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Meta
Yearly Archives: 2012
Of Scary Books and Becoming Who You Want To Be.
Hello Snarklings! The Lady of the Manners hopes that all of you had a delightful Halloween holiday, and that if you went for the post-Halloween clearance sales you were able to stock up on all sorts of goodies. (The Lady of the Manners stocked up on spooky paper napkins and vampire-themed cupcake wrappers.)
This installment of Gothic Charm School is going to focus on some questions from the younger readers, and no, it’s not just going to be the Lady of the Manners exclaiming “Awwww, precious little babybats!” (Though in the interests of honesty and full disclosure, that is the first automatic reaction the Lady of the Manners has when reading letters from the younger Goths. She simply can’t can’t help herself.) Continue reading
Posted in General, Growing Pains
40 Comments
Gothic Charm School at Steamcon 2012!
Steamcon! Yes, Snarklings, the Lady of the Manners is going to be attending Steamcon during October 26-28th! In addition to exclaiming gleefully over people’s outfits and costumes, browsing for enticing goodies in the vendors room, and watching musical acts, the Lady of the Manners is going to be participating in panels! Here is when and where to find her:
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Posted in Events
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Show and Tell: Frankenweenie!
Through a very nice bit of luck, I was at a sneak preview of Frankenweenie, the new stop-motion animated movie from Tim Burton. The very short version of the review is this: Frankenweenie is Tim Burton’s best work in years, perhaps since Big Fish. Go, go see it! Continue reading
Of Being Compared To Pop Stars, And Of Finding Plus-Size Goth Fashion
Hello oh patient Snarklings! Yes, it’s time for another Gothic Charm School post with reader questions! This time there are two fashion-related questions: where to find plus-sized Goth clothes, and what to do when well-meaning family members have no real frame of reference for your personal style.
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Posted in Being Fashionable, General, Growing Pains
38 Comments
Fight Like A Girl – The Review!
Now, you didn’t think the Lady of the Manners would talk about flouncing happily around while listening to the Fight Like A Girl album without telling you all about it, did you, Snarkings? Perish the thought.
First things first: FLAG (as Fight Like A Girl is referred to), is a very fun, clever album. It is the soundtrack to Emilie’s book, The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls, and if the listener doesn’t have at least a passing familiarity with that book, FLAG may be a smidge confusing. In many ways, Emilie Autumn’s Opehliac release was more approachable for people not familiar with her work: its “Victorian-industrial” songs about struggling with madness, emotional turmoil, feminism, and classical poetry are catchy and stompy while retaining a sense of being covered in tattered, antique lace. (Or, as Emilie Autumn described her music: “like the best cup of English Breakfast spiked with cyanide and smashed on your antique wallpaper.”) Continue reading
Fight Like A Girl: An Interview With Emilie Autumn!
Hello Snarklings! The Lady of the Manners has been flouncing with glee around Gothic Charm School headquarters, because not only has she been listening to the new Emilie Autumn album Fight Like A Girl, but she was also given the opportunity to interview Emilie for a second time! So without further wittering or waiting, on to the interview! Continue reading
Posted in General, review: music
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On Dealing With Personal Questions
Hello, Snarklings! Oh good heavens, is it summer already? As she has said before, the Lady of the Manners much prefers autumn. Especially October, which also happens to be the name of the Snarkling who wrote to Gothic Charm School asking for advice in dealing with personal questions:
Dearest Lady of the Manners,
I am a recovering socially anxious wreck, in so many words. I am a generally shy person, but I am trying to be better about how I speak to people I don’t know. I hoped you would have some advice to help me. See, I, at the ripe old age of 21, have just entered my first relationship ever, and it is with another lady. Naturally, people tend to have questions, which I understand. However, I am a very private person, and I get very uncomfortable when people ask me personal questions, such as how serious the relationship is, what exactly my sexual orientation is, and so forth. I tend to regress to my less polite behaviors, either one-word grunting answers, or simply telling them it is none of their damn business. I feel like there is a better way to answer questions like these, but I get so nervous and uncomfortable that I don’t think my answers through. If you have any advice at all, it would be most appreciated.
Yours,
October C
Congratulations on your relationship! The Lady of the Manners hopes that you and your lady are very happy. As to your question; while the Lady of the Manners supports you in learning to be better about talking to people you don’t know, she also suspects you think you owe those people answers. To be perfectly honest, you don’t. Continue reading
Posted in Being Mannerly, General, Serious Matters
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Of Gentlemen’s Summerwear and of Alternative Genders
Hello Snarklings! Yes, the Lady of the Manners has dragged herself away from playing with dolls and reading vampire books to answer reader letters! A letter asking for some fashion advice, and two different letters touching on the trans* and genderqueer communities. This is one of the posts at Gothic Charm School where the Lady of the Manners is going to open up the comments in order to get (she hopes!) even more advice and support for the dilemmas being addressed here. However, as always, the comments will be moderated. (Does the Lady of the Manners have to point out that flaming, trolling, and hateful speech are not tolerated here? She would assume not, but better safe than sorry.) Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, Being Social, Clicky-links, General, Serious Matters
Tagged genderqueer, summer goth, trans*
38 Comments
The Doll House: Tonner Doll and Wilde Imagination!
Welcome to the Doll House, Snarklings! You see, the Lady of the Manners likes dolls. And doll houses, and miniatures, and fuzzy toy monsters. As it so happens, there are a lot of Goth or Goth-influenced dolls and other goodies out there! So the Doll House is where the Lady of the Manners is going to, well, talk about dolls, review various doll-related goodies, and encourage other gothy doll enthusiasts to comment!
For the first visit to the Doll House, the Lady of the Manners had the good fortune to be able to interview two well-known fabulous people in the world of collectible dolls: Robert Tonner from Tonner Doll, and Joe Petrollese from Wilde Imagination. Continue reading
Show And Tell: h. naoto Fashion Show at SakuraCon!
Hello Snarklings! This round of Show and Tell is less a review of items, and more burbling about an event! The fifteenth annual Sakura-Con was a few short weeks ago, and the Lady of the Manners was delighted to attend. Sakura-Con is an event that is focused on Japanese animation, comics, gaming, and cultural arts. Over the past few years, Gothic + Lolita fashion has become a larger presence at the event, including attendees dressed in their finest frills, and fashion shows from some well-known Japanese alternative fashion designers!
h. naoto is a brand the Lady of the Manners has admired ever since she first saw photos of their designs in an early volume of the Gothic + Lolita Bible. Their blend of slashed and deconstructed punk details and Gothic Victorian black lace and tulle was eye-catching, and looked like the garments were designed to be worn in (admittedly very fashionable) daily life, not just saved for special photo shoots. Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, General, review: clothing, Reviews, Show And Tell
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