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Is Hotaru Goth?
She dresses in all black:
I will not argue that she does not wear all black. Of course, she does wear all black much of the time. But there are countless other scenes and images in which she is seen wearing a multitude of other colours. She wears everything from pink to turquoise to yellow, yet these instances of colour within her wardrobe are rarely mentioned by those who claim that Hotaru is goth. I propose that Hotaru is often seen in black or dark colours such as purple because that is part of her character design. Sailor Saturn is most commonly associated with dark colours, so Hotaru's wearing of these colours in her daily life makes sense. This can also be seen in wardrobes of the other senshi: note the frequency of Sailor Moon's wearing of pink, Ami's wearing of blue, etc. Further, black is a nice colour. It is a classic colour for clothing, and is considered to always be fashionable. It is simple and does not draw much attention, which is quite fitting for Hotaru's character. The simplicity of Hotaru's dress further detracts from the argument that she is goth. Goth people do tend to dress flamboyantly, or at least in a fashion so as to garner some appreciable amount of attention. When a goth person wants it to be noted that he or she is a goth person, he or she will make it quite clear!
She is the senshi of death:
Actually, Sailor Saturn was never called the senshi of death. She is actually the senshi of ruin and birth. Her sphere of influence, however, does include death - as well as ruin, destruction, silence, fate, and birth.
She has strange healing powers:
Why does this mean she is goth? She was granted the gift of healing powers, she didn't choose to have them. Further, most goth people don't have any sort of strange healing powers - that's just silly.
She is very pale:
She is also a very frail little girl who spends a lot of time indoors. Not everyone with pale skin is goth. Some people are naturally pale, some don't go outside often... there are a lot of reasons for her pallid complexion, but I don't think that being goth is one of them.
She doesn't have many friends:
She has LOTS of friends! ChibiUsa, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Usagi, Rei, Minako, Ami, Makoto, Luna... the list just goes on and on! She is very happy with the friends that she has, and she does have many friends. Hotaru is a very shy girl. Of course it is difficult for her to befriend the people with whom she attends school. She is certainly not a popular girl, but that does not automatically make her goth. Further, contrary to popular belief, goth people often have very large circles of friends, or many close friends. They often have very active social lives. There are many people who are NOT goth whose social lives pale in comparison to those of many goth people, so this argument is quite absurd.
She collects lamps:
What does this have to do with anything? I've never known a single goth person who collected lamps. Why would a lamp collection make someone automatically goth?
She is misunderstood:
I'm not going to argue with this one - most people feel misunderstood at some point in their lives. In fact, the other senshi often feel misunderstood as well. Being misunderstood does not make one goth at all.
She wears fishnet material:
So does my grandmother, but that doesn't mean she is goth.
She has black hair:
Just like the millions of other people in Japan... Newsflash: the entire nation of Japan is not goth.
I believe that much of the false belief that Hotaru is goth has been perpetuated by narrow-minded stereotypes, and a general lack of knowledge about Hotaru AND the goth subculture. Although the argument seems very silly, it is still one that is important because it involves character design, and misconceptions about it can lead to misconceptions about the character herself.
I personally do not believe Hotaru to be goth at all. This is not the result of any predjudice against goth people - it is simply something that I believe. I feel that being part of the goth subculture is a lifestyle choice, and members of that particular group make it very clear that they are members by using their appearance. Goth style and goth attitudes are really quite distinctive, and if Hotaru was, in fact, goth, there would be no question about it.
For the record, I myself was once part of the goth subculture - it can be argued that I still am, but I am not the type you will see at the mall. I enjoy all things goth, and think it is all very beautiful, but although I have a marked affinity for dark clothing, heavy eye makeup, and body modification of all sorts, I do enjoy my tan very much! Goth art and music is my passion, and while I still do sometimes don my boots, jewelry, corset, and black vinyl pants, my daily wardrobe consists of jeans and a black shirt, with my piercings and hourglass necklace.
If your definition of 'goth' includes a person who is open-minded, free-spirited, and has a general love for beauty in the world, then I suppose that Hotaru is goth. Otherwise, I feel that Hotaru simply does not feel within herself that she is goth. She has not made the lifestyle choice for herself, and that makes all the difference.