Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is an alternative lifestyle?
The phrase alternative lifestyle is a broad umbrella term and can entail a plethora of subtexts within it. In its true essence, it means any lifestyle that is considered to be outside the cultural norm. A person living an unconventional life that is outside the mainstream fraternity is what comprises an alternative lifestyle.
The different subcultures within an alternate lifestyle are segregated based on activities, interests, beliefs, and customs. Some of the most common segregations of alternate lifestyle are as follows:
- Body modification – It involves body piercings, tattoos, non-surgical stretchings, scarification, transdermal implants, etc.
- Alternative child-rearing – Co-parenting, home-schooling, home births, etc.
- Bohemianism – Simple living, hippies, punk, rock, emo, steampunk subculture, antiquarian, etc.
- Unconventional sexual fetish – BDSM, swinging, threesome, gangbang, etc.
- Alternative medicine – Natural, herbal remedies or medication.
- Travelling subculture – House-trucking, new age travelers.
- Restrictive dieting – Vegetarianism, veganism, etc.
- Alternate sexuality – Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, sapiosexual, transgender, etc.
These are just a few of the many subcultures that are there in the world.
What does an alternative lifestyle mean sexually?
When it comes to alternate lifestyle from a sexual perspective, it means either your sexual orientation or sexual identity. Let us try and understand both these terms in detail.
Sexual identity is what you identify as. You can be cisgender or transgender or non-binary. Cisgender means your gender identity is the same as your biological sex or the sex assigned at birth.
Transgender is the opposite of cisgender. If your gender identity does not conform to the sex you were assigned at birth, then you are a transgender. For instance, a person who was assigned a woman at birth can identify as a man. In this case, they will be a transman.
A non-binary person does not conform to either male or female and doesn’t want to put themselves in a box. People use many pronouns and the pronoun ‘they’ is also relevant. So, one must always seek people’s pronouns before addressing them.
The second aspect of the sub-division (sexual orientation) has been discussed in the following question.
What does an alternative lifestyle mean in terms of sexual orientation?
Sexual orientation refers to the sexual and/or romantic attraction of a person. The three broad classifications here are as follows:
- Heterosexual – Commonly known a straight, it refers to an individual being attracted to only the opposite sex.
- Homosexual – Commonly known as gay and lesbian, it refers to an individual being attracted to only the same sex.
- Bisexual – It refers to an individual being attracted to both the opposite and same sex.
Needless to say, homosexual and bisexual falls under alternate sexual orientation and alternate dating since these are still considered taboo.
Apart from these, there are also other sexual orientations that are considered taboo such as pansexual, asexual, bi-curious, etc. all of which fall under the broad alternate sexuality term.
How do you meet alternative people?
Usually, there are cruising spots for alternative people to meet, not only for finding love or hooking up but for sharing camaraderie as well. It is very much like an underground culture. It can be a club, a park, a bar, etc.
But nowadays, the digital world is bringing these people together and is unifying people with similar tastes around the globe. So, now you can interact with more Goth because you are not limited to your local town only.
The same applies to punks, metalheads, and, emo enthusiasts, to name a few. There are online alternative dating sites and apps specifically designed for each of these subcultures through which people can find friends, companionship, and love.
Even mainstream dating websites are branching out to include a safe space for people who are into alternative dating.
What is emo subculture?
Emo refers to a genre of rock music that puts an emphasis on emotional expression, mostly through its lyrics. It emerged during the 1980s and was pioneered by bands such as Embrace and Rites of Spring.
It has since then spawned a lifestyle of its own that is marked by tight t-shirts often bearing band names, skinny jeans, jet-black hair, studded belts, and long bangs. Introversion, sensitivity, angst are also often associated with this subculture.
Fans of emo music often describe themselves as emo kids, emo guy, emo girl, or simple emos.
What is punk subculture?
Punk is a subculture that stemmed in the mid-1970s through the fans of the music genre punk rock. The music of punk, which often involved fast-paced songs that were short in duration and edged by hard melodies united a whole other community of fans together.
Punk slowly ingratiated itself in literature, music, visual art, fashion, and ideologies. Most notable punk motifs include leather jackets, brightly colored hair, tattoos, Mohawks, body modification, and jewelry, among others.
Punk enthusiasts often enjoy arts that bear the themes of minimalism, underground, satirical and iconoclastic sensibilities.
What is Goth subculture?
Emerging in the UK in the 1980s, this subculture was developed by fans of gothic rock music. The bands that inspired this subculture were Jo Division, Bauhaus, The Cure, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
The types of music that they prefer are gothic rock, cold wave, ethereal wave, dark wave, and post-punk. This subculture draws many influences from the Belle Epoque, Edwardian, and Victorian eras. Besides, nineteenth-century horror literature and early twentieth-century horror films have had significant influences on this subculture as well.
Motifs of Goth include black hair, dark attire, dark makeup, including black lipstick. Their aesthetics and fashion are extremely distinct and have inspired many fashion giants to take out collections of their own.
Famous Gothic style icons include Robert Smith, Rozz Williams, Dave Vanian, Vampira, Morticia Addams, Nico, David Bowie, Lux Interior, Musidora, Bela Lugosi, and Bettie Page.
What is heavy metal subculture?
Evident by the name, the heavy metal subculture comprises of fans of heavy metal. Although it started with a fanbase that was predominantly white male in the 1970s, it has since then garnered the interests of more female fans alongside different ethnicities.
Common motifs of heavy metal include vests and jackets made of denim, drill pants, boots, long hair, band patches and studs, alongside riding bikes and loads of tattoos. The newer and younger fans have adopted an urban hipster vibe in recent years.
