Category Archives: General

Whisper Networks and Missing Stairs: Creeps in the Subculture

Content warnings before you read this post: it discusses abusive and predatory behavior, manipulation, and issues of consent. 

Gather ‘round, Snarklings, it’s time to discuss a serious topic: predators and creeps in the goth subculture. Continue reading

Posted in General, Serious Matters | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Soft Goth, or a New Name for an Existing Thing

t\The one that the Lady of the Manners keeps seeing pop up in her Google alerts for “goth” (yes, she has one, of course she does) or scroll across her Tumblr dashboard that gives her a combination of nostalgia and confused “But we already have that!” feelings: “soft goth”. Continue reading

Posted in Eldergoth Life, General, Stereotype Technology | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Of Goths and Aging

Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat: there is no age limit to being a goth. Goth is an all-ages subculture, no matter what a lot of social media tends to focus on or present. One of the great joys of aging is that you become more comfortable with yourself, and (hopefully) care less and less about what others may think about you. Embrace and show your weirdness! Be comfortable in your spooky skin! Continue reading

Posted in Elder Goths, Eldergoth Life, General, Growing Pains | Tagged , | 13 Comments

This is Not the Goth Nostalgia We Asked For: Wearing All Black is NOT a Danger Signal

You would think, considering how long the goth subculture has been undead and thriving, parents and schools these days wouldn’t be concerned when their children decide to explore goth. And yet. Continue reading

Posted in General, Serious Matters | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

True Tales of Eldergoth Life – Finding Music

Back in the Lady of the Manners’ day (she says, waving a stick of clove incense around because she stopped smoking 20+ years ago), finding new goth music was hard, especially in the early 90s. Continue reading

Posted in Eldergoth Life, General, Music, Stereotype Technology | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Of Dealing with Parents

be supportive. Or at the very least, not react with fear and disapproval. But alas, that ideal world doesn’t exist. So what can you do when your parents react poorly to the unfurling of your spooky self? Continue reading

Posted in General, Growing Pains, Serious Matters | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Of Reclaiming Goth for Yourself

How do you reclaim Goth for yourself when it’s ended up with uncomfortable personal associations? Continue reading

Posted in General, Growing Pains, Serious Matters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Vampire Fiction, a Personal List

So, after years and years of promising to write titles down, the Lady of the Manners presents to you her “by-no-means comprehensive, but I like them” list of vampire fiction, in alphabetical order. Are all of these brilliant works of genius? No. But they all, in some way, tickle the Lady of the Manners’ velvet-draped heart. Continue reading

Posted in General, Nocturnal House | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Of Goth Nostalgia

There are many, many things from Ye Olde Goth Days (Nights?) where the memories spring forth, flatteringly colored by the flickering candlelight of memory. And it takes a determined effort to also remember that the distance of time blunts the sharp, painful edges of those memories. Continue reading

Posted in Amusements, Elder Goths, General, Stereotype Technology | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

A Brief Pause, and Helpful Links

(Regular posting will resume here at Gothic Charm School some point in August. Things in the world have been very chaotic and stressful lately, which has led to a lack of writing.) The Lady of the Manners gets political: The … Continue reading

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