Goths of the U.K., how are you feeling about the upcoming heatwave and will you power through still in black?
Posted by BearMcBearFace@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 171 comments
More hot weather inbound, and back when I was young and dabbled in a grungy gothy phase I remember swimming in ball soup any time it got hot, so how are we all feeling?
Hydramy@reddit
Remember to leave a saucer of monster out for any passing goths. If you're hot, they're hot!
ianbattlesrobots@reddit
And a bowl of piss for Bear Grylls.
amboandy@reddit
Grylls is just a distant descendant of Capt Redbeard Rum.
ianbattlesrobots@reddit
He started before the water ran out
Hydramy@reddit
I'm already leaving monster out, no need to double up
ianbattlesrobots@reddit
Fair point
McSheeples@reddit
Snakebite and black surely!
Edelkern@reddit
Or some mead.
Hydramy@reddit
Good shout, love some mead.
Quicksilver62@reddit
Personally, I leave a can of dark fruit cider and directions to our local cemetery.
Craft_on_draft@reddit
Haven’t seen a proper goth, in years, think the last heatwave must have killed them off
Aspect-Unusual@reddit
I became what i call "budget goth" as I found keeping up the goth appearence was becoming too costly when I have a family to look after
LunarKurai@reddit
I feel like the idea it's expensive is quite overstated. I mean, it gets pricey if you want to buy all brand clothing and expensive jewelry, but you can make a good goth look from basically anything.
RonnyReddit00@reddit
Keeping up gothic appearances..
I've got a new tv show idea.
glytxh@reddit
I found myself leaning more into Crystal Maze Richard O’Brien over the years, probably motivated by the developing baldness.
ihaveflesh@reddit
I look more like O'Brien in rocky horror unfortunately 🫤
MissSephy@reddit
It is very expense and once you have a house, family and bills to cover a black dress/top/leggings will do with some gothy jewellery will cover it.
underwater-sunlight@reddit
Must have been all of the slide tackling
Death_Binge@reddit
I dress normal now but I'm still a goth at heart.
DillStrong44@reddit
They are all in whitby 😄
Glass_Assistant_1188@reddit
I'm off on holiday there over the steampunk event. I've got my eyeliner, black trench coat and black fedora at the ready 😂
DillStrong44@reddit
Enjoy 😄 I've been a few times to both the steampunk and Goth festivals. They are always pretty awesome :D
Glass_Assistant_1188@reddit
I love Whitby, it's such a chill and fun place to join at he yourself 😁. Thanks I will 👍
blainy-o@reddit
Give it 4 weeks, they'll be back in action when Bloodstock starts
filbert94@reddit
It's not even goths, mate. You not seen those lads hooded up with trackies and gloves?
discoveredunknown@reddit
These are the goths of today. Piss my pants seeing the scrotes head to toe in their 60 quid north face tracksuit and ski masks. They look utterly ridiculous. I think they get off on people looking at them because they think they look hard, when actually I am looking at them because I think they look like wankers. Usually about 7 stone dripping wet as well.
andydivide@reddit
Basically agree on all points, but just want to add that more than anything other impression I get from them - ridiculous/wanker/whatever - the thing they look the most to me is scared. Scared that if they don't look like a cardboard-cutout thug they'll get beat up. Scared of what their mates will say if they wear anything other than their sad little black uniform. Scared of showing any kind of actual personality. They're just scared little boys desperately trying not to stand out.
RosieFudge@reddit
What a horrible comment about people presumably doing you no harm 🤣
discoveredunknown@reddit
Funny, these people are generally the scourge of communities up and down the country and usually those responsible for acting like pricks and trying to intimidate people. They are little wankers.
RosieFudge@reddit
Naybe if people didn't immediately categorise them as little wankers and scrotes that would be a start towards better relations
r4ndomalex@reddit
If they're hiding their face with a ski mask and thick easy to hide things in puffer jacket hood in 35 degrees heat, I doubt their going to Scouts.
RosieFudge@reddit
There is certainly a violent/troublemaking subculture who dress in this way. But I personally want to move away from a) judging people on how they look because it makes it way more likely that they'll live down to expectations and b) judging and aiming ire at disenfranchised prior instead of where it belongs - a ruling system who have created that disenfranchised underclass
blackmanchubwow@reddit
Too bad the world doesn’t revolve around your personal wants
discoveredunknown@reddit
Yeah… but they are.
RosieFudge@reddit
There is certainly a violent/troublemaking subculture who dress in this way. But I personally want to move away from a) judging people on how they look, because it makes it way more likely that they'll live down to expectations and b) judging and aiming ire at disenfranchised people instead of where it belongs - a ruling system which has created that disenfranchised underclass
ihaveflesh@reddit
Don't act like a little wanker and you won't get treated like a little wanker 🤷🏻♂️
c0rtec@reddit
Don’t mock young men trying to find their way in this fucked up world. Just because your Dad took you fishing and on holiday twice a year doesn’t mean other person had that.
Get a grip.
YSOSEXI@reddit
Eh, they are not finding their way, they are purely cut and paste. Little Black Clad Sheeple.....
discoveredunknown@reddit
What the fuck are you talking about hahahaha
c0rtec@reddit
Hahahahahah, I DON’T KNOW!?!!?
But genuinely, don’t judge people by what they wear.
Bro, that’s basic.
Chevalitron@reddit
I always think about how the hard lads from when I was younger would probably have beaten up the modern ones for the way they dress.
ihaveflesh@reddit
I've thought this too, especially with their little handbags/bum bags.
itsfourinthemornin@reddit
I usually wear mostly black, definitely more "goth" when I was younger but just plain black these days for skirts, dresses, etc. and usually a coloured top. The fact they are dressed head to toe in black but still find it in themselves to yell "GOFF" at me will never stop amusing me these days.
t8ne@reddit
And they are dripping wet.
levezvosskinnyfists7@reddit
Man’s not hot
Isaac-Nixon@reddit
Perspiration ting, Lynx effect!
DorbJorb@reddit
A, B, C alphabet!
811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit
Never hot
Moppo_@reddit
They baffle me. It's not like they're wearing loose robes. Actual winter clothes. Is it a fashion thing? Are they on 24 hour call for a robbery?
barejokez@reddit
I think there's a few things at play here:
if you're "known to police", you don't want your face showing up on CCTV, ideally ever. You never know when a crime gets committed and a local PC recognises you were in the area
as a follow on to the above, more of the wearers are wannabes, who keep their face covered to give the impression that they're hardened criminals, whether that is true or not
sign of wealth. If you grow up poor, you want to show off that you're no longer financially challenged. That north face puffer is £150 new - you better believe they're showing it off 365 days a year
intimidation. Scaring people into crossing the street makes you feel tough, and that's great, especially if you're insecure. Likewise, looking tough might just be enough to ward off the attention of even tougher people around you
if it feels like society doesn't want you, it can be tempting to lean into that. If you hear about people complaining about balaclava wearing youths and knowing that it winds them up, well what if you don't like those people (and/or feel like they don't like you).? May as well try and annoy them!
Kyber92@reddit
They amaze me, I saw a few when it was 34c recently. I have to assume when man unzips his big coat it's gonna be DISGUSTING.
ShinyShovel@reddit
Mans not hot.
Pink_Flash@reddit
DISGUSTANG!
DaveBeBad@reddit
The zip has welded shut. Is only coming off with the aid of scissors…
msully89@reddit
Or the knife strapped to his calf. Or one of his mates knives.
Kyber92@reddit
Welded shut from the stank contained within most likely.
Count_Blackula1@reddit
Don't forget the Deliveroo fellas wearing puffer jackets, balaclavas and jeans in 28c weather. Weirdos.
flummoxed_flipflop@reddit
I saw one who had some sort of hand warmer sleeve on the handle bars. Unnecessary.
ReggieTMcMuffin@reddit
Just got back from Spain. A guy turned up to the pool one day wearing that outfit. I couldn't believe it. I genuinely laughed.
Purple-Process3038@reddit
Bonar_Ballsington@reddit
I saw a lad in his roadman outfit with the first pair of trackies hanging below his arse, revealing a second pair beneath pulled up properly. I can only imagine how much talcom powders gotta be used to stop the chafage
lostrandomdude@reddit
Don't forget the puffer jackets
MatterMaleficent3163@reddit
I’m fully committed to wearing black, I just wear different items of black. More short sleeves and flowy skirts or trousers. A little heatwave doesn’t kill the goth vibe I strive for.
Pitsmithy_89@reddit
Once you go black you never go back
AugustineBlackwater@reddit
The misery only enhances their powers.
AceBv1@reddit
you have some misunderstanding here, as a goth, and physics grad, I have some understanding of this.
Darker clothing absorbs more sunlight because it takes in all the colours of light instead of reflecting them, which makes the fabric warmer.
BUT dark clothes also absorb the heat your body gives off as infrared radiation instead of reflecting it back to your skin.
If the clothing is loose and allows air to flow between your skin and the fabric, the heat absorbed by the clothes can escape into the air through movement and radiation before it reaches you.
Even though dark clothes get hotter in the sun, they can help keep you cool by letting heat flow away from your body, especially when the clothes are loose and breathable.
You may have noticed that traditional dress in a lot of hot countries is dark fabric. Loose dark fabric, and yet you are not asking how they manage.
So, you just wear baggier clothes.
BearMcBearFace@reddit (OP)
That is some flipping excellent sciencing! Thank you!
puffandpill@reddit
My mum struggles with the heat. Says she sweats a lot. (I don’t usually notice it that bad, but it obviously gets to her, makes her self conscious.)
It’s hot today and she’s wearing all black because the sweat doesn’t show up on black like it does on other colours.
I go in the opposite direction and wear white, but I can see her logic.
RonnyReddit00@reddit
OP asking the real questions here. BBC refueses to cover this.
LJ161@reddit
I have some little black playsuits and tshirt dressed for this very reason.
BollockOff@reddit
As someone who dresses more alt than full goth i always wear all black. The only thing i wear different is black shorts instead of black jeans along with a black tshirt.
I love the heat anyway so it doesn’t bother me when the black attracts it.
Fresh-Research3450@reddit
Black tee shirt dress and factor 30, black sandals and shades, you can still be cool when it's hot.
ripgd@reddit
Black in the heat isn’t the most cooling colour…
DaveBeBad@reddit
But the women in the Arabian countries wear black - and it’s far hotter there…
ripgd@reddit
Fair, and can’t explain why, but we all know black clothes attracts and traps more heat than white.
TheScarletPimpernel@reddit
From my vague memories of GCSE physics, black reflects less heat than white but it also retains less of what it absorbs.
No_Watercress8348@reddit
I’ve noticed 0 difference dressing in black to white for example in hot weather. When it’s hot it’s hot
formallyhuman@reddit
I'm pretty sure it's a myth that wearing black in summer is so much worse than wearing white. It's more about air flow.
kirkum2020@reddit
It's the best colour for both absorbing and radiating heat. Stay out of direct sunlight and it's ideal for staying cool.
Thraell@reddit
Killstar have a spectacular black cotton sun dress, easily cooler than any synthetic fibre in heat.
That's honestly the key; natural fibers. Cotton and linen will always breathe far easier than anything synthetic, colour doesn't matter in comparison.
xclaireypopsx@reddit
And a wide-brimmed hat
Pitiful-Hearing5279@reddit
Like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCOSPtyZAPA
pintsized_baepsae@reddit
Factor 50 for me, a bucket hat and a little hand fan.
Also, unfortunately, trainers due to medical reasons. They're the worst bit in this heat, really, the rest doesn't bother me 🥲
Ch3mplay@reddit
Clearly all going to the wrong places. Bunch of posers ;)
While I'm not goth goth anymore, very much still full metaller, so basically the same without the make up all the time.
In this heat, I sit in my desolute room, no lights, no music, JUST FANS!
And concentrate on trying not to melt.
craigwright1990@reddit
I understood that reference!
itsfourinthemornin@reddit
"In this heat, I sit in my desolute room, no lights, no music, JUST FANS!" - said in my head in the style of System of a Down.
That_Organization901@reddit
How do you feel..? What do you say..?
DownrightDrewski@reddit
In the end it all goes away.
salemorleans@reddit
stunning reference!
squesh@reddit
Only fans?
Imperator_Helvetica@reddit
Black Metal Fans?
Interceptor@reddit
Any big metal fan really. We get along great.
BungleJones@reddit
"I rise straight from the ashes.."
CdmanKhaos@reddit
metalhead here I mostly wear black but the idea that black retains heat is a big myth its more the material of clothing cotton is really good for this weather
atomic_mermaid@reddit
Lemme tell you, Download Festival in 25+ heat was not for the weak willed.
deafearuk@reddit
Try hellfest in 35+ heat....
atomic_mermaid@reddit
The dirty moshers with their all black outfits and docs cannae cope in such environments. We were made for dark, cool nights.
Chicklecat13@reddit
It really wasn’t! I’m still dealing with the burns.
Michael_Thompson_900@reddit
Don’t forget the Saville Row uber trendies. Follow some London dudes on IG who are wearing like 5 layers of linen and wool! They look amazing, but I can barely manage pants in this heat!
Ipm1128@reddit
Jeans go in the drawer, camo cargo shorts go on until September and the occasional white extreme band shirt slips into the usual black band shirt rotation.
By goth I take that as anything for the tradition goths to the emos to the black metal loving people like myself. Hot weather is excuse to sit in beer gardens all day. If they have music with blast beats playing at same time, its a bonus!
SamVimesBootTheory@reddit
What I've found so far is basically 'avoid synthetics'
Aeysir69@reddit
I spent the weekend before last (30+ degrees) riding off road covered in thick, armoured, black cordura, black enduro boots and a black lid on my head. I’ve had 40 years to get used to wearing black in the heat, now I do it for fun 😁🤘Thus my usual black t-shirt affair barely scratches the itch.
CiderDrinker2@reddit
Ex-goth.
Female goths have the advantage here: you can do a lot with a long - but thin, loose and flowing - black skirt, a black crop-top, and some appropriate jewellery.
Male goths have a harder time of it, but if you are open to blurring into the 'new romantic' / 'pirates of the Caribbean' end of the aesthetic, you can survive in a loose, natural fibre, frilly shirt.
AlexRodgerzzz@reddit
All I can imagine after reading this is Jack Sparrow bopping along to My Chemical Romance
Dismal_Knee_4123@reddit
As long as you keep the soil in your coffin slightly damp it’s fine.
Constant-Estate3065@reddit
They eat copious amounts of funny feet. They love funny feet.
AdAggravating6730@reddit
Goths have summer dressing down to an art - Black lace or vest tops, black flowy skirts with possibly the occasional striped garment if we're feeling brave! However roadmen are suffering out here. I've seen guys in full tracksuits and puffer jackets during the hottest days of the year.
Screaming_lambs@reddit
I think it was last year on one of the hot days I saw a lad in his full tracksuit and hat with a body warmer!
Screaming_lambs@reddit
Kinda goth, I switch to shorts and vests or band t shirts rather than skinny jeans and band t shirts with hoodies and jackets. Only wear sandals at home as I have to wear boots and splints to be able to walk further than my garden. I also have some nice flowey skirts and dresses which I enjoy flouncing around in.
Screaming_lambs@reddit
Kinda goth, I switch to shorts and vests or band t shirts rather than skinny jeans and band t shirts with hoodies and jackets. Only wear sandals at home as I have to wear boots and splints to be able to walk further than my garden. I also have some nice flowey skirts and dresses which I enjoy flouncing around in.
MadamKitsune@reddit
Moderate day - ankle length black skirt, boots but leaving off the tights/fishnets, black t-shirt/top, black hoodie.
Hot day - extra swirly ankle length black skirt (better airflow), chunky black sandals, black vest top, black shirt ~~shamelessly stolen from~~ kindly donated by the mister for when I'm forced to venture outside. I also keep baby wipes in the fridge for an instant cooldown and freshen up.
I'm also a redhead so staying covered up, dashing between patches of shade to avoid the sun and overheating in seconds is something I'm already used to.
spriteinabluecroc@reddit
My brother is one of the last goths left in town, I feel for him every year when we get a summer heatwave. Remember to water your goths, people. If you're hot, then they're feeling it 10x more 😔😔
Mammoth_Classroom626@reddit
I used to be a goth but I have to wear “work appropriate” attire. It’s all black and grey and if they’re lucky maybe some navy blue.
The answer is I’m just super hot all the time, but luckily I work in an air conditioned space on my own I control. So I get staff pretending to come talk to me so they can share in my 18C goodness. As a colleague said - I always look like I’m going to a funeral lmao.
Normal-Ear-5757@reddit
No idea how I used to do that, but I definitely went around in full regalia including leather trousers, shirt, bow tie, and blazer back in a day.
Now I'm a summer suit guy. White combats and linen suit jacket over a black tee or Hawaiian shit. Game changer!
jamieperkins999@reddit
Black is actually a good colour in the heat. The heat does not transfer to the skin as much and black actually radiates heat away from the wearer more effectively
shaolinoli@reddit
Fair play to them! I still see a bunch in Bristol, full black gear, all the jewellery, heavy makeup. You’ve got to respect the commitment!
Gooseuk360@reddit
Goths avoid direct sunlight, and their clothes are usually loose fitting, if not they can adjust. Increased convection so probably as unbearably hot as the rest of us.
Pitiful-Hearing5279@reddit
It’s the heads that turn and make my back burn…
vipros42@reddit
I consider my style to essentially be surf-metalhead which involves wearing a lot of black. My approach is to continue as normal, and then deeply regret the fact that I only own black clothes and particularly why am I wearing black denim shorts again?
EnoughYesterday2340@reddit
Wearing black isn't the problem.
My un-air conditioned, uninsulated house is the problem. My local area having a grand total of 1 pub and 1 restaurant with air conditioning (plus supermarkets) and nowhere else to go for relief is the problem. The tube and the bus and the train not being air conditioned is the problem.
ZakFellows@reddit
Not goth but I wear black because it hides the fact that I sweat really easily
SkarKrow@reddit
As a dedicated emo i will be maintaining my baggy hoodie and skinny jeans and half gallon of eyeliner.
TimeToNukeTheWhales@reddit
I was at a Slayer concert at Finsbury Park at the weekend. Lots of black. Six hundred people died and at least two thousand more melted. 🥲
mEmotep@reddit
I've survived 40 years in black and by the power of Monster I'll survive 40 more.
SonofLung@reddit
Goth won't allow
HellbellyUK@reddit
Back in my gothic youth I would happily be wearing a leather jacket in summer. And also a vest and cut off combat shorts in November. I was nothing if not complicated.
Wraith1989@reddit
Male goth here, been in the scene for twenty four years. I still wear black trousers with combat boots in summer, but my black long sleeve shirts are replaced by short sleeved ones. In heatwaves I try and avoid going outside as much as possible and when I do I ensure that I’m wearing the strongest factor sunblock on my arms and face. I also have a potable aircon at home.
CollegeOptimal9846@reddit
People need to be reminded of the existence of Goth
vetrusious@reddit
Someone dating a goth girl here. They wear shorts and t shirts too.
rucentuariofficial@reddit
Don't forget you can make a lil smoking area which can give a goth shade and dont forget to leave out a monster just to help them
Hot_Philosophy_7983@reddit
I’m not a goth but black is good to wear in the heat
Moppo_@reddit
If it's lightweight and loose-fitting. A dense, normal-fit t-shirt, not so much.
No_Watercress8348@reddit
Not a goth but all black is my go to, I just wear summer clothing in all black, assuming goths could also dress seasonally
Moppo_@reddit
They invaded Spain in the 6th century, I'm sure they can handle a bit of heat.
CosmicReveries@reddit
A cup of chilled raven tears - blessed by recitation of Christina Rossetti or Lord Byron poems - usually seems to keep the heat stroke at bay for most of them.
L1ttl3_T3d@reddit
Going to 2000Trees this week and wearing all black - factor 50, cold brews and longbottom leaf help me survive
thatblondeyouhate@reddit
swap the tights and boots for bare legs and sandals and most of my wardrobe is still in play.
c0rtec@reddit
Fuck, yes. Black is an all season colour, duh.
butt3rflycaught@reddit
It’s not even that hot. It’s funny, I’m ginger, pale and goth and I love the heat just not the sun. I’ll be fine, in my usual black goff attire in the shade with curtains drawn. I’ll go in my garden when the sun has gone over and I can shade bathe until my hearts content.
Intruder313@reddit
Colour of clothing does not matter with the sun : there’s not enough pigment in the cloth
Just look at the Middle East where white or black are common
Anyway I’ll be avoiding the sun like the plague
PaintingJams@reddit
not goth but I've been wearing black tees and jeans since I was 18. I wore them in 40C in texas, I wore them in mexcio, I'll wear them in my goddamn heatwave (until I get home and melt in just boxers)
discoveredunknown@reddit
I haven’t seen a goth since 2009.
esper_wing@reddit
Sign of the times. The ecosystem's unbalanced.
FoxGranite@reddit
Hopefully a David Attenborough documentary on them would help raise awareness of their decreasing numbers.
behavedave@reddit
What happened to subcultures, not only will the world become a monoculture but now afflecks palace is empty.
ThePolymath1993@reddit
They mostly come out at night, mostly.
Loquis@reddit
Game over, man!
evenstevens280@reddit
Go to Whitby. Bloody teeming with them.
Noctemme@reddit
I’m struggling, but stay indoors or in the shade. Can’t do my makeup due to the sweat.
Massive boots stay on though.
Thick_Suggestion_@reddit
Ughhh.... im already suffering!
My mum went out with her mate today, it's around 26-7 degrees. My mum came back, sweaty as fuck. Her mate? Had to go and get a sweater 😓
BlackStarDream@reddit
Cybergoth adjacent and it's not the sun that's the problem, it's the insulation indoors trapping the heat in the evening and at night.
No amount of wearing black or factor 50 BB cream is gonna make a difference to that.
UnholyDoughnuts@reddit
I've been buying white tour t shirts since I was a teenager.
mindobscura11@reddit
Absolutely will still be head to toe in black and I'm still wearing my DMs too. I'm an old, almost 50 Yr old goth and I'll be in the shade scowling and complaining it's too hot every opportunity
ffsnametaken@reddit
Just get a midnight black parasol
esper_wing@reddit
I just don't go outside.
EntertainerNo8806@reddit
The question of this thread alone, made me chuckle. You get a thumbs up.
capybara-appreciator@reddit
Black tank top + black maxi skirt is my heatwave go-to! Chuck on a few necklaces, some rings, and a pair of chunky boots for good measure :)
SGRiggall@reddit
Not a goth, but I powder coat and my oven sits between 150-190 degrees, I’m fat and wear all black clothes and there’s no windows or doors directly to the outside, it gets fairly hot but I much prefer sweating my man tits off than freezing them off
ValenciaHadley@reddit
I'm not goth but can tell you it's too warm for my usual alternative wear which is long skirts, petticoats and corsets. Switched out to my cotton slips and petticoats but still too warm.
FitConsideration6529@reddit
Simple strategy - emerge at night and back in before sunrise.
No_Cut5297@reddit
I'm not a goth but always wear black (bright colours are a sensory nightmare). I do have some grey standby clothes for extreme heat, along with a black & white wildcard.
Can't wait for Autumn.
Academic-Bug-4597@reddit
Black radiates heat better than lighter colours so as long as you are indoors/shaded, you will be cooler wearing black. Just make sure your clothing is loose and lightweight.
esgoore@reddit
Can confirm as an ex-goth. The UK has become too hot and I had no choice but to retire the long hair and black skinny jeans.
discoveredunknown@reddit
Did you wear those big massive fucking kerb stomper boots as well
Eoin_McLove@reddit
New Rocks
esgoore@reddit
Thankfully not no
EmbalmedCoconut@reddit
I've personally seen youngers in heavy fabric joggers and bubble coats and balaclavas this year in 30c. I think there has been a dimensional shift. I used to wear polos in the midst of winter and my mum would go nuts. I always felt warm lol.
"You'll catch a cold!"
Now mums must be like...
"You'll catch a heatstroke"
Global warming? The kids are acclimating?
Who knows 🤣
Eoin_McLove@reddit
I’m not a goth but I’m powering through with my black band t-shirts, black skinny jeans and Doc Martens.
Best-Hovercraft-5494@reddit
I think spiting the sun is the only venn diagram overlap between the Goths and Roadmen. Maybe they can exchange notes?
Adventurous_Help_604@reddit
The sun will purge your likes from the earth for eternity
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