Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in “Wednesday.” Credit: Vlad Cioplea/Netflix via TNS
In addition to being creepy and kooky, Wednesday Addams is now undeniably a la mode.
“Wednesday,” which premiered on Netflix in November 2022, is an eight-episode “Addams Family” spinoff series directed by Tim Burton. The show follows a teenage Wednesday (Jenna Ortega), still as gruesome as ever. Forcibly enrolled in Nevermore Academy, the boarding school where her parents met, Wednesday is swiftly embroiled in mystery and interpersonal conflict.
The show was met with a positive reception, watched for over 341 million hours on its opening week, according to Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV (English) list. Since then, “Wednesday” has remained on the list for eight-consecutive weeks. A swift renewal for a second season was announced Jan. 6, though its exact premiere date is unknown at the time of publication.
In an ironic twist, Wednesday — characterized as someone who rejects popular opinion — has become an “it girl,” especially when it comes to her goth-inspired wardrobe.
The goth style possesses a rich and compelling history, Wendy Goldstein, a senior lecturer at Ohio State, said. Goldstein, who currently teaches the course “Twentieth Century Fashion and Beyond,” said goth originated as a musical subculture in 1970s England. She said bands — such as Bauhaus, which pioneered goth rock with its 1979 release of the song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” — enabled the genre to evolve out of the punk rock movement.
Codified in nature, goth rock grew to be characterized by shameless melancholia, breaking away from punk’s angry reputation to acquire its own aesthetic, Goldstein said.
“Goth rock became a combination of fashion, music and lifestyle affiliated with the darkest aesthetics of the Gothic time period,” Goldstein said. “The look that they picked up was from Queen Victoria, who was dressed in black and in mourning most of her life.”
Because mainstream fashion is circling back to the 1990s, Goldstein said “Wednesday” contains traces of the decade’s goth flavor. In particular, she said the Prada Monolith combat boots worn by Ortega as Wednesday echo a ‘90s love for chunky footwear.
Tight-fitting pants, oversized tees, knee-high socks, statement collars, large headbands, pleated skirts and bejeweled dresses are a handful of modern gothic staples that align with ‘90s trends, Goldstein said. An all-black color palette is standard but not mandated, she said.
All gothic looks featured in “Wednesday” reflect past gothic fashions in some shape or form, Marlise Schoeny, a history curator at the Ohio History Connection, said.
“Every time you have a revival, it doesn’t go back to the original source material, but actually tends to go back and look at the last revival,” Schoeny said.
Beyond nostalgia, Schoeny said it’s possible viewers feel drawn to Wednesday’s attire because they wish to emulate the character’s tenacity.
“[Wednesday] speaks to a lot of what each of us is really trying to achieve, which is that sort of independent, self-assured kind of mentality,” Schoeny said. “Putting on clothing at some point is like putting on a suit of armor.”
Shreya Mishra, a third-year in environment, economy, development and sustainability as well as co-president of Ohio State’s Fashion Production Association, said discovering one’s personal style is integral to identity development. She said social media speeds up trend cycles, making reckless shopping easier.
“People want to fit into a certain category and then they buy everything that they think will allow them to fit into that category,” Mishra said. “It’s really important to find your own true style.”
Even though goth is having a moment in the sun, nothing lasts forever, Goldstein said. In this day and age, what is “in” could be “out” sooner than expected, she said.
“The Wednesday-mania might be another six months before the next, current culture takes on,” Goldstein said. “It used to be that fashion changed every 100 years.”
