Thought: I Might Be a Goth

This past Saturday, Andy and I ventured out of the apartment and into the fiery pits of Hell blazing Atlanta sun so he could get his hair and beard trimmed at Mary Todd Hair Co.  With his long dark blonde hair and beard, Andy definitely looks like a modern day Viking which I love so I was a little worried that it was going to be a drastic change.  Fortunately, I was able to book the appointment with Cc so I knew Andy was in good hands.  Cc is the person to cut my hair *short* way back in 2006* and I haven't looked back!

Cc going over his suggestions for Andy's beard trim.  Andy only got about 6" trimmed from his hair so he still looks like my viking. :)

While Andy was getting made even more boo-ti-ful, I sat in the little reception area by the register and one of the girls who worked there commented on my cute coffin shaped purse.  Even though it was a Saturday and was supposed to be my pajama day, I got dressed and wore one of usual little black dresses, leggings, bone shoes, etc.  There was another stylist sitting behind the register and she asked me if I heard that they were playing Bauhaus earlier.

Now, I am familiar with the fact that they are a Goth band.  I also know they have a song called Bella Lugosi's Dead.  I've even listened to them on purpose before.  But I could not tell you what you they sound like or be able to pick them out of an audio line up (unless I heard the lyric "Bella Lugosi's Dead").  I actually don't listen to a lot of music in general because my brain does not translate sounds properly all the time and gets really confused by a lot of music, especially the more complex sounds.  I have to hear a song many, many times before it starts to sound familiar and I have to listen to a band way more than that before I can pick up their nuances.

Also, Goth bands are something that only recently came onto my radar so I haven't had the chance to listen to any of them a lot.  I will tell you, though, that I really like what I've heard of Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure.  I still couldn't pick them out if my life depended on it but they are the ones I am concentrating on learning right now the rare times I do listen to music.

So... back to Bauhaus.  I told girl #2 that I didn't pick up on it when it played earlier because I wasn't yet familiar with them.

Spotted down the block from Mary Todd Hair Co.

She looked me straight in the eye and said "Oh.  I'm sorry.  I just assumed you were Goth."  Then started talk to someone else.

It wasn't what she said that bothered me but HOW she said it.  Like I was a poser giving Goth's a bad name.  I've never really considered myself Goth or anything specific for that matter.  I dress the way I want to dress, decorate the way I want to decorate, etc.  In the past, I've had people tell me that I'm "too happy to be Goth" or "too pink to be Goth"so I just accepted that.  It's only been more recently that I've started to embrace the label as one of many ways to describe myself, especially since I discovered a number of beloved Goth blogs a few years ago that I silently lurked for quite a while before commenting.

On Sunday, I went and got my hair trimmed at Three-13 where my stylist, Riley, commented on my purse (I love my purse!) and my hearse necklace.  That got us to talking about the comment I received the day before and how it kind of hurt my feelings even though I'd never used the term "Goth" to describe myself.

From behind Riley, a voice asked if he could butt in.  It was another stylist who works there who looks like a vampire boy: tall, abnormally skinny, long dark hair, black skinny jeans with platform boots, long black nails, etc.  He said, "Honey, in my eyes, you *are* Goth.  You've got the look and you've got the interests.  Ignore that bitch and stay spooky."

I felt validated. :)

I refreshed my hair color and got a much needed trim.

I've come to realize that you don't HAVE to listen to the music or read from a select list of books to be a part of the subculture in some way, shape or form.  That had been my belief since I first became aware of the Goth movement back in junior high, mainly because that's what the Goth girls I knew in the upper grades told me.  (Oh, how I admired them for expressing themselves even in the face of ridicule in my small town school!)

• 98% of my wardrobe is black
• 98% of my jewelry is on the spooky side
• I have a deep unabashed love for skulls, coffins, hearses, bats, spider webs, Halloween, horror movies, blood splatter, etc.
• I have a vast appreciation for memento mori and the macabre in general

I think I might be Goth. :)

I ran out of plastic caps to cover my hair during the color process so I went all trailer park and used a grocery bag.  I'm so purty!

* In 2006, I was tired of my boring, mousy look so I went to Three-13 and was given an appointment with Cc.  I told him I wanted something artsy, something fun, and something funky and I was fine with chopping off my hair which was halfway down my back at the time.  He ended up shaving the back of my head and giving me an asymmetrical bob.  A few months later, I went from my natural reddish hair to black and pink.  Cc moved on to Mary Todd and I occasionally go and see him but I am back at Three-13 with Riley just due to convenience since it's near the building where Andy works.  I also color my own hair now, too, instead of paying all those $$$ to have someone else do it.