Forever Young

Older, wiser, stronger and still Goth AF

You can get strong and powerful goth-style with Ironskull Fitness’ Skullbell Kettlebells. Artfully Exercising is not affiliated with Ironskull Fitness, I just think these are both cool and well-made pieces of equipment.

I was a teenage vampire. Reveling in the premise of eternal youth and mortality via vampirism was an essential part of my passion for goth culture. I lived the night life to the fullest by staying out all evening, and getting home just before the sun rose. Through the early aughts, my weekends were spent grooving on the dance floor of New York City’s goth clubs. I was fortunate to be one of the very last generations to experience the thrills and chills at Club Avalon, Drom, The Pyramid Club, The Bank/The Element and Downtime (i.e. Albion/Batcave events).

Although New York’s major goth clubs and parties are more or less relics these days (what goth doesn’t love a good ruin though?), the spirit of the culture has enjoyed eternal life. Goths are alive and well in the Big Apple. Those of us from the first, second and third generations (80s-2010s) are indeed older, but many of us are not letting time or age defy us. Like the vampires we sought to embody through art and fashion, some of us goths have interpreted the lore of immortality into health and wellness routines. The transition or continuity between goth culture and fitness is not that atypical. Whether coincidental or just a sign of the times, the Limelight (pre-Avalon and just before my time), arguably the premiere goth club, formerly located in a nineteenth-century Gothic Revival Episcopal church, became an upscale fitness center (which has also since closed).

I previously wrote about some key connections between goth culture and fitness (see: Goth Fitness). Goth fitness is an eternal journey of getting stronger and more dynamic, due to the invigorating ethos of goth music, fashion and other people I met through the scene. These elements are a perfect recipe for sustained wellness and self-care. The goth scene absolutely had its share of terrible gatekeepers and abusive people (i.e. psychic and energy vampires); but at large, it was and still is a scene where difference is celebrated. It is one of the more welcoming and empathetic subcultures for those of us who are neurodivergent, disabled and who have experienced stigma from mainstream popular culture.

Many elder goths have created spaces for intergenerational communal care. One influential space is the online platform, Bones in Black. It’s an account run by a self-proclaimed “elder goth,” who is a veteran of the 1990s goth club scene. The account provides a range of engaging content that is both nostalgic and timely for anyone who has in the past and/or still considers themselves to be goth. Bones in Black supports a positive and welcoming outlook for all types of personal and collective identities. This is especially true when it comes to physique. Goth culture is incredibly aesthetic, and that can mean that some goths might suffer from poor self-perception around body image. Bones in Black eschews archetypal ideologies about body image within the scene, while promoting a healthy lifestyle through movement that is accessible to diverse bodies.

A shining example of how Bones in Black puts forth healthy goth-inspired lifestyle content, is their “30 minute elder goth dance workout” on YouTube. They note that, “This isn't about perfect choreography or getting a six-pack. It's about moving your body, having fun, and reconnecting with the music and community that made us who we are.”

Dancing is a great workout. It burns calories, builds respiratory and cardiovascular endurance and releases endorphins that benefit mental health. As an elder goth who enjoys a good workout and good tunes from the comfort of my home gym, the goth dance workout is such a beautiful program.

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