The sack of Rome must have been sexy as fuck.

For me, it all started with Raven from Teen Titans… No chance after that, I’m afraid.

Assuming I wasn’t trolled by a historian, the name goth for our post-modern mortality-celebrating Cure-listening well-dressed counter-culture comes from the Romans, not because the barbarians at the gates were wearing black lipstick, but because Romans were prone to call any counter-culture in Rome gothic.

Rome was sacked by Visigoths more than once, and rebuilt again. So gothic was a term of derision by conservatives who liked classical styles and not these new-fangled buildings that were erected when the old one burned down, or for that matter, these new-fangled liberal ideas the kids go on about. A prime example is Ogival architecture (tall spires and flying buttresses) called Gothic for being the new Roman style by those who longed for the pre-sack skyline.

We see similar effects with other regional groups. Bohemians (the absinthe-drinking free-loving artists) only started with migrating creatives from Bohemia inspiring a (goth-adjacent) counter-culture celebrated across Europe. Also the attribution of French stuff typically having to do with sex or cooking e.g. French post cards (NSFW pin-up women) or French fries (julienned potatoes) much of which doesn’t originate from France, but might have gained popularity in Paris.

Best reason to care about the Romans tbh.