Growing Old Goth

Most people grow out of their teenage lifestyles, but for some, growing up goth means growing old goth.

Louise Tickle wrote a fascinating article over at The Guardian about how goths teens are more likely to grow up as goth adults, and still be productive members of society:

Continuing with education and getting a decent job while staying involved isn't as hard for goths as it may be for those involved in other youth subcultures, some of which promote disengagement with school to the point that academic failure is all but inevitable.

"It's a relatively middle-class subculture, so despite … all the going out and being into the music, goths have always had a fairly positive view of people who are also achieving academically."

It means goths may have better career options than an outsider might expect. Succeeding in their chosen career had, Hodkinson observes, become increasingly important to those he interviewed as they moved into their late 20s and 30s, and he was surprised by how much participants in his study were willing to adapt their look to fit in at work.

Link (Photo: Frank Baron/Guardian) - via Metafilter