A common clothing piece in goth fashion is the staple fishnet tight, which can be simple yet versatile.

Fishnets are often worn as secondary clothing or used as extra texture to layer up your outfit, but are they a statement on sexuality, or a statement on modern day style?

What are fishnets?

A simple question that can be answered with a scoff, “holey goth tights” – but it’s a little more complex. The easiest answer is crisscrossed string tights, but they do come in a variety of colours. Fishnets make your legs look good without being naked – which, isn’t that the job of any tights?

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Fishnets exist in order to accentuate the shape and curve of the leg muscles, (but we all know what that really means – wink.) and they are mostly used as a base layer for an outfit.

The History of Fishnets

A quick google search tells us that: “Fishnets tend to show off your curves, and given that a lot of people have very curvy legs, it’s a great way to get your legs noticed. Young girls wear them too with ripped jeans or under short shorts. Anything goes when it comes to fishnets” which is kind of obvious, really.

The earliest fishnet-wearing we could find was in reference to an Italian apothecary jar which was made in the 1500’s and featured an image of a lady showing her leg, and then some!

The museum of fine art in Boston USA has two of the earliest examples of knitted stocking, that have been archived from both France and England, circa 1830, or possibly older.

Then, in 1845, the American manual ‘The Ladies Work-Table’, contained patterns for knitted stocking with fine wool (fingering weight for the crafty among us) which was cheaper for the everyday person to get a hold of as before, stockings (also known as tights, so let’s use that term interchangeably shall we?) were thought to be made of silk.

In 1912, we have the first referencing of the fishnet in the paper; the St Louis Post appeared with both an article and a black and white photo. This was the year that the fishnet made its way across the seas from Europe and into America.

Fishnets went on to be known as mosquito stocks and caused an unhappy stir with one evangelist cult leader, Mr Wilbur Glen Voliva, whom “ruled” the town of Zion, Illinois.

He disliked the undergarment and protested it fiercely. However, he was a flat earther so does his view really hold much water?

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This leads us to the roaring twenties. Used on both the big screen and stage, the fishnets found a new lease of life as they became an item of clothing which helped both actor and everyday person convey the illusion of bare skin, while technically still being modest.

Now, if you know your modern history, you will know that the 1920’s was the era of the flapper, where fishnets and pushing boundaries went hand in hand.

From flappers to goth, how did fishnets get to be the iconic staple of our wardrobes?

Fishnets and Goth Subculture

Luckily we do have an answer. From the looks of it, fishnets were introduced into the darker side of fashion in the 70’s and we can thank the Punks for that.

The 70’s was a time where music became a protest, and sex was shoved in the face of ‘The Man’. Fishnet wearing in the UK was influenced by bondage clubs and the overall taboo, giving the clothing item quite the statement-piece status.

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Punk musicians DIY-ing, or wearing what they could afford to show the angst inside, paying tribute to former performers of the past, such as America’s first goth Theda Bara, all had a hand in bringing fishnets to their present glory.

Punk groups helped to propel the counterculture that is modern day goth.

Fishnets are now a must-have for any alternative individual. The blending of sex and statement are strong themes within the gothic, and, of course showing that gender isn’t always important when it comes to expression and visual aesthetic. Fishnets are yet another example of goth’s lean towards adrogyny.

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