Ideal Beauty in Goth, Alternative, or Indie subculture

In Goth, Alternative and Indie subculture in the West, is mainly present only in teenage and university age cultures and is mostly expressed by women. This ideal is of very pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes and lips, and allows almost any body type from very full-figured in a retro bodice to very thin and tall in a flowing lace blouse. Colours of clothing are dark or bright, such as black, red, burghandy, dark green, or mustard, as well as white and cream lace. Styles of clothing are almost always retro, with a basic preference for lace, bodices, transparent layers, flowing long skirts. The look has many variations, from a kind of bondage look to Shakespearean to Indian style to heavy metal to businesslike adaptations. However, what they all have in common is an attempt to convey depth, feeling, darkness, being misunderstood and being different from the majority standard. The image is of an intellectual in retreat from the everyday world, as well as expressions of many kinds of teenage rebelliousness. However, individuals who participate in it are overwhelmingly expressing cultural conformity to this sub-cultural ideal.

This ideal exists all over the Western world from Europe to the US and perhaps has done so for many centuries, although it remains a minority subculture in all areas where it appears.