https://unstitcheddd.blogspot.com/2017/01/are-goths-racist.html
https://unstitcheddd.blogspot.com/2016/10/pwr-bttm-concert-in-portsmouth.html
https://unstitcheddd.blogspot.com/2016/09/gender-and-alternative-dress.html
http://unstitcheddd.blogspot.com/2017/01/person-of-interest-emilie-autumn.html
Here are my posts that I am celebrating!
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
So Long & Thanks For All The Fish!
This was a great experience! I hope everyone enjoyed my blog and maybe learned something. Or was at least entertained!
So long, and for the last time, never forget to creep it real!
So long, and for the last time, never forget to creep it real!
Goths in Media
Last official post!
Here's a list of my favorite goth characters in media (in no particular order)!
The Craft, for those of you who have never heard of it, is basically mean girls, but with witchcraft and murder. Nancy is pretty much Goth Regina George- trying to seduce the main character's boyfriend, and then trying to murder her. Or, trying to get her to commit suicide. Nancy is an incredibly interesting character- shown as a troubled girl with an abusive stepfather just trying to cope, but magic slowly drives her to insanity as she craves more power.
Here's a list of my favorite goth characters in media (in no particular order)!
Nancy Downs, The Craft - 1996
Wednesday and Morticia Addams, The Addams Family
Two in one! Morticia is the seductive and dark mysterious woman who has her husband wrapped around her finger, whereas Wednesday is dark, emotionless, and cynical. They're everything every goth tries to be. Both humorous and quick witted, they're thoroughly well written characters.
Lydia Deetz, Beetlejuice - 1988
Played by Winona Ryder, Lydia is the girl who many Goths look up to. An aspiring photographer, who is, herself, strange and unusual, and almost was married to a ghost. What could be better than that? Well, I wouldn't want to marry Betelgeuse. Neither did she, I guess, though.
Elvira, Elvira's Movie Macabre 1981-1986 (As well as other productions)
Elvira is one of my guilty pleasures. Or, I've been told I should feel guilty about loving her character. Oh well. The busty horror hostess's quick wit, sass, and mix of valley girl and Gothic 'tude are just oh so good. (Also the recurring joke in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark that she was born in her goth makeup- hilarious!) Maybe other goths want to be mysterious and reclusive, and cut roses off of their stems- but I want to be Elvira!
Creep it real, folks!
Vocabulary: Cybergoth
Cybergoths, also known as 'Gravers' (or Gothic ravers), have a very unique style, mixing raver styles, steampunk, industrial, and gothic fashion.
Cybergoths can be spotted sporting neon dreadlocks, gas masks, goggles, big boots, fishnets, vinyl, and fur. Cybergoths usually wear black and monochromatic neon colors, matching their hair, makeup and clothes.
Their "cyberlox" or dreadlocks can be natural or, made of yarn, plastic, cables, and more. Many put LED lights in their locks.
The term "Cybergoth" was coined in the 80's for the RPG game "Dark Future" and has been evolving ever since.
Cybergoths don't often listen to gothic rock- they merely take the title of Goth based on aesthetics. Often cybergoths listen to industrial, techno, electronic, or dance music.
Creep it real!
Cybergoths can be spotted sporting neon dreadlocks, gas masks, goggles, big boots, fishnets, vinyl, and fur. Cybergoths usually wear black and monochromatic neon colors, matching their hair, makeup and clothes.
Their "cyberlox" or dreadlocks can be natural or, made of yarn, plastic, cables, and more. Many put LED lights in their locks.
The term "Cybergoth" was coined in the 80's for the RPG game "Dark Future" and has been evolving ever since.Cybergoths don't often listen to gothic rock- they merely take the title of Goth based on aesthetics. Often cybergoths listen to industrial, techno, electronic, or dance music.
Creep it real!
Against Me! and Laura Jane Grace
Against Me! is my best friend's favorite band, and I had heard of them before, but had never given the band much thought until the aforementioned friend starred in a short film, the background music being Against Me!'s "Teenage Anarchist". Immediately I was interested in what else the band had to offer, so I asked my friend if he recommended for me to listen to them, and he said "absolutely"!
Against Me! is a punk band formed in 1997. Much of the band's songs are about social justice, equality, and destroying the status quo, which are all things that I am very interested in.
In 2012, the band's singer and guitarist, Laura Jane Grace, publicly came out as transgender. Laura destroys the idea that trans women have to be soft, petite, and delicate to pass as women. Laura is a trans lesbian in a punk scene that is currently dominated by aggressive cis, straight white men- and she's rocking it. Grace has written songs about her gender and how it's affecter her life, including "True Trans Soul Rebel", "Transgender Dysphoria Blues" (also the name of Against Me!'s 2012 album), and more.
In 2016, Grace burned her birth certificate onstage in North Carolina- the home state of HB2 (aka the Anti-transgender bathroom law)- saying "Goodbye, gender!"
I think that Grace embodies everything the punk scene is supposed to - defying the status quo, not being afraid of what others think, being your true self, and fighting for what you believe in. Laura Jane Grace is, honestly, a true trans soul rebel.
Creep it real!
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| Against Me! |
Against Me! is a punk band formed in 1997. Much of the band's songs are about social justice, equality, and destroying the status quo, which are all things that I am very interested in.
In 2012, the band's singer and guitarist, Laura Jane Grace, publicly came out as transgender. Laura destroys the idea that trans women have to be soft, petite, and delicate to pass as women. Laura is a trans lesbian in a punk scene that is currently dominated by aggressive cis, straight white men- and she's rocking it. Grace has written songs about her gender and how it's affecter her life, including "True Trans Soul Rebel", "Transgender Dysphoria Blues" (also the name of Against Me!'s 2012 album), and more.
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| Laura Jane Grace |
In 2016, Grace burned her birth certificate onstage in North Carolina- the home state of HB2 (aka the Anti-transgender bathroom law)- saying "Goodbye, gender!"
I think that Grace embodies everything the punk scene is supposed to - defying the status quo, not being afraid of what others think, being your true self, and fighting for what you believe in. Laura Jane Grace is, honestly, a true trans soul rebel.
Creep it real!
Getting Jobs while Alternative
Many jobs do not want their employees to have piercings, tattoos, or colored hair for various reasons.
If you want to make money but you also don't want to have to retire your piercings and whatnot, you might have to compromise.
It's okay to compromise! Sadly we live in a society where dressing outside of the norm and expressing oneself is seen as a bad thing, and we all need money to survive.
1) Hiding piercings (not applicable for new piercings- please wait until your piercing is fully healed before replacing jewelry or covering with makeup!)
Do not remove jewelry and leave it out for extended periods of time unless you plan to retire the piercing.
To hide a septum piercing, simply get a semicircular barbell (also known as a "horseshoe") and simply flip the piercing up. You can also get a curved barbell and the piercing will be barely visible.
To hide any other kind of piercing (or a septum as well) , your best bet is to wear a clear retainer, or clear bioplast jewelry.
You can also cover the piercing with foundation or concealer, or, if you can grow facial hair to cover your piercing, go ahead.
2) Covering tattoos
Cover any tattoos you can with clothing. Wear a long sleeved shirt, long pants or a long skirt, and perhaps a scarf. If you have a tattoo that cannot be covered by clothing, find a high coverage concealer and conceal your tattoo as best you can.
Below is a quick tutorial on how to cover a tattoo with concealer.
Be sure that the concealer matches your skin tone!
Option one is to dye your hair a natural color - remember, auburn, black, and blonde still count as natural colors!
Flip hair over any shaven areas of your head.
Wear a hat if the job allows.
Or, you can buy wigs!
the easiest is to wear your natural hair un-dyed and un-shaven to work and then wear fun alternative wigs out when you feel like dressing up, but if you think you can manage to fool your boss into thinking a wig is your natural hair, feel free.
If you want to wear a wig to work, buy a high quality lacefront wig, with human hair. Synthetic wigs work as well, but they have a shine that natural hair does not have. Use dry shampoo or baby powder to dull the shine. (Another very good way to dull the shine is to soak the hair in a mixture of water and fabric softener for 24 hours and then when it dries to use dry shampoo or baby powder to make it less sticky and less shiny)
below is a tutorial on how to make a wig look more natural!
If you want to make money but you also don't want to have to retire your piercings and whatnot, you might have to compromise.
It's okay to compromise! Sadly we live in a society where dressing outside of the norm and expressing oneself is seen as a bad thing, and we all need money to survive.
1) Hiding piercings (not applicable for new piercings- please wait until your piercing is fully healed before replacing jewelry or covering with makeup!)
Do not remove jewelry and leave it out for extended periods of time unless you plan to retire the piercing.
To hide a septum piercing, simply get a semicircular barbell (also known as a "horseshoe") and simply flip the piercing up. You can also get a curved barbell and the piercing will be barely visible.
To hide any other kind of piercing (or a septum as well) , your best bet is to wear a clear retainer, or clear bioplast jewelry.
You can also cover the piercing with foundation or concealer, or, if you can grow facial hair to cover your piercing, go ahead.
2) Covering tattoos
Cover any tattoos you can with clothing. Wear a long sleeved shirt, long pants or a long skirt, and perhaps a scarf. If you have a tattoo that cannot be covered by clothing, find a high coverage concealer and conceal your tattoo as best you can.
Below is a quick tutorial on how to cover a tattoo with concealer.
Be sure that the concealer matches your skin tone!
3) Covering hairOption one is to dye your hair a natural color - remember, auburn, black, and blonde still count as natural colors!
Flip hair over any shaven areas of your head.
Wear a hat if the job allows.
Or, you can buy wigs!
the easiest is to wear your natural hair un-dyed and un-shaven to work and then wear fun alternative wigs out when you feel like dressing up, but if you think you can manage to fool your boss into thinking a wig is your natural hair, feel free.
If you want to wear a wig to work, buy a high quality lacefront wig, with human hair. Synthetic wigs work as well, but they have a shine that natural hair does not have. Use dry shampoo or baby powder to dull the shine. (Another very good way to dull the shine is to soak the hair in a mixture of water and fabric softener for 24 hours and then when it dries to use dry shampoo or baby powder to make it less sticky and less shiny)
below is a tutorial on how to make a wig look more natural!
The best wig store that I know of is https://www.arda-wigs.com/, but you can try amazon, aliexpress, or ebay to find a cheap wig- know that you're taking a chance and the wig will probably need a lot of work if you buy from there. Unless a wig says so on the website, it's not heat resistant, so don't try to straighten or curl it the way you would your natural hair.
Personally, I own 5 or 6 synthetic wigs, all from amazon. they're not the best quality, but I know a decent amount about wigs, so I make them look more realistic by dulling the shine and doing a lot of work to style them.
Never use a hairbrush or comb that you use on your natural hair on a wig- make sure to buy a new comb that's only for wigs.
Well, that's all I can think of.
Hope these helped!
Creep it real!
Buying Alternative Clothes Online?!
Not everyone lives somewhere they can buy alternative clothes in their area, so here are some websites that sell alternative clothing (albeit they're a little expensive)!
Goth/punk/dark:
https://www.killstar.com/
https://www.rebelcircus.com/
https://www.disturbia.co.uk/
https://iamattitude.com/
http://www.darksideclothing.com/
https://store.kreepsville666.com/
http://www.dollskill.com/
http://www.rebelsmarket.com/
Lolita/kawaii/cute:
http://www.lolitadressesshop.com/
https://syndromestore.com/
http://www.dollskill.com/dolls/kawaii-clothing.html
https://www.spreepicky.com/
http://www.cutejapanesefashion.com/
Enjoy!
Goth/punk/dark:
https://www.killstar.com/
https://www.rebelcircus.com/
https://www.disturbia.co.uk/
https://iamattitude.com/
http://www.darksideclothing.com/
https://store.kreepsville666.com/
http://www.dollskill.com/
http://www.rebelsmarket.com/
Lolita/kawaii/cute:
http://www.lolitadressesshop.com/
https://syndromestore.com/
http://www.dollskill.com/dolls/kawaii-clothing.html
https://www.spreepicky.com/
http://www.cutejapanesefashion.com/
Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Black Phillip Goth Makeup Tutorial
The video below is a video by youtuber Drac Makens. I thought it was very interesting. I love the look!
Creep it real!
Person of Interest: Emilie Autumn
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| Autumn performing during a Fight Like A Girl Concert |
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| Autumn during the Enchant era |
Autumn's historical knowledge, singing abilities, and skills as a writer (of both prose and poetry) were all self taught. She is still a published poet and her novel, The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls, is cited in textbooks in Oxford University's psychology curriculum despite being removed from school at age ten, to perfect her skills as a child prodigy violinist.
Autumn originally planned to become merely a classical composer and violinist, but then realized that her voice was necessary for her to truly express her art and views.
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| Autumn during her Opheliac album cover shoot. All of her costumes are hand sewn by Autumn herself. |
EA is now well versed in industrial rock as well as classical music- shown especially by her 2007 album Laced/Unlaced- a two disc instrumental album. Disc one- Laced- is all classical, whereas disc two - Unlaced- is all metal and industrial rock recordings on electric violin.
Below is her song "Manic Depression", which shows her skill as both a classical and rock artist with the violin.
Autumn's half-autobiographical, half-fiction novel The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls, based on Emilie's own diary while she was in a mental hospital after a suicide attempt, is currently in the production stage of becoming a Broadway musical.
Her fans - plague rats, as they're called - flock to her concerts with her signature heart painted on their cheeks to hear and see her elaborate and dramatic performances that could almost be called musical theater.
A Brief History of Goth
A really goofy (yet deadpan) video on the history of Goth.
Check it out!
(TW for self harm in the video)
Creep it real!
Check it out!
(TW for self harm in the video)
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Vocabulary: Drag Queen Fashion
The term "drag" has been thought to mean "dressed resembling a girl".
Drag is any clothing that has a strong association with one gender, usually worn by the opposite gender.
Drag has been a very important mode of self expression for those in the LGBT community throughout history.
Drag queens are usually gay men - but people of all genders and sexualities can and have dressed in drag - dressing in exaggerated feminine clothing, makeup, and oftentimes wigs.
Drag can be performative or casual, from people who star in films, to people who wear drag as self-expression, to people who have tried it once. Many well known drag queens perform at gay bars, theaters, or on television for drag shows.
Drag has historically had close ties to the transgender community, the two women most credited with sparking the Stonewall Riots were Marsha P. Johsnon and Silvia Rivera, who were both drag queens as well as trans women.
Drag is thought to be inspired by Shakespearian English plays, wherein women were not allowed to perform onstage, so all the actors were male; some dressed in drag to play female characters.
Many films and television shows dress men in feminine clothes for comedic effect but this is considered transphobic, particularly transmisogynistic by today's standards.
The video below shows the evolution of drag queen fashion throughout history.
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| RuPaul; famous drag queen and host of RuPaul's Drag Race |
Drag has been a very important mode of self expression for those in the LGBT community throughout history.
Drag queens are usually gay men - but people of all genders and sexualities can and have dressed in drag - dressing in exaggerated feminine clothing, makeup, and oftentimes wigs.
Drag can be performative or casual, from people who star in films, to people who wear drag as self-expression, to people who have tried it once. Many well known drag queens perform at gay bars, theaters, or on television for drag shows.
 |
| Kim Chi, a contestant on season eight of RuPaul's drag race |
Drag has historically had close ties to the transgender community, the two women most credited with sparking the Stonewall Riots were Marsha P. Johsnon and Silvia Rivera, who were both drag queens as well as trans women.
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| Marsha P. Johnson |
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| Silvia Rivera |
Drag has many historical roots, men and transgender women have been dressing in feminine clothing since before the 1800's. Those who dressed in drag were often arrested for "buggery" (lying) or prostitution.
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| "Fanny and Stella" Frederick Park and Ernest Boulton, who shocked London and sparked a huge criminal investigation by walking the streets in feminine clothing. |
Many films and television shows dress men in feminine clothes for comedic effect but this is considered transphobic, particularly transmisogynistic by today's standards.
The video below shows the evolution of drag queen fashion throughout history.
Creep it real!
Friday, January 6, 2017
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Person of Interest: Anna-Varney Cantodea
Anna-Varney Cantodea is a musician, and the only member of the band Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows, a Gothic Rockish, Dark Waveish, Neoclassicalish band.
Anna-Varney Cantodea's work is highly personalized, poetic, and melancholic. She refuses to perform "in front of humans". The reason for this is largely unknown but it is speculated that it is either childhood trauma and to perpetuate her image of being a reclusive an"odd creature".
Cantodea herself dresses as a sort of Nosferatu-esque vampiric Victorian noblewoman. When she was a child, she claims in an interview to have had a vision of her future self in a train station as “an ageless creature (of undefinable gender), all dressed in black, with a beautiful, kind of pennate black Mohawk". When she started her band, Sopor Aeternus, in 1989, she modeled her appearance after this vision.
Cantodea's gender identity is also up to speculation, she was designated male at birth, but some sources say that she identifies as a two-spirit, but others say that she is a transgender woman, but all consistently use she/her pronouns.
Her original stage name, Varney, was chosen and based off of the vampire in the 19th century novel, Varney the Vampire by James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest. Later, she added on the feminine "Anna" to the front, and the last name of "Cantodea", which means "I sing, Goddess" in latin.
Cantodea is a strong advocate for animal rights, veganism, and LGBT+ rights.
If you wish to donate to support her upcoming album, click here!
Vocabulary: Visual Kei
Visual Kei, meaning "Visual Style", is characterized by elaborate hair, makeup, outfits, and most often is coupled with androgynous presentation and cross dressing.
Visual Kei was a movement started by Japanese musicians - including bands such as X Japan, Dead End, and Color - in the 1980's, inspired by western Glam Rock, Gothic Rock, Metal, and Punk music and fashion. Visual Kei performers put a lot of emphasis on shocking the audience with their bizarre and elaborate clothing and other visuals.
A few popular modern Visual Kei bands are Dir En Grey, Gackt, Luna Sea, and Malice Mizer.
Creep it real!
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| Malice Mizer |
Visual Kei was a movement started by Japanese musicians - including bands such as X Japan, Dead End, and Color - in the 1980's, inspired by western Glam Rock, Gothic Rock, Metal, and Punk music and fashion. Visual Kei performers put a lot of emphasis on shocking the audience with their bizarre and elaborate clothing and other visuals.
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| Luna Sea |
The term Visual Kei is thought to originate from X JAPAN's slogan; "PSYCHEDELIC VIOLENCE CRIME OF VISUAL SHOCK".
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| X JAPAN |
A few popular modern Visual Kei bands are Dir En Grey, Gackt, Luna Sea, and Malice Mizer.
Creep it real!
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Are Goths Racist?
Goth people are known for their pale and vampiric sickly pallor, contrasting with dark hair, clothing, and makeup.
Is this image harmful to people of color? And does it deter POC from wanting to be part of the subculture? Are goths, as a group, racist?
First off, there's nothing wrong with being pale, or painting your face white and doing all of the "typical Goth things".
But, let's recount the number of people in popular goth media who are people of color:
Elvira? No.
Robert Smith? White.
Siouxsie Sioux? She's from England AND she uses Sioux culture as a fun moniker. I love her, but yikes.
Andrew Eldritch? A jerk AND a white dude.
Oh! Oh! I've got it- Gomez Addams is Spanish-American! ..And a stereotype of the "Latin Lover". That's half a point, right..? Wait, is Gomez Spanish or Italian? I'm just confused now.
Tim Burton? He thought that the Brady Bunch adding in an Asian and Black character was offensive somehow, and that there "should be more white people in these movies." And when have you ever seen a person of color in a Burton film? (Answer: The villain in Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children... Nice job perpetuating the idea that black people are somehow evil or morally inferior to white people.) We were rooting for you, Tim.
Poe was alive in the early 1800's, so that's pretty self explanatory, yeah?
HP Lovecraft is pretty well known for his racism, too.
And there's never been a person of color on the cover of Gothic Beauty magazine.
Well. Goth media is pretty white, but what about the group of people themselves?
So, there are plenty Goths of color. Well, a decent amount. The (somewhat) famous youtube Goth makeup artist, Drac Makens, is in fact latina. She is very proud of her heritage and talks about it frequently on her youtube channel and her instagram.
People love Drac, regardless of her race. It seems not to be a problem when it comes to her, so why are there no popular Black, South Asian, or other Goth youtubers with darker complexions? Is it because they don't exist, because their content isn't good enough, or the obsession with pale skin on goths?
Do they "not exist" (they do.) because they don't feel safe in the subculture?
Serene Pristine, a black Goth woman, talks about her experiences in this article. At age 16 she went to a Bauhaus concert, and was waiting at the very front of the line. A group of white goths saw her, and Serene says that they "took one look at [her] and I sensed they thought [she] was inferior". They tried to cut in front of her in line, but a security guard defended her. Serene says that she doesn't feel as safe going out in real life as a Goth of color, when she did, her peers would call her an "oreo" or ask her why she listened to "white music". Online, she would get anonymous racist hate messages attacking her for having the "audacity" to be black and like Gothic Rock.
Goths claim to be progressive and accepting, but still there is huge elitism within the subculture. Goths are different, sure, but to be different, you are expected to be different in a way that conforms to other Goths' expectations. Isn't that backwards?
I can't say that individual Goths are racist, because I don't know every individual Goth. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that most Goths aren't racist (Consciously, at least. Most people do have a societally ingrained internalized racism deep in there. Or not so deep). But there is an air in the culture that still supports and protects racism within the community. Alternative subcultures are supposed to be safe spaces for anyone who is different, and go against societal norms and expectations. Looking down on someone for their skin color and not "allowing" them into an alternative community is actively going against what alternative subcultures are supposed to stand for. Alternative communities should be safe places for strange people, no matter what their race. Our strangeness is what bonds us together, not our whiteness.
Creep it real.
*If I said anything offensive, incorrect, or overstepped my bounds on here, please let me know and I will try my best to revise this article to be as racially sensitive as possible. Thanks!
On the other hand, if you have an issue with my comment about Andrew Eldritch, contact me, and I will laugh at you. Not sorry.
Is this image harmful to people of color? And does it deter POC from wanting to be part of the subculture? Are goths, as a group, racist?
 |
| Popular Goth youtuber It's Black Friday |
But, let's recount the number of people in popular goth media who are people of color:
Elvira? No.
Robert Smith? White.
Siouxsie Sioux? She's from England AND she uses Sioux culture as a fun moniker. I love her, but yikes.
Andrew Eldritch? A jerk AND a white dude.
Oh! Oh! I've got it- Gomez Addams is Spanish-American! ..And a stereotype of the "Latin Lover". That's half a point, right..? Wait, is Gomez Spanish or Italian? I'm just confused now.
Tim Burton? He thought that the Brady Bunch adding in an Asian and Black character was offensive somehow, and that there "should be more white people in these movies." And when have you ever seen a person of color in a Burton film? (Answer: The villain in Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children... Nice job perpetuating the idea that black people are somehow evil or morally inferior to white people.) We were rooting for you, Tim.
Poe was alive in the early 1800's, so that's pretty self explanatory, yeah?
HP Lovecraft is pretty well known for his racism, too.
And there's never been a person of color on the cover of Gothic Beauty magazine.
Well. Goth media is pretty white, but what about the group of people themselves?
So, there are plenty Goths of color. Well, a decent amount. The (somewhat) famous youtube Goth makeup artist, Drac Makens, is in fact latina. She is very proud of her heritage and talks about it frequently on her youtube channel and her instagram.
 |
| Drac Makens in her Emilie Autumn inspired makeup look |
Do they "not exist" (they do.) because they don't feel safe in the subculture?
Serene Pristine, a black Goth woman, talks about her experiences in this article. At age 16 she went to a Bauhaus concert, and was waiting at the very front of the line. A group of white goths saw her, and Serene says that they "took one look at [her] and I sensed they thought [she] was inferior". They tried to cut in front of her in line, but a security guard defended her. Serene says that she doesn't feel as safe going out in real life as a Goth of color, when she did, her peers would call her an "oreo" or ask her why she listened to "white music". Online, she would get anonymous racist hate messages attacking her for having the "audacity" to be black and like Gothic Rock.
 |
| Serene Pristine, a Black poet and Goth |
Goths claim to be progressive and accepting, but still there is huge elitism within the subculture. Goths are different, sure, but to be different, you are expected to be different in a way that conforms to other Goths' expectations. Isn't that backwards?
I can't say that individual Goths are racist, because I don't know every individual Goth. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that most Goths aren't racist (Consciously, at least. Most people do have a societally ingrained internalized racism deep in there. Or not so deep). But there is an air in the culture that still supports and protects racism within the community. Alternative subcultures are supposed to be safe spaces for anyone who is different, and go against societal norms and expectations. Looking down on someone for their skin color and not "allowing" them into an alternative community is actively going against what alternative subcultures are supposed to stand for. Alternative communities should be safe places for strange people, no matter what their race. Our strangeness is what bonds us together, not our whiteness.Creep it real.
*If I said anything offensive, incorrect, or overstepped my bounds on here, please let me know and I will try my best to revise this article to be as racially sensitive as possible. Thanks!
On the other hand, if you have an issue with my comment about Andrew Eldritch, contact me, and I will laugh at you. Not sorry.
$3.50 Pleather Pants!
So, it's post-Christmsas! Stores are all going on sale, clearing out their stock and getting ready for spring clothes and new fashion. Which is great for anyone, but especially me, a frugal goth. Stores like Forever 21 are selling fishnets for $5, Bath and Body works is selling fall scents on clearance, and H&M sold me some faux-leather pants for $3.50. (Three dollars! And fifty cents! For pants! Do you know how expensive pants are? Very. I found another pair of faux-leather pants for $30 in the very same store.) Grab something for cheap, DIY it, and don't care if you screw it up. It's fantastic.
Another great thing is that apparently around now seems like a great time for stores to get rid of their long left over Halloween things. I bought a set of earrings shaped like spiders and spider webs for $3 because, hell, it's January, who wants Halloween stuff still?
Duh, I do.
TL:DR- if you love fashion and deals, right about now is a great time to go, because everything is on sale!!
Creep it real!
Another great thing is that apparently around now seems like a great time for stores to get rid of their long left over Halloween things. I bought a set of earrings shaped like spiders and spider webs for $3 because, hell, it's January, who wants Halloween stuff still?
Duh, I do.
TL:DR- if you love fashion and deals, right about now is a great time to go, because everything is on sale!!
Creep it real!
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Minori
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| Minori |
Shironuri is a relatively rare style, inspired by Japanese geishas, stage actors, and aristocratic men. Shironuri was originally inspired by the Shōwa period's (1926-1989) intense Japanese nationalism, so those who dress in shironuri oftentimes wear Shōwa era inspired military uniforms, Japanese war flags, or traditional school uniforms such as the sailor fuku or gakuran. Others go for a more goth-loli inspired look, and some go for an antique doll look.
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| "Classic" Shironuri fashion featuring a gakuran (traditional Japanese school uniform) and carrying a Japanese flag |
A few years ago, shironuri was a fairly unpopular fashion, but one woman, Minori, decided to reimagine shironuri fashion in 2009. Minori was inspired by nature and clothes herself in white, gauzy clothing with teased white wigs with flowers, moss, and branches woven into them. She looks like a forest spirit in her flowing layered dresses and stark white makeup.
Minori shared her looks as art online and by walking around in Harajuku, the fashion center of Japan, and people became enamored with her delicate looks.
Since, Shironuri fashion has boomed in popularity (while still being a relatively rare street fashion.)
Now there have been street meet-ups such as "white face monster party" in Harajuku with over 60 shironuri attending, including Minori and other popular shironuri icons.
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