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towards the end of the nineteen seventies. Following the rise and fall of punk rock, its political idealism, anarchic beliefs and love of leather, a somber, more melancholy sedated sound began to arise. Bleak, depressing and at times, self-destructive, this was the birth of post-punk and from the seeds of emotional nihilism left behind in its wake a whole new generation of anti-conformists would be spawned. In 1981 the Batcave first thrust open its doors, bidding welcome to all those dark, macabre, artistic and poetic in nature. Essentially, dark makeup for guys and girls, black clothing, pale faces and silver jewelry quickly became the uniform for gothic youth and one, which has lasted to this day. As if a symbolic statement, the black clothing and silver jewelry has come to stand as a representation of the distance the individual has come to place between them and what can be described as mainstream society. In this way, the gothic sub-culture may be perceived as the search for individuality, or the struggle to acquire a unique identity.

Violence, Satanism and other anti-social or anti-religious practices are often associated with the gothic culture. However, this is often a misconception and is popular in the portal of Goth by the media and other bias facets of contemporary society. Essentially, the gothic sub-culture is complex and over the years, has become something of a dynamic concept, eventually coming to consist of numerous norms and expectations. However, becoming increasingly popular throughout other countries such as Japan, the stereotypes and ideological norms often associated with the gothic sub-culture are often subject to geographical location and the dominant culture, which surrounds them. Nevertheless, universal are the foundations and ideological premise upon which the gothic sub-culture is formed. This being the dark clad appearance and often the involvement in various forms of creative or artistic mediums, such as writing, poetry, painting and other forms of visual and aesthetic art. Furthermore, dreary, abrasive, aggressive and even depressing music is often another shared element in such sub-cultural groups.

Resulting from the stigmatization and misunderstanding represented and influenced through the media, the gothic culture has come to be perceived as deviant and potentially dangerous. However, such misconceptions marginalize those individuals affiliated with the gothic ideology and thus, often force them deeper into obscurity. Resulting

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