Why Goths Are Few in the Philippines

An archipelago comprising 7, 107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon (where almost all gothy events take place, because our capital city is there), Visayas (sadly, where I live) and Mindanao.

The inability to find a fellow morbidly interesting individual is one (but maybe the major ONE) of the many dilemmas a Goth from either Visayas and Mindanao would face. Eternal Death Wake , the one and only annual Gothic gathering in the Philippines, is held in Manila, our capital city, which is one ship ride away from where I live which takes about 2 and a half days (yeah, that far). But if I take a plane though, it takes less than an hour.. BAHHH it's still far!

Looky here! Filipino Goths! It's soooo rare seeing the species. This is from EDW 9.
Source

Another problem that the few Goths here face is the absence of Goth brands and clothing shops in the country. But it's not that much of a problem since we're creative and resourceful enough.

All this longing of company to graveyards, libraries, and clothing hunts is frustrating me, so I thought of coming up with reasons that I think would explain the almost-invisible population of Goths in the Philippines.

 

 

ONE - The Tropical Climate.

Not all Goths hate the sun. But I do, and most do. AND as a matter of fact, DARK colors attract heat more than the light ones, so wearing black and beautiful makeup would just make you feel all sweaty and uncomfortable. The climate is already hot the way it is, that means wearing Goth clothes and apparel would just choke you even more.

TWO - Christianity

Let's face it, this old religion (Catholicism most importantly) has shaped the norms and mindsets of the Filipino people. Well, Christianity isn't so bad, but the thing is, some (or maybe most) Christians tend to find black-clad people weird and suspicious. Add our morbid interests and strange favorites. Yeah, devotees would then think you're from a cult, from Satan's church, or something. Your parents, for example. They might schedule an exorcism for you because of your likes. Ugh.

THREE - The Little Support Beautiful Bands Get

What music MOST people here love? The same old lame stuff. Love songs, Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj... Gaah. If you listen to Cinema Strange, get ready to receive a grimace accompanied by a stupid remark from someone.. or everyone. There ARE Gothic Rock bands here (and I'm totally happy about this--), but not much listeners (--but totally sad about this.)

FOUR - The Unusual Attraction of Most Filipino Adolescents to Romance

I think only 1 out of 40 teens here sees things from a different perspective, dares to stand out, expresses differently -- one whose interests lie in the beauty of things and the surroundings.. because the other 39 chooses to hear and talk about love stories all day long. Talk about art, everyone sleeps. Relate art to relationships, everyone wakes up. *facepalm*

FIVE - Uniforms in Schools

Uniforms in schools would mean lesser wardrobe contents, because you wouldn't need to buy more stuff if you could just wear that same set 10 months a year. Uniform Rule = Lesser Fashion Attention.

Sadly true.

But still, I know that SOMEONE out there--whom I believe will go Goth shopping with me one of these days-- feels the same longing and loneliness I've been feeling.