo, punk, or my own personal aesthetic oscillating between cottagecore and vintage. We're more likely than cis women to be poly, to embrace things like New Age and Wicca, to pursue unusual hobbies like cosplay, LARP, or ttrpg's ... If you're going to struggle to be accepted by "normal" people anyway, why not join up with the "weird" people?
Emo boy to emo girl. My appearance changed but my tastes haven't.
I can't answer for EMO, as I've been a goth since 1991. For me, it's a mix of intersections. I like the music, but also the 90s goth scene was gender fluid and Bisexual/pansexual. Making it a safe place for me to experiment with my sexuality. Plus 90s goth music was better than anything in pop circles at the time.
Very thoughtful answer. I didn’t put as much thought into it but that was very true in the 90’s goth scene. A big local gay club, Tracks, had a goth/industrial night in half the club and a rave night in the other half. In the middle was the bar you didn’t have to scream over the music at and a beach volleyball court - which predictably was goth vs. raver. Also, I remember a perky goth contingent that would insist on people enjoying themselves - “why are you so sad, are you goth or something? come dance!” Totally forgot it was the first place I wore makeup and women’s clothing in public.
Because that genre wears so much feminine items and trans people almost always want to do that.
I’m just a nerd/hipster. I live in Washington and we have a ton of trans women I see them out and about and honestly a lot of them have my style, kinda hipster kinda nerdy. I have met the more gothy trans girls, they literally were trying to get a weekly goth night going at one place. My ex does goth nights in a virtual reality space, she’s not a trans woman though but actually I bonded with her over industrial and goth music. I love music, and I love goth music… I just never got into the style. Then there are the punks, I know more punk/dirty kids. I’ve been homeless, though rarely actually in the streets. My current partner who is also a trans girl, she was literally homeless almost her entire life. She rocks a mullet, terrible tattoos and I guess the style is called Oogle, bibs(they’re like thick overalls), mullets, trashy face and hand tattoos, folk punk. Despite the look she preferred metal over folk punk. The other homeless trans woman I knew was more goth, like a witchy punk goth look. But aside from her and the other group of kinda both trans girls, the styles I’ve seen are more hipster(in a nerdy way), punk and oogle. They’re definitely a lot of styles regardless,
Quite a few of us metal head trans folk here as well. Always cool meeting new fellow trans folk at black and death metal shows.
for me it's because i was emo when i was younger, so it's a roundabout way of reliving the girlhood i never had :3
I got to wear femme clothes and makeup. Plus I love the music.
Why are so many trans people concerned with getting confirmation with their confirmation bias?
Who doesn't like a rainbow in the dark? [Dio intensifies]
Can't help but reiterate: lots of us found/find goth girls hot, even pre-transition. I'd like to do a study to see how & if transbians' tastes in women pre-transition affected their personal style because it looks like that's incredibly common.
I wanted to be a goth chick all my life... When I became chick, the goth aesthetic *just didn't work for me*. I didn't expect being an angelic cottage core queen, but here I am!
why is the sky blue… cos it is
because it's cute I love wearing jirai kei
Personally I really like the goth style and dreamed about being a hot goth girl when I was younger :3 Also, many shared interests, hobbies and even taste for music of mine are closely tied to Goth culture, I also love being able to be both Hot and degenerate, especially since my other goth friends can back me up :3
Goth was like the popular underground scene to highlight in media when I was growing up (in my mid-30s), with movies like The Craft, and The Crow highlighting goth influence, and any highschool-oriented movie always having at least one goth kid. Granted, it wasn't always quite "goth", and a fair bit of punk and metal culture got mixed in there, too, since hollywood rarely gets subculture representation completely accurate. But it was sort of the "mainstream way to be the weird kid" in a way. A lot of us certainly felt like the odd one out, but never got the chance to *be* the weird kid, or never bothered to try because that was too much effort and time to invest in a "self" that wasn't even truly us at the time, so we take the opportunity now and draw upon our influences from growing up. I don't consider myself goth, personally, and don't really think I could pull off the look even if I like it. Instead, I went more the route of taking pastel goth, mall goth, y2k, generic 90s punk, and e-girl and throwing it all in a blender.
We never got to have an emo phase as teens lol Same as a lot of cis women who are alt in their 20s. Parental repression, social pressure, etc. kept us from exploring that side of ourselves when we didnt have full legal autonomy of ourselves. Plus in your 20s/30s people just dont care as much. In some schools emos got bullied pretty mercilessly.
The fact that for a lot of us who didn't transition as kids, those were the aesthetics that were both cool and utterly inaccessible for us. Personally, I'm leaning into "suburban mom" as my aesthetic, but I can see the allure.
Had a goth gf. Loved how she looked. Love the music. Also like that there’s different styles of goth. (Had to stop dressing that way since my now ex bf didn’t like the attention I got) Going to start dressing like that again tho :>
Because of the music. I don't see how else one would be goth or emo
Black is very slimming, and the style kinda thins the line between binary genders. I always had a dark style, and as a teen I would wear eyeliner, paint my nails, and even had a few pairs of women's jeans, long before I identified as trans
I blame goth girls in popular cartoons and TV shows like Raven from Teen Titans, Sam from Danny phantom, Lydia from Beetlejuice, etc. There's always something about the macabre and the supernatural that has always caught my curiosity. Between the ages of 15 and 16 I discovered punk rock and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I don't trust goth or anything but I've always wanted to and as I continue transitioning, I will eventually update my wardrobe for that style
First off, Goth and Emo are *EXTREMELY* different, entirely different styles and music subgenres Ofc you can be both, no gatekeeping in either community, but they're super different anyways onto important stuff, a lot of us just really idolized people who dresses that way, it gives a bunch of us gender envy, and we like to emulate that style
Because sacking Rome is fun
3 words: The hex girls … never been more jealous of fictional people in my life 😭😭😭
Being goth is often associated with prominent eyeliner, which is an easy way to feminize your face. Moreover, the fashion often includes corsets, skirts, fishnets, or other clothes emphasizing a female-type figure and signaling that, or the exact opposite, flowy shirts and dresses, covering the less-typically-feminine shapes, hence why trans women may choose this aesthetic as a pass-helping device. Also goth girls be hot. Source: Am trans goth girl
Because I'm into metal and that's a huge aesthetic in that scene. Getting gender envy from people and thinking I had a crush on people. Also, Shego from Kim Possible.
Idk, I'm punk
Considering raven, blackfire and jinx were my favorites in teen titans, yeah... It was a no brainer i'd wind up that way as well
I saw people that were scene, goth, emo, alt, etc. as a kid. I thought it was super pretty and cool, and stood out in a nice way. It stuck with me. Now I'm a guy and still wear whatever I feel because clothes don't equal gender, unless you want them to. And a lot of styles are gorgeous.
I was born in the wrong body and the world seems to hate me. Pretty strong foundation for being emo/goth I think lol
Two theories: 1) a lot of us that figured things out later thought that we were experiencing crushes on the goth girls and then later realized it was gender envy, and are now living out a fantasy. 2) while we exist in all cultures and subcultures, we can be more us when those places are more accepting, and as a general rule, goth places tend to be more accepting.
Because Gerard Way is the living embodiment of gender /hj
Because being goth is hot, cute, and the aesthetic goes hard af
I was a goth guy but I wanted to be a goth girl, so uh, goth girl it is
I think it’s the same reason so many trans women are D&D nerds. They’re both subcultures that subvert traditional masculinity in a lot of ways and encourage you to recreate yourself.
I'm more of a grungy tomboy personally. But I have to imagine it's because a lot of trans women, especially those in the 20-30 demographic, grew up in a time when that alt/scene/goth/emo aesthetic was pretty popular, that 2005 to 2015 time period. It's living out an aesthetic we weren't able to partake in when we were teenagers, or younger adults than we are now.
In my case, I'm just following in my goth mom's footsteps :) I can't really fully immerse myself into it though. I always preferred progressive rock to any other music, and horror stuff never was my forte. But the fashion is great. I also really like the hippie look, kinda harder to find good stuff.
It comes with the territory
Being goth gave me a great way to wear skirts and other feminine attire, wear black nail polish, wear makeup, etc., and everyone just chalked it up to the goth subculture; older people in my life who may have been transphobic wouldn’t hassle me. For me, being goth brought decades of safety and allowed me to be myself before I was able to come out.
Cause black is slimming. So is poverty.
IMO I want to embody it but I dont think i look good in it - but I think its from those characters in tv shows growing up. Like Sam from danny phantom, Gwen from TDI, countless other examples. Idk, for me I always loved the style, with some real life counterparts as well - always badass and confident
I was emo/scene kid, we all wore right pants, had long hair, painted out nails, etc.. they're a subculture that are already somewhat gender queer. It's only natural it would resonate with trans people even before those trans people knew they're were trans ( me being an example).
Im depressed and emo was the excuse i used as a teen to wear femme clothes and makeup. Also mcr is legitimately the best band ever so
I feel you, I usually describe myself as pretty normcore compared to a lot of other transfemmes, in that I don't have a set style or dress very flamboyantly. That's not in a derogatory way at all, sometimes jealous with how interesting they present themselves over how plain I am, and it's less a confidence thing and more having the time, energy and skill to dedicate to my appearance regularly. In terms of why, I would guess a lot of trans people spent a lot of time repressing their true selves and caring a lot about what other people thing, so when the shell cracks, it cracks hard, and they try lots more different things at once to dive into their new revelation, a bit like how most cis women experiment with fashion and identity as teens and young adults, trans women are just often later to the punch on this. Another linked reason, and one I personally connect with and sometimes encourages me to dress or act a little 'weird,' is bigots are bigots. Anyone who's prejudiced against trans people will still be prejudiced whether they pass perfectly and look like the most homebody, conventional cis woman, or they dress and act like a dom goth mommy. If you're gonna stand out no matter what, you might as well do it with reckless abandon and do whatever the hell you like. Tho why goth specifically, I guess it's cool and easy to style. Black goes with everything, even black!
Not any hate to goth emo trans girls BUT IKR???? I am like hyperr femme super girly, Like I am a barbie doll lol, probably a bit too close to a basic white girl but Oh well. Again no hate :))
I consider myself alt but more of like a grungy alt. I wear mostly thrifted clothes, a lot of flannels, etc
You don't chose the ault life it chooses you!
Because I had enough playing it small and hide my self. It was time for my internal fem to shine dark 🖤also being gothic adds fierceness to my personality and choices in life (positivily).
I was always an outcast, found comfort in alternative music and clothes and the darker side, was always melancholic. However had to supress some of these feelings and how to express myself when living as a guy. Was always a bit emo but now after I came out I've stared leaning more into the goth style. It's just easier to make it look "grown up" in a romantic/corporate kind of way, where as emo tends to be more youthful looking, but I totally fuck with the emo vibe still! I went from an emo skatergirl to a goth looking girl, but i'm definitely into both genres of music! And I think in general these subcultures are way more accepting of "outcasts" and LGBT members so feeling part of the community is very easy.
Forced to be non goth/emo when I was in my teens. I’m just owning that now. But still better than a tradwife
When you need to fill out 25 years of girlhood you go straight up for the style that summarizes it all. Plus, any alt style is super representative of the trans experience. At last, when you spent the last 15 years fantasming about girls metal head you go straight for it when you understand that you are the girl metal head
I'd be curious to see how that breaks down age-wise. At 46 I look like the quintessential 40 year old divorced soccer mom who's only child just went away to college and is getting back out in the world. Though I was wearing a black leather dress and black leather heels last night, but my aesthetic is definitely more pink and colorful than goth. I wonder a lot about how our ages delineate our commonalities.
Trans more likely to be Neurodivergent and not fit in. As outcast easy to relate to goth and alt scene due to formative years.
Was goth before. Still goth now. It's that simple, to be honest. It's the subculture and community that raised me and transitioning didn't change that. If anything, it made me appreciate it much more.
I didn't get to be an alt girl as a teen.
Lots of people probably want to be goth but are too shy or self-conscious to try it. Once you've done something as scary as start transitioning, trying out a new aesthetic is suddenly less frightening. How it was for me anyway.
I don't know, if I had a choice In my clothes I'd be extremely pink
Ah, yet another stereotype. If it was actually true that most tranfems are goth then I’d assume they are trying out different styles and vibes and fashion now that they are actually able to girl mode and be themselves :3
because trans people have more of a reason to be anti-establishment and find solidarity in such subcultures (i imagine)
I was goth/punk before I ever realized I was trans🤷
My parents were in the goth scene at it’s origin, I was raised into it 😅, but I definitely think that alternative self-expression and gender nonconformity go hand-in-hand
I want to be more of a pastel girly to someone’s goth tbh
Cuz it makes me feel pretty :3
It’s a good style that lets u experiment with make up and feminine clothes in a way that cis ppl won’t get in ur face abt it. Also the fact that alt clothes are awesome in general and the music scene slaps.
Ahhh it was the only way I knew how to express femininity without being ashamed of myself also the music is goooodddd
Breaking one massive social norm probably makes breaking other ones much easier 🤩 See also: polyamory
gwen from total drama island permanently altered the course of my life
Honestly, I think a part of it is the desire for visibility. The same way transbians also appear to be a majority of trans women even if they aren't: they are just the ones more likely to be openly trans/still a vocal part of the community because it is still a key aspect of their life. Those that don't choose to present as alternative are also those more likely to be 'stealth'. An aspect inherent in them being 'stealth' is that we are less likely to see them. Moreover, from what I've noticed, many such trans women also spend less time.in the trans online community.
I've always identified with the goth/emo/scene aesthetic. Discovery of who I actually am came second
Is this a thing in real life? I have yet to knowingly meet a goth transgender woman in real life. Everyone has been pretty typical
I mean i was shocked when i realize ive always desired-to-be/been dressing as i do now (power fem) since junior high. If i had to guess id say its a similar circumstance except theyre goth/emo/punk/etc.
I have wondered that so much. I think that’s the stereotype for trans people around where I live.
For me I grew up as a skater kid/scene kid so as an adult it was the logical choice, especially as I work in corporate so corporate goth is my go to. I also like that there are lots of coverups I can use, chokers , rings, bracelets etc that help me feel more confident..plus I'm a massive metal head and always have been so there's that too.
For the same reason there are cis women who are goth or emo. They like it
My wardrobe just sort of started shifting towards all black clothes and I found it was easier to coordinate that way.
It’s just cool
It was my way of telling off the bullies (incl adults). I also got away with grunge goth make up, clothes, accessories, and nail polish. Then when I transitioned I was addicted... I was always drawn to witchy things and I loved to piss off xtians. I also dabbled in Raver looks, cyber goth is a beautiful mix of both.
I can't speak for anyone else but I personally went for this style to signify my renewed will to live.
Broadly speaking alternative subcultures have generally been a safe space for lgbtq and gender non conforming folks, some variation of alt fashion is bound to be popular in every decade and there's also usually some crossover between alternative music genres and the nerdy hobbies a lot of us have. For me I watched a lot of cartoons and other media with alt girl characters as a kid/preteen and I always found them cool in a way that I didn't realize was probably some type of gender envy. I got into post punk, gothic rock and related genres later on and the music and community around goth really helped in a lot of dark moments, plus it's just a great community thats been very accepting of me. I would save pictures of alt/goth outfits for a while but only embraced the style fully when I started my transition in 2021, before that it was just band/anime t shirts, skinny jeans and maybe a flannel or light jacket. For whatever reason I just didn't feel comfortable expressing this side of myself pre transition (possibly due to a certain family member who abandoned me when i was 13) but I'm really proud of being at this point. I'm finally happy with how I look and present and it means a ton when people compliment my look.
Because it probably aligns with feelings of alienation and feeling unaccepted from society. Outside of that dark hair is typically always the most attractive look.
I keep seeing shit like this and I feel attacked lol
I don't think most trans women are alternative IMO. Most are just normies. I'm a goth. For me I just love the goth music and to a lesser extent the fashion. Goth and other alternative subculture have always strayed away from what's conventional. When it comes to music based subculture like goth it purely about the music and the way alternative people dress is thr whlay the music makes them feel more alive. I love goth music and the darker fashion is just a way someone can express themselves.
i think we do this a lot because we miss this in our teenage years? i was absolutely so jealous of goth/alt/scene presenting girls in middle school and high school and knowing i couldn’t look like that just killed me. i’d imagine it did many people. it’s important to remember that there’s many things we might want to wear because of our earliest feelings like this but when we dress like we wanted in middle school, we look pretty out of place. i find as trans women transition for longer we tend to dress more “age appropriately” but a lot of us love the styles we’ve chosen, for me personally i dress goth unless im going to work, but even then sometimes i do to freak out the old guys i work with (diesel tech)
A lot of goth and emo aesthetics are feminine or androgynous, for a lot of trans fem kids (like me) it was their first exposure to men who didn’t conform to masculine norms
I’ve always wanted to be a goth chick but I waffle in-between. Maybe I have imposter syndrome… IMHO goth is intimidating to a lot of people so it gives a layer of protection.
I think maybe because it doesn’t carry with it the expectations of mainstream beauty standards (which most of the time are dysphoria triggering) it makes it a safer style for trans girls to explore.
Idolization and gender envy. Same reason people who grew up poor buy the kids toys they've always wanted.
The hex girls
idk but i’m here for it
Cause when you let your freak flag fly you gotta let it all hang out. 🤘🏻😂
Goth communities are more accepting. It's easier to pass in dimly lit ethos. It's easier to pass in communities where heavy makeup is normalized. The long suppressed wish to dress well and elaborate can be expressed in goth communities.
I was goth before I even realised lol
As a high schooler I was able to wear women’s clothes and makeup and nail polish as an emo kid and no one ever questioned it .. it was a huge outlet for me in a few ways
I think what you might be missing is the core underlying nature of BEING goth. The term, and concept, comes from Gothic literature. The core of which revolves around being beyond redemption. A lot of trans people carry around a lot of self hatred, especially prior to transition, and would be drawn to this vibe. Then of course there's all the other little things, the penchant for excessive fashion. The body shaping clothing. The makeup. The whole gender neutral feel of the entire subculture etc etc
I always thought I'd be a goth girl, turns out no, if anything I am the "plain" or more stereotypically feminine girlfriend to a goth girl (or boy or NB( I just love goth fashion))
I think it’s partially because the style is appealing to a lot of a dolls who have always had a kinda “bland” appearance pre trans. Graphic tee’s and whatever flavour of pants are trendy at the time. And partially because the punk/goth/emo/metal/alternative spaces are generally more open to people going against the grain. The very thing that makes those styles cool to people is that it’s not typical and there’s really no way to do an alt style wrong. Lord knows I’d be a goth bitch if I could but alas my body makes me solidly locked into over forest librarian territory
I love wearing the girlie stuff possible. Like dressing in all pink with 5" stiletto pumps. Then I'll wear black lipstick because the juxtaposition is just so satisfying as is the entire change in tone. My style mirrors who I am. I am cheerful and charismatic. People think I'm hilarious and fun to be around. However, I know very few transwomen who had a happy childhood and an easy life. I've got PTSD and a no contact relationship with my parents. My style lets me express that while I act cheerful there is a contrast to that without me having to bring up my trauma.
I’m an elder millennial in Scotland so it was a choice of continuing to be goth/alt or transition into a chav🤣
We (we're plural, that means we're many in one body) aren't exclusively goth, altho at this point it's a rather common look for us. Getting dressed up as we speak. More than anything, we want to have fun with presentation, we want to experiment with various looks. Goth is one such presentation we enjoy, it's so much fun and there are so many possibilities. We found a lot of really awesome clothes for it when thrifting. And it makes us feel powerful (combat boots ftw), and we've always liked black anyway (been a metalhead in the past as well). People will literally full on stare at us dressed as goth, which is great for when you just want to draw attention. Gone are the the days where we're just kind of a shy nobody that no one takes notice off, we *love* taking the stage and putting our whole selves out there sometimes! It's like we're announcing our queer as hell (and cute) ass is here and we're loud and proud. And it's pretty wild going out like this and then realizing people stare at you because you're hot (we can tell), especially when you're trans that sort of thing can be a wild confidence booster.
Some people get their tastes from their parents, some just associate themselves with a certain subculture, others might even just like it and think nothing else of it (which is my case) I've seen trans women dressing all pink and white, it may be just because it's part of their identity, it's what they feel most comfortable using or for whatever other reason. So, while I can't speak for everyone, the reasons could be that it makes them feel more confident about themselves, that it brings physical or even psychological comfort. But that always depends on the person no matter what I like to dress edgy, I don't care whatever name they give it, I see pretty outfit, I get said outfit and edge my life away. Anyways, I hope that explains it Stay edgy 🖤
It allowed me to play with makeup, hair, nails, etc when I was younger without anyone suspecting I was bending gender
(Pastel) Goth is just sooo beautiful... :3 Sadly I don't have the genetics to do either of these...
Because we like dark and githic people and we want to be what we like?
I am a super conservative person by nature. Not politically, just in my own life, I have always had reverence for tradition, and hierarchy, and whatnot. My predisposition, when first beginning to transition, was to manifest my femininity in a very traditionally fem way. What I have found is that society makes it very difficult to do that, and you get judged a lot. Goth/emo styles are more of a safe-haven (comparatively, everything still kinda sucks). They're inherently counter-cultural, or at least exist enough outside of the cultural mainstream that people are less judgemental because in presenting like this I don't subvert their ideas of ideal femininity this way, and it's already a non-standard they've gotten comfortable with existing. My suspicion is that being goth/emo is one of the paths of least resistance for us to integrate in society, and so, transitioning being hard as it is, a lot of us end up presenting that way a lot.
i was an indie kid unfortunately
Idk i just like pastel goth style and feel like it fits me
Raven from teen titans and the villain from Kim possible
Very good question. I've always liked big chunky jewelry, wore mostly black, because simple, easy, goes with anything. And things just easily fit into punk/alt. Also, some girls really wanted to date a goth girl, cause they're attractive. And then they went "wait... I don't want to date her, I want to be her" lol
Inside everyone there are two people. Their normal self. And a goth girl. No exceptions.
I was a teenager in the 2000s and never got to dress like I wanted. Though, I think most people would describe my fashion sense as more biker/punk
cause pretty idk
I dunno.. Im a goth trans femme.. I transitioned when I finally had enough of pretending to be a good cis head... Now I'm me.. and bright colors are just totally not my style..
I was goth before I even transitioned
If I had the option, I would have been a goth girl as a teenager. So part of it is that girl getting to live now
For myself, I have always had a goth/metal aesthetic. So for me it's just changing it into a femme version of myself. You do have a valid observation nonetheless!
I was goth/emo in 2007. Now I just have more access to money for clothes.
I’m not, but I’ve seen many of those too. I think it’s just a look to aspire to.
Goth girls are pretty, and I at least wanna be cute
Goth styles are quite easy to pull off, it’s easier to put on too much mascara than perfectly the right amount Fits any body type too
ruby gloom as a child
“Because it’s the last thing we’ve ever wanted since graduating high school” -My trans Goth GF
Not me I wanna be a pretty elf girl druid that lives in the forest and talks to animals that arent inherently transphobic and will never leave my side, that and they are just majestic creatures aside from the predators like wolves and such.
yesterday off tiktok I learned Goth stems from Punk, and punk has a anti (being mean to people)ism thing, which include anti-homophobia aspect, so part of that alt mind set I guess fit. Also makes the punk festival that I went to realising how nice so many of them were