Dear Gothic queen,
Hi would just like to say I don't think anyone would worry too much.I lived in Adelaide (suburbs)for a while,well 25 years to be precise.I class myself as a hippy,but have toned down the dress sense over the years lol Well no-one really took much notice of me,and then we moved to a smallish country town in the Adelaide Hills where we lived for 5 years.I remember my kids first day of school,they had school uniforms on,plaits in their hair,school shoes...and me?I had a long tie dye cheesecloth dress,sandals,and a head band lol.Much to my surprise when I picked the kids up,there were about 10 other Mum's dressed pretty much like me lol.We soon become firm friends,and yes I guess at times we did look abit odd (wish I had some photo's)but all in good fun.The funniest thing was one day I said to my mates (we were into all kinds of stuff)"I am going to ring the office of Swami Govindananda (well known aussie spiritual guru)and see if he'll come to my house for a meditation workshop?They all laughed and said now way would he turn up.I rang,spoke to him and sure enough he booked a time and day.I had about 30 people in my loungeroom.Then he pulled up outside,and he was wearing long orange robes (lol)the neighbours well I can't imagine what they were thinking?lol Its was the best day,and I still keep in touch with him even now (this happened years ago)So yeah I think aussies are abit more liberal in that way.Every time I visit Glastonbury now I "dress up"lol Go Gothic Queen,strutt your stuff and stand proud.(My best mate is a herbalists in Oz and gives me great tips,at the mo I am swinging between pagan/buddhism lol lol(I'll find my path one day)PS My two daughters were goths,so yeah totally understand where you're coming from xx You'll be finexx
I still get odd looks at school even after taking the kids there for years, I remember when my daughter was a toddler in a pram, i was waiting at the bus stop and it was chucking it down with rain, so I was trying to fold the pram up and struggle with a squirming wet toddler at the same time, there was an old dear who lived across the road from me at the bus stop and I asked her if she would mind holding Amelia while I folded up the pram, she gave me this look as if to say 'Ive left my rubber gloves at home I couldnt possibly hold that' she had hold of and I got the pram down and sat down and took Amelia off her and she said to me, Oh I am really surprised that neither of you smell!!!!!! I was like WHAT! apparently just because of the way I dress she assumed that we would both be a bit on the whiffy side, after that she made all sorts of excuses to 'pop over' to our house, first I think it was cos she wanted to be nosey and see what kind of dump I was bringing my daughter up in, after that we became really close and she couldnt do enough for us. She said that I had changed her opinion of people 'like me' and I was a 'nice girl under all that muck' (she meant makeup Im a very clean girl honest!!!!) Amelia is really funny about it now, she always asks me to go to school open days 'gothed up' more than normal, she goes to a private school, where money talks if you know what I mean. She told her form tutor I was a goth and he said 'I dont think so Amelia' so when he met me he was a bit flustered and said to her 'ah I see what you mean' and loads of her teachers ask me if Ive come instead of Amelias Mum.
Another time my friend and I and both our kids went out and she ran her own business and had this bright orange transit van, we'd parked up in a car park and as we got out of the car the parking attendant came up to us and said 'you cant stay here' so we were like, 'but weve put a ticket on the car' and he came out with all this stuff about washing facilities and where would we go to the toilet and we couldnt stay there over night! I normally just laugh it off, but my friend really lost it with him and said just cos we use a abit of hairdye doesnt make us homeless. He was gobsmacked when she told him we didnt live in a commune and that we both had full time well paid jobs and mortgages to go with it, he went away with his tail between his legs I can tell you!
So Im hoping after over 20 years of prejudice in this country, Australia will be a breeze...............
I so dont want to have to become mousy brown and wear beige, its just so not me!
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Five little kittens have arrived Amethyst, Topaz, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald, but still no sign of Oli!TRA passed June 08 (woop woop) Now saving to pay all them there visa fees! Brisbane Aug 09 please!
Great post gothicqueen!lol. Once again in Adelaide I took the girls shopping,we were in a lift and as usual I was wearing my alternative clothing,the lift stopped to letp someone else in and this old man stood next to us.He looked me up and down and said "I can tell you are a really good Mum"lol I think personally you'll be fine hon,don't worry.Even when I was at high school in Adelaide many years ago we had an assortment of hippies,surfies,rockers,skinheads and that was just in one class lol !!!! I guess I have toned down my dress sense over the years but ocassionally let loose lol.
Gosh this cheered me up abit, it was a while ago I posted this.
Im used to people looking at me as though Im abit odd, especially when I go into prison (to work LOL) they are not used to anyone who looks a bit different. I get asked all sorts of stuff of them, like are you a vampire Miss, or are you a druid Miss. when I tell them Im actually a witch their jaws drop to the floor, and they work really well in the lessons, last time I was at Risley we ended up talking about ghost hunting and the prison officer who I was working with said that a couple of them had nightmares....... tough criminals that they are!
The club sounds great, we have one similar here in Manchester called Hellfire, which we are honory members of, so get free meals and stuff and that was one of the big things I was going to miss, at least I will have an equivelent in Oz!!!
Tad your daughters job sounds fab, I so would love to do something like that! (if I dont get my job rubbing suncream in the surfers that is!!)
We are heading back to brisy too! i will show you some fab shops! and when my daughter arrives we will chill out at draculars! keep in touch tad (annemarie) x
We are heading back to brisy too! i will show you some fab shops! and when my daughter arrives we will chill out at draculars! keep in touch tad (annemarie) x
Sounds good to me! we are hoping to be there byt his time next year so Ill start saving for the shopping trip now!!!
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Five little kittens have arrived Amethyst, Topaz, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald, but still no sign of Oli!TRA passed June 08 (woop woop) Now saving to pay all them there visa fees! Brisbane Aug 09 please!
Location: South Gloucestershire thinking of the Redcliffe Peninsula
Posts: 844
Surely the whole point of dressing in your own style is to stand out from the crowd. Be proud and your never too old to "Goth". Look at Ozzy Osbourne! Hes still fab!
I am an employment law advisor and I do it all over the telephone so no one knows what I look like! (completely boring and so called normal by the way!) Much rather stand out from the crowd but no confidence.
Location: Staffordshire, but headed to the Hunter Valley, NSW
Posts: 188
My girlfriend is goth and currently has black and purple checkerboard hair, various facial piercings and 9 tats.
People in Oz are much more accepting of alternative lifestyles than over here in the UK - the only problem she has is with visible tats and employment, also most places want facial piercings removed or covered.
As you can imagine we make a rather distinctive couple in our little town - I'm blonde and wear pastels most of the time and she's 10 years younger than me and the kids reckon Abby from NCIS is based on her!!
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Fiona (32) and Hope (23) headed to the Hunter Valley on an interdependency visa by the end of 2011.
People in Oz are much more accepting of alternative lifestyles than over here in the UK - the only problem she has is with visible tats and employment, also most places want facial piercings removed or covered.
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She sounds just like me LOL only 15 years younger!!!!!
Are the problems she has had with employment been over here or when is Oz. My tats are on my back so can cover them, but really wanting to get something on my arm before we go (we have always used the same artist so know his work) but if its going to be a hinderance maybe better to leave it.............
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Five little kittens have arrived Amethyst, Topaz, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald, but still no sign of Oli!TRA passed June 08 (woop woop) Now saving to pay all them there visa fees! Brisbane Aug 09 please!
Surely the whole point of dressing in your own style is to stand out from the crowd. Be proud and your never too old to "Goth". Look at Ozzy Osbourne! Hes still fab!
I am an employment law advisor and I do it all over the telephone so no one knows what I look like! (completely boring and so called normal by the way!) Much rather stand out from the crowd but no confidence.
You know the funny thing is I went through a phaze for about 3 months when I thought I should grow up and become a 'mumsy' and my confidence hit rock bottom, as soon as I went back to me I became my normal self again.
I am proud of who I am and what I dress like, along with my pagan beliefs, my youngest son told his teacher 'my mummys a witch' and she said now Will thats not a nice thing to say about your Mum, she spoke to me the next day about it, and I told her yes I am, so I got invited in school to do fairy spells with the kids for halloween which was great, and shes asked me to do all sorts of little spells for her since!
I thinkits justa nother one of those worries isnt it? we are moving to the other side of the world, without jobs and very little money with the way the housing market it at the moment so want to make sure I dont hamper any chances because of my appearance, I suppose I could be pursuded to maybe dye my hair just one colour and lose my nose ring and black nails and eyeliner..............................
But then my kids would walk past me in the street!!!!!
Actually maybe not such a bad idea!!!!
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Five little kittens have arrived Amethyst, Topaz, Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald, but still no sign of Oli!TRA passed June 08 (woop woop) Now saving to pay all them there visa fees! Brisbane Aug 09 please!
Location: Staffordshire, but headed to the Hunter Valley, NSW
Posts: 188
She had problems in Oz with the dragon she's got on her foot as it would be visible through strappy shoes - like she's the sort to wear strappy shoes!! It came up in an interview when they asked where her tats were (it's easier to ask where they're not!). Her tattooist won't tattoo faces, hands or necks as employers get a bit funny about them. Her lower leg gothic fairy wasn't a problem as she can wear long pants so she got away with that one!
Unfortunately she had a nervous breakdown within a month of arriving in the UK so hasn't worked over here but I'm assuming she'd have the same restrictions.
I've got a full back piece and a lower back design (and no it's not a tramp stamp before you start wondering!!) so can cover mine easily - as long as they're not visible in interview type clothes I reckon it's fine.
She's an odd one my OH (ever seen a Goth belly dancing??) but she never had any problems in Australia with her clothes/hair/tats.
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Fiona (32) and Hope (23) headed to the Hunter Valley on an interdependency visa by the end of 2011.
