Scarecrow 8 said:
You are right about how labels ar tossed around a lot. But goth just seemed to fit for me. I wear a lot of black(most of the time), I like the music, I like the art work, and I have some very good freinds who are also goth. I don't write poetry or cut my self. I just call my self goth because it fits me easily.
Why not just like those things but not use the label? BOOM. negative stigma instantly avoided. I used to love resentment based on my tastes (confession: used to be straight edge, into skin tight dickies, studs, spikes, but I did have a pretty righteous scum-bag rag going on)
What I will will say is that there is no need to advertise your tastes and emotions via your outfit. There are a lot of negative ideas behind any given label, and as you have just stated, they obviously don't all apply to you. So why present yourself in such a way that invokes those ideas? Your clothing is the wrong place to be seeking individuality.