Meet The Lace Ledger’s 11 goth-coded archetypes and take a quiz to discover which one mirrors your shadowed soul

By: The Lace Ledger Staff

Photo Credit: @the_whisperwind

What does “gothic style” mean? If you ask the average person, they’ll likely describe the trad goths (or mall goths) of our youth – head-to-toe black, piercings, heavy makeup, perceived love of horror movies and heavy metal.

While that archetype does hold space, it’s only one shade in a much richer palette of gothic expression. Some of us are perpetually pensive, some are mischievous, some find joy in seduction, some haunt the board room while others convene with nature and the constellations – and we all have different aesthetics.

We invite you to explore the many facets of dark femininity through archetypal discovery, uncovering which persona resonates with your inner darkness. None of us are only one thing, but each has a dominant current (or two) running through her marrow.

These 11 archetypes are not costumes—they are compasses, guiding you toward your authentic creative and spiritual inheritance.

1. The Widow

Mourning, mysterious, magnetic.

Photo Credit: IMDb

She thrives in velvet shadows and speaks in elegies. Her presence is haunted devotion.

Style Notes: Antique jewellery, mourning silhouettes, cathedral-core, flowing layers in black, charcoal, crimson and deep plum.
Muses: Morticia Addams, Helena Bonham Carter, Elizabeth Taylor.
Why we love her: She channels grief into grace, solitude into style.

2. The Heiress

Opulent, refined, untouchable.

Photo Credit: @zendaya

Old money gothic aesthetic with a jewellery box full of pearls and sins. She moves through rooms with inherited gravitas.

Style Notes: Structured tailoring, luxe fabrics, vintage jewellery, fur stoles, opera gloves.
Muses: Alexa Chung, Zendaya, Grace Kelly.
Why we love her: She’s decadent and dangerous—high class with an edge.

3. The Brat

Playful, defiant, unrepentant.

Photo Credit: @juliafox

She teases, tests and delights in disobedience. Power dynamics are her playground.

Style Notes: Micro minis, fetish fashion, mesh, oversized bows, knee socks, pastel goth crossover.
Style Icon: Jessie Murph, Cardi B, Julia Foxx.
Why we love her: She plays cute but knows exactly how to ruin you.

4. The Oracle

Visionary, mystical, timeless.

Photo Credit: @highsnobiety (ft Jenna Ortega)

Tarot and ancient texts guide her path. She is both the question and the answer.

Style Notes: Cloaks, symbolic jewelry, third-eye motifs, celestial fabrics, boots for crossing thresholds.
Style Icon: Florence Welch, Jenna Ortega, Zoë Kravitz.
Why we love her: She reminds us that time is an illusion—and so is subtlety.

5. The Corp Goth

Polished, strategic, commanding.

Photo Credit: @mspike

Leather briefcase in hand, she rules the boardroom with as much bite as she does the night.

Style Notes: Pencil skirts, tailored pants, crisp collars, structured blazers, Victorian ties, leather briefcase, blood-red lip.
Style Icon: Rosamund Pike, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Yung Planet.
Why we love her: She means business—and always closes.

6. The Vamp

Seductive, decadent, dangerous.

Photo Credit: @monicabellucciofficiel

Dark lips, sharper wit. She is candlelit debauchery, the embodiment of hunger and allure.

Style Notes: Satin slips, garters, fur trims, hourglass silhouettes, bloodstone jewelry.
Style Icon: Monica Bellucci, Sofia Vergara, Salma Hayek.
Why we love her: She is proof that danger and desire can be the same thing.

7. The Romantic Goth

Dreamy, tender, lyrical.

Photo Credit: @wwd + @ana_d_armas

Her world is handwritten notes, pressed flowers and a wardrobe full of lace. She is haunted but hopeful.

Style Notes: Lace, vintage-inspired silhouettes, gloves, pearls, hair ribbons, deep jewel tones.
Style Icon: Ana de Armas, Etta James, Emma Stone.
Why we love her: She reminds us that tenderness is its own kind of power.

8. The Whimsy Goth (including Southern Gothic)

Playful, enchanted, mischievous.

Photo Credit: @islafisher

She blends fairy wings with cobwebs, hiking boots with velvet capes, cicadas and magnolia blossoms with bourbon and secrets. Her joy is rebellion, her softness a spell.

Style Notes: Playful silhouettes, vintage florals, witchy cottage-core.
Style Icon: Zooey Deschanel, Dolly Parton, Isla Fisher.
Why We Love Her: She turns real life into a storybook – eccentric, dreamy, forever chasing fireflies.

9. The Dark Academic

Studious, austere, brooding.

Photo Credit: @oliviawilde

She thrives in libraries and candlelit debates. Her pleasures are found in old books, new theories, and a glass of red at midnight.

Style Notes: Tweed blazers, crisp shirts, knit turtlenecks, pleated skirts, tortoiseshell glasses.
Style Icon: Amanda Seyfried, Lucy Lu, Olivia Wilde.
Why We Love Her: She’s a scholar of the shadows that makes intellect look dangerous.

10. The Siren

Alluring, dangerous, mercurial.

Photo Credit: @honeymoon

Half-mermaid, half-Medusa—her pull is irresistible, her waters dark and endless.

Style Notes: Icy toned and metallic silks, plunging necklines, pearl accents, gowns that move like the tides.
Style Icon: Alexa Demie, Eva Green, Lana Del Rey.
Why We Love Her: She lures us in with beauty but keeps us with magnetism.

11. The Pinup

Bold, playful, untamed.

Photo Credit: @ditavonteese

Red lips and corsets that cut like daggers. She is flirtation incarnate, sharpened into power, glamour wielded like a weapon.

Style Notes: Corsets, wiggle skirts, red lips, high heels.
Style Icon: Dita Von Teese, Pamela Anderson, Sophia Loren.
Why We Love Her: She’s playful and sexy at the same time.

The Quiz: Which Archetype Are You?

Answer honestly, Ledger readers—your shadow self is waiting.

1. Your ideal night looks like:
A) Candlelit vigil, black veil drawn low.
B) Gallery opening followed by champagne.
C) Mischief in a bustier, rules broken with a grin.
D) Stargazing under a waxing moon.
E) Power moves in stilettos and silk blazers.
F) Velvet chaise, wine-stained lips, lingering gaze.
G) A handwritten letter by lamplight.
H) Midnight hike under the stars or viewing from a moonlit Southern porch swing.
I) Late-night lecture on existentialism with a tumbler of scotch.
J) Saltwater night swim.
K) Jazz club armed with a playful wink.

2. The object you can’t live without is:
A) Funeral bouquet pressed between pages.
B) Inherited string of pearls.
C) Leather collar necklace with silver loop.
D) Deck of well-worn tarot cards.
E) Monogrammed leather planner.
F) Blood-red lipstick.
G) Scrapbook full of treasured memories.
H) Hiking boots—or a silver flask etched with initials.
I) First edition of a philosophy text.
J) A seashell whispering forgotten songs.
K) Black silk stockings with back seam.

3. Which phrase resonates most?
A) “Love is eternal mourning.”
B) “Legacy is my birthright.”
C) “Rules were made to be broken.”
D) “The future is written in the stars.”
E) “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
F) “Desire is a dangerous feast.”
G) “To love is to live twice.”
H) “Even darkness deserves delight.”
I) “Knowledge is the truest seduction.”
J) “Beauty lures; danger keeps.”
K) “Glamour is rebellion dressed in lipstick.”

Results:

Mostly A’s → The Widow
Mostly B’s → The Heiress
Mostly C’s → The Brat
Mostly D’s → The Oracle
Mostly E’s → The Corp Goth
Mostly F’s → The Vamp
Mostly G’s → The Romantic Goth
Mostly H’s → The Whimsy Goth (Southern Gothic included here)
Mostly I’s → The Dark Academic
Mostly J’s → The Siren
Mostly K’s → The Pinup

Archetypes are not cages—they are mirrors. Perhaps you are Romantic Goth by day and The Brat by night, The Dark Academic in public and The Vamp in private? Or, your archetype could be Corporate Goth with a Siren moon and Pinup rising? The Lace Ledger invites you to embrace your dominant currents and explore its shadows.

Tell us, Ledger readers—which archetypes claimed you? Drop your result in the comments, or tag #TheLaceLedger to unveil your gothic self to the world.