What do you identify as?

Imagine the scene. You are dressed up for a night out with friends, wearing your black lipstick and new platform shoes. Right before entering the pub a random guy asks: "Hey, do you think you're Goth?". What would you say? Thankfully this didn't happen to me, or I would have completely missed the point of a night out for some deep philosophical thinking about the essence of life and aesthetics. But hey, isn't this what I do every week on this blog?

If I were asked such a question when I were 16 I would have totally known what to say. Back then I would have showed the dude my most unimpressed stare, said "yes, so what?" with a grimace, and walked away. If you have ever taken on an alternative style you'd surely know the drill. But what would I answer now that I am in my mid early 20s?

There is an episode from my high school years that may solve the issue. As you may know I was going through my Goth phase back then, which is called 'being dark' in Italian, go figure!, and found a connection with the new literature professor. She was very young and treated us as intelligent people with feelings, instead of smelly learning machines, which was great! We ended up talking about personal life, mostly mine I have to admit, and one day she said that being Goth is more than just a style, it's a feeling and you will always carry it with you, a little bit like Linus with his blanket. I like to think what she said is somehow true, also that would explain why I felt a connection with her. Turns out she used to be Goth too!

Nonetheless 'What do you identify as?' is such a difficult question to answer! I would still identify me as a 'Goth', even though I do not look like any of the majestic Gothic ladies I used to idolize on DeviantArt. I don't even listen to the 'right' music anymore. And between my Gothic days and now I have been through a few style evolutions, and some included pastel colours and frills. So I turned the question to the boyfriend, who has been through a few phases himself, and he simply answered he is 'normal'. Which means 'normal' for him, not for every single person. That's because his background stays with him no matter what, but doesn't define the way he presents himself to the world.

I believe life is too short to wear boring clothes, and cheeks are made for blushes. Everyone is different and I like the idea of being able to switch from black lipstick to glitter roots in a few easy steps that may or may not include tons of makeup remover and conditioning. If this means my answer would change every day, so be it. The core of who we are is too precious and elaborate to be defined in one word. 

Now I am asking you, my readers, to answer the same question. What do you identify as? 

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