Goths In Hot Weather

All photos via GothsInHotWeather

​Tom Lenham, 39, is the man behind the blog GothsInHotWeather. He lives in London, but his subject matter is particularly relevant for those of us who live in Los Angeles, the city where goths go to burn in Hell.

Are you a goth?

As a youth, I dabbled in Goth.  It was a more innocent time, a time when you could wear black clothes and makeup and not be mistaken for an Emo, or worse a Juggalo. I was very content as a Goth. I was different from the rest of the crowd. It didn't take long to realise that being content and being Goth were diametrically opposed...Ah, the irony!

All photos via GothsInHotWeather

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All photos via GothsInHotWeather

​When you see a goth in hot weather, do you laugh? Or do you cry for them?

I little of both. I remember struggling round Camden Market in London during the '80s with a full length coat, Fedora hat and cuban heel cowboy boots on in the mid Summer and cringe at what I must have looked like, so I feel their pain. I quite admire the juxtaposition of traditional family scenes being interrupted by unconventional imagery and alternative lifestyles, such as a Goth dressed in velvet and leather walking round a grocery store buying vegetables. I think it does two things: it makes us question our moral values and judgments based on appearance rather than behaviour. But mainly I just like laughing at people in leather trousers.

All photos via GothsInHotWeather

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All photos via GothsInHotWeather

​What's the hottest place you've ever seen a goth? (And "Hell" doesn't count)

I've been in certain clubs where they go crazy dancing but refuse to take of their leather coats (apparently it's a decision to be made at the beginning of the night; either take off your coat to reveal your scrawny arms, or keep it on all night to hide the sweat stains), but outside it's definitely been in Whitby (a coastal town in the north east and a Mecca for Goths thanks to Bram Stoker's Dracula). Blazing hot day on the beach, everyone in swim suits and shorts, and this Goth couple appear in FULL leather and rubber. They even went paddling but just rolled up their trousers and held their coats up around them. It was a beautiful thing.

All photos via GothsInHotWeather

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All photos via GothsInHotWeather

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