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Meta
Category Archives: General
On Dealing With Relatives. And Security Guards.
Hmmm. The Lady of the Manners said she was probably going to talk about Dealing With Parents for the November lesson, didn’t she? Well, Snarklings, is Dealing With Parents and Relatives During the Holidays close enough? The Lady of the Manners will even include a bonus lesson of how to politely deal with being harassed by security guards at shopping establishments, which is probably a very timely topic, what with the holiday shopping season looming near and all.
So. The holidays (as the media is so fond of reminding us) are a time for family. Which the Lady of the Manners agrees with, actually, but the Lady of the Manners realizes that not everyone is lucky enough to have family who accept them for who they are. The Lady of the Manners is also aware that it’s a bit difficult to be full of holiday cheer when arguments about “You aren’t going to your grandparents dressed like that!” are ringing through the air instead of, say, sleigh bells.
First things first: there is no such thing as a picture-perfect holiday celebration, and the Lady of the Manners is sure that you know that. But! No matter how aware of that you (and probably your family) are, that doesn’t change the fact that deep in everyone’s heart of hearts, they think that if they just do the right thing, say the right words, then they WILL have that greeting card”“perfect holiday. And there’s nothing wrong with striving for that; just keep in mind that you may need to be a little more patient and accommodating than usual. Continue reading
Posted in General, Holidays & Special Occasions
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Parental Expectations, Family Photos, and More About When Black is This Year’s Black
Goodness, Snarklings, do you realize what October means? Besides Halloween and proper weather for velvet, that is? It means that Gothic Charm School is one year old! (In this incarnation, of course. Being the clever Snarklings that you are, you are well-aware that Gothic Charm School previously existed under another name, and has been around since 1998 or so …)
This month, not only is the Lady of the Manners going to try and help a young lady who has a question about parental expectations and family portraits, but the Lady of the Manners is also going to take another look at last October’s topic, because the Lady of the Manners has a few more things to say about the mainstream fashion industry deeming all things “darkly romantic” to be In while simultaneously sneering at the Gothic subculture. In other words, the Lady of the Manners is probably going to rant. You Have Been Warned, Snarklings. Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, General, Growing Pains
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A Question About People Being Petty, With a Slight Tangent About Emo
The Lady of the Manners would like to apologize, Snarklings, for yet another lengthy absence from posting. It’s not that the Lady of the Manners hasn’t been reading your correspondence and thinking fondly of you all; it’s just that, well, things. They happen. However, the Lady of the Manners isn’t going to waste any more space on trying to excuse the sad lack of new lessons, but is going to go directly to a heartfelt question from a reader, who has turned to the Lady of the Manners upon being bad-mouthed and being called a poseur because of preferring The Cure and Bauhaus to Marilyn Manson: Continue reading
Posted in Being Social, General, Growing Pains
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An Assortment of Questions About Religion, Gossip, and Vampires.
Yes, Snarklings, go ahead and stare surprisedly at the Lady of the Manners. It was not the Lady of the Manners’ intention to be away so long, but … remember when the Lady of the Manners wrote that working in the tech industry was a good option for clever people who don’t want to be overly concerned with dress codes? The Lady of the Manners still believes that, but must add the caveat that there will sometimes be deadlines that laugh derisively at the notion of a person having a life outside of work.
However! The Lady of the Manners is back, and is rejoicing in having some free time by answering a varied selection of questions from readers. Yes, it’s true! The Lady of the Manners reads each and every bit of mail that is sent to her; don’t ever doubt that, Snarklings. Continue reading
Posted in General, Stuff & Oddments
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Polite Honesty, or Why Speaking Your Mind Doesn’t Always Work.
Oh dear, the Lady of the Manners hasn’t quite grasped the idea of “timely updates”, has she? The Lady of the Manners is very sorry about that, Snarklings, and promises to try and stay on top of things in the future.
Now the Lady of the Manners had thought that this lesson was going to be about volunteering to help with events, and that perhaps one should examine one’s motivations for doing so. But that lesson is going to be saved for another time, because a very interesting bit of e-mail was sent to Gothic Charm School: Continue reading
Posted in Being Mannerly, Being Social, General
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A Random Assortment of Things
Oh … dear. The Lady of the Manners would like to apologize for the complete and utter lack of a December lesson. The Lady of the Manners won’t say that the entire month of December sped right past without her noticing, but she is rather surprised at how … quickly January seemed to creep up on her.
So! To make amends for missing a month, the Lady of the Manners is going to answer a random assortment from some of the many questions that readers have sent in. No going on and on (and on and on) about any one pet peeve topic, but a wealth of questions and rants answers. Don’t you feel giddy at the very idea? (Just smile and nod at the Lady of the Manners, Snarklings. It makes the Lady of the Manners feel like you’re paying attention.)
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Posted in General, Stuff & Oddments
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“Black is this Year’s Black …”
The Lady of the Manners was trying to decide what to address as the first lesson here at the lovely new website when she started noticing a recurring theme in the fall window displays and fashion magazines. A recurring theme that looked awfully familiar. So, just what *should* you do when your subculture becomes the current flavor of the month for fashion? Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, General
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You should be in pictures …
Lately, there has been a lot of mail sent to Gothic Charm School from female readers who are all asking about the same topic. You see, they all want to become Gothic models, and does the Lady of the Manners have any advice?
The Lady of the Manners’ first instinct was to answer “Don’t”, but realizes that not only is that not terribly helpful, but would make for a very short column. Continue reading
Posted in General
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The Summer of Goth
This time around, Gothic Charm School isn’t going to be about etiquette questions. No, this month the Lady of the Manner is going to talk about a seasonal sort of topic: how to survive the summer as a Goth. Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, General, Stuff & Oddments
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Clichés: the Dark Secret of Goth
Clichés. Clichés are what make the ElderGoths roll their eyes at the Babybats, when all the younger generation is doing is the same sort of silly stuff the ElderGoths did years ago. And yes, the Lady of the Manners can already hear some of you asking “But if it’s the same sort of stuff, why is it now okay to make fun of it?” Continue reading
Posted in General, Growing Pains, Stuff & Oddments
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