corporate goths

Written by i j

Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:20

I have had a few weeks of really hard work, but unless my boss want to make my life a hell I should be ok now for keeping with the updates periodically, let´s tart with an article written by Marissa Macabre, its about his professional and personal life and a lesson for all of us: sometimes we consider our co-workers less open minded that what they really are.

Quasi-Corporate Goth

by Marissa Macabre

Ever since I came out of the batcave, I have slowly made the transformation more conspicuous at work. I didn’t want to frighten a whole bunch of Alabamians who are used to us Southern Belles racing to the tanning bed and frying our hair with blonde highlights

Having a government job such as mine, employees have to abide by the rules of no facial piercings, no mohawks, and no overwhelmingly visible tattoos. I was more than pleased to find out that like myself, my immediate supervisor also sports four tattoos and a naval piercing. We just have to fly our freak flags discreetly here at the taxpayer-funded office.

One of the many perks of being a state public official in Alabama is the plethora of holidays in which our office is closed. In celebrating Jefferson Davis’s Memorial Day this month, we were awarded a holiday away from the confines of dorm-sized offices full of paperwork, ammunition, and Kevlar. I took that day as an opportunity to dye my hair black.

My colleagues are used to my ubiquitous black polish, black eyeliner, and pale skin. However, I had to put on my red badge of courage in order to exit my state-issued Crown Victoria this morning and walk inside our building.

From the first person who saw me enter the building, a fork-tongued military veteran from Chicago, to the most conservative religious zealot in the building, I have been showered with nothing but praise for my drastically black hair. The conservative girl even told me she wanted to dye her hair jet black but was afraid of being gothic. Yet, she doled the compliment that it suits me better than any shade and makes my pallid essence glow.

Today, I curled my long black tresses à la Dita Von Teese, hoping that I could infuse a little pinup burlesque into my day. I topped off the ensemble with two brands of black eyeliner, a very sheer powder, and a MAC Viva Glam red lipstick.

Notice in the picture that I’m wearing a dark jewel-toned Lacoste polo. I pair shirts of this nature with black pants and Mary Jane heels. My favorite Mary Jane heels have spike studs in the back, a little too S&M for work one might say…But here, I get nothing but applauded for pulling them off. Even when I have scheduled court days, I whip out my black skirts with belt loops for my (uh hem…) work equipment.

I usually wear black clothing to work of some fashion, especially if it’s lacy and Victorian-influenced. Last week, I bought a black shirt from Hot Topic with long industrial chains fringed across the front. At first I that it was too rock & roll for my governmental job. You know how it went—they loved it!

My office has been fully supportive of my sometimes subtle, but at times over-the-top gothic style. The coworkers have enjoyed my Edgar Allan Poe “Raven” poster as much as the all-black stationary organizers on my desk. They even applauded when I printed a random gothic pattern off Google images one day and lined my bookshelf with the print. I’m constantly blaring some Siouxsie or Bauhaus off my iHome, with never an insult about my morbid music taste. Plus my office is home to a monster stuffed animal, which I have bolted to the wall.

Both with shock and pleasure, I relish the fact that I can truly be myself in my career. I love what I do for a living, and I have minimal to zero work-related stress at the end of the day. I even use our hallways to shamelessly strut my Morticia Adams couture, all the while having friends in the workforce who encourage such behavior.

It may be summer now in Alabama, but Halloween will be here before you know it. Colleagues will have to “Enter At Their Own Risk” once I bust out my extensive macabre decorum, lining my office with fake tombstones, spiderwebs, and hanging bats.

Comments (1)

|206.223.227.xxx |2010-06-28 04:48:24 ian - stumbled upon your article

Hi there. Just read what you had to say and wanted to salute you...I am in my 30s and just realized i feel comfortable with Gothic surroundings. Most Gothic people I meet are simple, genuine with a much needed revolting attitude to this crazy world. I just don't know how to learn more about it. So much crap stuff on the internet.

Hey, keep it up
- 0
- 0
Reply Quote