To avoid the ashen look..? I like that look too. Any makeup artists here? Meanwhile Ill ask some that I know. Its a good question though. Its a lot about the colors you use on top of your natural color to achieve that pale pasty dead look.

I gotcha, true though. Usually at any given event depending on geography Im lucky if I see any ethnic diversity. I like diversity myself and feel uncomforatble when there isnt any.

Fetish wear does have its limitations creative wise. It tends to have an off the rack look and heavily processed in the BDSM subculture. I can see why you would want to branch out to something creative. I tend to mix it up with a goth/fetish/period look mixed in with Burning Man influences.

In my experience as an African-American Goth, it's a matter of perspective as to whether or not an African-American is considered "Goth". When I go out, people always seem to find other ways of describing me because the stereotype of the Gothic subculture is so centered on the Vampire aesthetic. Dressed down, I'm considered an athlete or a thug; dressed up, I'm considered...dressed up. It was only with the release of the Matrix movies, with Lawrence Fishburn's character Morpheus, that my personal style has gained consideration as possibly being something that might be considered "Gothic".

I've also held the belief for quite a while now that there is a stronger Gothic vein in African-American culture than people, even those who are a part of the culture, realize. For example, as a demographic, African-Americans make up a disproportionately large percentage of movie ticket buyers for Horror and Thriller-themed movies. Another example might be the Goth-like focus on and philosophic examination of death and the meaning of live in segments of Rap music (Tupac Shakur was a very good example of this).

While the local "scene" here is almost completely devoid of minorities of any kind (although part of the blame for this can also be placed on the demographics of this heavily Scandinavian state), I see more than a few African-Americans around town whose personal style is clear evidence of Gothic leanings.

If you know what to look for.


- Heretic