In a healthy society it’s normal for youth to reject the codes of older generations and create its own. Codes that deliberately alienate parents and are even faintly threatening, but which unite the tribe itself and empathise with its emotional needs.
Red Bull once symbolised rebellion against ‘soft’ drinks and still retains a ‘Top Gear’ sense of middle-aged adventure. But as an expression of teenage angst it doesn’t really register, so step forward a new generation of packaging rooted in Goth subculture. If you’re looking for emotion in the art gallery of the supermarket, in energy drinks you’ll find it overflowing.
What does the average 15 year old boy see in this these Gothic masterpieces? With thanks to Wikipedia: ‘In the world of Goth, nature itself lurks as a malign protagonist, causing flesh to rot, rivers to flood, monuments to crumble and women to turn into slatterns, their hair streaming and lipstick askew’. Yep, I’ll have a can of that please. Make it a large one.