Editor’s Note: mentions of whorephobia
Lately I’ve been seeing an alarming increase in whorephobia coming from the online goth community. There’s a common rhetoric amongst the younger generation of goths that sex work goes against everything that the goth subculture stands for: a belief we need to “bring back gatekeeping” by closing the door to sex workers.
This turns on a community that helped shape their aesthetics, political beliefs and sustainability. So with that in mind, let’s take a strip through time to learn about the sex work roots of goth.
Defining “goth”
The gothic movement refers to a countercultural movement that took shape in Britain during the 1980s. But as we see with many subcultures, the goth movement was built over a vast period of time, with a collection of sources culminating into how we recognise “goth” today.
The first historical use of the word “goth” can be sourced back to ancient Rome, where powerful Germanic tribes known as The Goths emerged. Upon the fall of The Roman Empire, a cultural shift towards religion manifested into gothic architecture; dramatic, pointed, skeletal cathedrals were all the rage. Fast forward to the seventeenth century, where “the Enlightenment era” saw a societal shift away from religion towards science and reason. Many romantic writers of the time rejected this notion, exploring instead themes of the human psyche, emotion, death and the supernatural. This birthed the gothic literature movement, with arguably the most famous author being the iconic Mary Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein: A Modern Prometheus. Like the Frankenstein monster, the goth subculture as we know it today came about as a collection of bits and pieces from history, sewn together with its modern day cultural and economic climate, where bands like The Cure, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie and the Banshees were massively influential for inspiring the goth music amongst a 1980s British backdrop.
Like the Frankenstein monster, the goth subculture as we know it today came about as a collection of bits and pieces from history...
But before we arrive in eighties Britain, we need to talk about Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Just as sex workers' contributions to societal movements tend to be erased, so too does the influence of Black culture. A classically trained opera singer, you may recognise Hawkins from his most famous song, “I Put a Spell on You,” where he screams, grunts, and gurgles his way through a ballad that would significantly influence rock music. He was goth before goth was even a thing, adapting many of the darker themes explored in gothic literature into his persona. An African American man, Hawkins took inspiration from his culture to shape his iconic imagery. He sang about voodoo and magic, he carried skulls and rubber snakes, rose out of coffins, and perhaps most strikingly, wore a bone protruding from his nose. Bear in mind, he was doing this during 1950s conservative America. Now that’s what I call goth!
Speaking of conservatism, we finally arrive in Britain during Margaret Thatcher’s dominance. Like the punk movement that was rising to prominence during this period, the goth movement came about as a rejection of the mainstream. It was a countercultural movement that embraced things considered taboo and unusual, it found beauty in the macabre and embraced the misfits and outcasts of the world. The fashion encouraged you to reject consumerism and embrace DIY, celebrating self-expression that challenged gender norms. But goth went beyond fashion and music, it was a movement shaped by political ideologies that embraced anti-conformity, skepticism towards authority, and freedom from government interference. In a world that encouraged the white, two-gender, heteronormative nuclear family unit, the goth movement was the ultimate rejection of discrimination, embracing people from all walks of life. The political beliefs shared by the goth community are movements that sex workers have long been on the forefront of, because nobody challenges social norms quite like sex workers.
Creatures of the night: Sex work and queerness in goth spaces
A fundamental part of both the punk and goth movement was the underground club scene that was birthed during this time. As we see with Ballroom, a community founded in America by Black and Latina queer and trans sex workers fighting for a place to belong, so too did the goth community create an underground scene where they were free from the discrimination experienced in their day to day lives. These spaces were pioneered by the queer community, especially lesbians. In a time where social stigma would impact out-and-visible queer peoples’ ability to hold down a job, many turned to sex work to pay their bills. The goth nightlife offered an escape from patriarchal ideologies surrounding sex and sexuality, so it’s no wonder these communities found camaraderie with one another.
Many goth and punk events took place at S&M fetish clubs, environments that encouraged the sexual autonomy and creative expression embraced by goths. One of these punk clubs was called Chain Reaction, where lesbian filmmaker and artist Siobhan Fahey states, “(it) was held on a Tuesday night in a gay men’s bar in Vauxhall called The Market Tavern, which has now long disappeared. I was a stripper on the first night and I remember there was lots of live sex and experimenting with S&M. Lots of leather! Someone did a sex show on a motorbike.”
And this should come as no surprise when we look at much of goth’s iconic fashion imagery. Fishnet tights, PVC leather, body harnesses, chokers, and platform heels were originally associated with fetish and strip clubs; the very clubs that embraced the goth community. In fact, Demonia boots, a popular pair of boots worn by the majority of alternative people, is a subcompany of Pleasers, a brand specifically created to make stripper boots and heels. Colin Rowntree, founder of one of the most successful websites for BDSM erotica, commented on boot fetishism, stating, “One of the factors that makes kinky boots so appealing not to just submissive men, but kinky folks in general, is it adds a visual element of strength and drama to an already strong and dramatic femdom.”
Why the anti-sex-work rhetoric?
I am seeing a lot of sex negativity emerging from the younger generation of goths, and I fear the subculture has been infiltrated by the very conservatism and puritanical ideology that the movement was founded upon rejecting. I believe much of this has to do with Gen Z’s relationship with sexuality as a whole, as many of their generation have rejected hookup culture, don't party as much, and are slowly turning into as conservative a generation as our boomer forefathers.
Much of this can be blamed on the lockdown, which saw a generation being forced inside during formative years where social interaction is extremely important, instead consuming large amounts of online content. And much of this content are TikTok influencers pushing purity culture through “trad wives”, “clean girl aesthetics” and embracing celibacy. A fear of the “male gaze” has created a modern witchhunt, with women pointing the finger at other women with an accusatory, “Men sexualise all women because of how you dress!” Taking the blame off the men and placing it upon the women—how very progressive. I am seeing this rhetoric take place in the online goth community, with many accusing alternative porn creators of “fetishizing alternative women.” I’d find this humorous if it weren’t so offensive.
I fear the subculture has been infiltrated by the very conservatism and puritanical ideology that the movement was founded upon rejecting...
A tale as old as time; sex workers influence aesthetics and societal movements, but are then isolated from the very communities they helped foster. We have seen this take place in the pole fit community, who created an entire industry of the backs of (specifically Black) strippers, then turned around and had the nerve to use #NotAStripper as a marketing campaign. And now I am seeing it amongst the goth community. And frankly, it’s pissing me off. Sex workers are time and time again isolated from mainstream society, our rights are constantly under attack, we face extreme systematic violence and social stigma, and we can’t even find solace in the communities we built. And as a sex worker who identifies as goth, I am deeply hurt by the rise in whorephobia from so-called “goths”.
It’s ok to be frustrated that men sexualise goth women, but the repulsion being thrown towards goths who do embrace kink, especially professionally, goes against everything the goth movement stands for. Our communities once thrived together, offering solidarity in a world that otherwise ostracized us.
I hope this article can serve as a reminder of the shared history of sex work and goth. A movement that seeks to reject social norms, let us remember that sex workers have always challenged societal norms, and erasing us from political movements only serves to maintain the patriarchy. We are your comrades, not your enemy. Know your whorestory, goths!
For more articles on sex work, culture and whorephobia, take a look at “Saint, Slut, or Scammer”: How Nairobi Labels Women Who Want More, Rest In Pleasers: Stripper Web, and Princess or Prey.
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