So if you've been paying attention to designer collaborations, street style and the Instagram feed of bloggers, you've probably noticed a surge of sportswear. Yes, now wearing sneakers is actually kind of cool. Convenient? Absolutely. Confusing? A little bit. So pair the sudden coolness of sweatpants and sneakers with the popularity of monochrome color palettes and collaborations like Alexander Wang for H&M and Mary Katrantzou for Adidas and what do you have? Well, health goth, obviously. If you're like me, this is the point where you cooly nod as if to say, "Well, of course it's health goth. Gosh, what else would it be?" while inside what you're really thinking is, "What does it MEAN?" So what exactly is this new trend/style/term that is "health goth?"
Well, apparently it's a combination of a whole lot of trends that most of us are vaguely familiar with. Basically, you take all-black outfits, combine them with sportswear (but you know, the cool kind of sportswear... duh), add a tasteful touch of a sort of Kanye West-ish aesthetic, and there you have it: Health goth.
As someone who will never claim to be an expert in either goth style or most things relating to health (wait, what do you mean gummies don't really count as fruit?), this genre of dressing is something that I don't really get. Does that mean it isn't cool? Of course not; most of the "coolest" things in the world go way beyond my understanding anyway — like Miley Cyrus concerts and body jewelry. But, really, isn't this just combining a bunch of random trends and slapping a label on it?
Goths At The Gym
According to The Guardian, apparently health goth has also been a Facebook page and a joke at some point, and along the way just happened to develop into an actual trend, just adding to my confusing. The same articles also says that health goth is a form of exercise that focuses on toning your body in an "emotional and melancholy way." Oh. OK.
While I may not understand health goth at all, it's fair to say that it has its positive points. I mean, a trend that makes wearing sweatpants, T-shirts, and sneakers a version of cool that Kanye himself approves of? Can't say I'm not a fan of that.
Images: Getty Images; H&M; Giphy
