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Okay, since my other threads have been already silenced... I am interested in discussing many of the outward social aspects of the gothic and vampire culture(s)/scene(s). Some of those, many in fact, involve fashion, cosmetics, and labels dealing with social behavior. I am looking for discussion of the outward face, the "mask" as it were, that many people with a strong interest in vampires use to express themselves as such. There is obviously no set standard, but there are commonalities.

Discussion?

sometimes it takes time for a forum to get active depending on the subject. personally i feel that i am pretty normal that you would not be able to tell me or my beliefs from anyone else except for the urges and desires that i have.

First, what is this word "Normal" of which you speak? Second, people are still basing that word on The Leave it to Beaver Show. I think my beliefs are kept pretty quiet. In fact my family still thinks I'm a good Catholic girl. I think I've kept everything not "normal" pretty quiet, however annoying it might be to edit myself.

One thing I've noticed and I tend to do myself is the dark clothing, some with chains or ringlettes with dark make-up... course there are a few other colors that play a role.... reds, and even some bright colors... dark hair sometimes.... Victorian style artifacts etc... I can make the list go on and on of what I notice and have experienced from the vampiric/gothic lifestyles.... but I'll stop there for now...

I think if your into the goth or vampire lifestyle you should be proud of it no matter what people think, and i believe if people hide it they are not being true to themselves, now i understand that someone would maybe have to hide their lifestyle from their work but other than that people should be proud of the goth or vampire lifestyle that they are into, hopefully i stayed on topic if not i apologize...

I agree totally with RavenKnight, beside yes u have to define "normal" first and u will see, that nothing is normal, everytbody has an own opinion of what is normal for him or her

On the outside I appear to be just another person you could walk by and not notice. Other than being efeminet, making strange and LOUD noises every so often and not wearing pants unless I'm activally going somewhere (This means I'll walk outside without pants and I'll take walks as such), I'm unnoticed. But I know in my heart, and if people ask, I tell them. I am a vampire and I always have been. Maybe when I redesign my wardroab and have a lot of money, things will change. But for now, I'm content with this.

Most of the gothic/vampiric lifestyle people I know don't bother to dress any diffrently than they would if they didn't have that lifestyle.. Comfort first I guess.

I like wearing tees and jeans for example..

Oh, and big clunky boots.

I don't dress any differently either. I myself like wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt. I also wear shorts alot too. I like to dress casually around my home and even when I go out.

I don't mind people that dress in the leather outfits and have all the chains and stuff dangling down, the different colored hair and hair styles. I don't judge people by how they look or what they believe in. If a person has a good personality and is nice to people in general and can show that they have a decent head on their shoulders, then I'm all up for a conversation and making new friends.

I think that the way I dress has nothing to do with who I am..I dress and act country..that is who I am..but that does not mean that I don't have differing interests.

Excactly, i mean u can try to show who u are with ur outfit, but no one can really knows who u are inside and it`s never possible to show this outside, totally, i hope it`s understandable, my english is too bad

I think if someone sais that they are into the goth or vampire lifestyle then i would think they would dress in that style, and if people just dress up to go out then i mean the only thing that could mean is that they want attention, i dress in black but that is what i like, me personally i do not see a goth or vampire dressing in normal clothes, and i know a lot of people will disagree with me but this is only my opinion...

i believe that labels and anything cosmetic is societies way of bullshitting us around and putting us in classes that we don't belong i believe that we are all individuals and it does not matter what we look like on the outside but how one makes choices and is on the inside/

People are going to label others no matter what they do or how they look the only way they will not label you is if you look and act like them, so i would rather be myself and be true to myself and let people label me, People do not matter to me so i do not care what they think, i stay around people like me i could not talk to some one who sais they are into all this dark stuff that they say they are into, then you see them in blue jeans and white t-shirts, i just do not get that, i understand people can do what they want, that is why we are allowed to choose who we talk & associate with...

( I am not trying to offend anyone i am just giving my opinion on what i think, )

For me, if and when I go out there are two things I keep in mind. If I do not wish to be found, I shall blend in. If on the other hand, I do not care what people will say, i will adorn my velvet and my black. I must indeed aquire or make another heavy red velvet cloak for when attending events. Oh well. Walk in the shadows, or walk in the open. But if you walk in the open know that you impress upon the minds of others, that they see you, and will judge you. Hoewever wearing a white suit, or black under clothes with a deep read velvet cloak to an opera is quite acceptable, even if it is a little odd.

I have always so called blended in, kinda like a camellion who adapts to its surroundings. This is a key to all survival, announcing what you are is not always a positive way to get attention and sometimes we have to adapt.

To those who would announce it. By all means, go for it. They are gonna look at you funny and probably your gonna find yourself alienated from everyone you know, care about and your going to have to migrate around looking to find a place where you can fit. Then you will have learned the hard way, sometimes you need to blend in. When you don't make waves, you can get your prey.

To those of you who blend in, make sure that things are how you benifit. If you bend social stricture to your views, you turn out ahead, you can however never let anyone know who you really are, or how you really do things. So again you find yourself alienated, and seeking a migration of sorts to be able to go where people don't know you.

There needs to be a balance in your views. There needs to be a union, when you walk down the street in a cloak, and fine dress on your way to an opera, or theatre event, its fine to show a glimpse of the magesty that a vampire can have. However, it is not advisable to go like that to a beer hall, where people are there to relax and unwind, unless you are there to draw out something from the crowd.

Take the situations that life hands you, learn, yield when you have to, and hunt when you want to. Just be aware of who is watching.

There are times when I just want to blend in or be one of the comfortable so I wear jeans and one of my many faerie shirts and boots. At other times, it's velvet and leather and lace and my fangs for special social events. My friends just think I'm a faerie goth some know I'm a vampire and others guess and don't know for sure and I don't enlighten them. I live my life the way I want too.

I find that I can not blend in no matter what I am wearing. I have, for my entire life been singled out for what I look like in any dress. Perhaps this is why I migrated to the Goth/Vampire culture because they are more excepting of people outside what they look like.

It is often my actions that give me away. Laughing at what the cattle call tragedy, not being able to feel my own sorrow for lose of life. And most of all the little shudder of excitement if someone screams out in pain.

Normal is a notion conceived of small minds who have to have everything in a nice and neat little box and so have come up with what that section of society deems to be normal. Personally I think that people who are themselves is what the norm should be. Outwardly I am considered a bit odd compared to the people who are around me. I have a tendency to wear a lot of black and I have vampire red and black hair and wear a pentacle. I do get weird looks from some people but have found that because of the way I am people tend to ask questions which I think is really good you can learn nothing if you don't ask questions.

making a "normality" is like creating a stereotype, which is contrary to what we are, we are individuals and unique, no need for stereotypes

I respect that people dress how they want, even tho i may not like it, but i think a lot of people dress normal meaning like the majority of people out their, so they will not be made fun of or ridiculed for how they look, and that is what i am talking about, if people do not like dressing in black or dark colors that is their buisness, i only do what i like and other people do what they like...

Of u are totally right, but the problem is, most people are not so tolerant.....

if you are in a certain life style and you like it than you should be proud of it of who you are

I don't think there is a way to outwardly express. Fashion sense and inner being have nothing to do with each other.

The last line in the original post states:

"There is obviously no set standard, but there are commonalities."

I half agree, half disagree with this remark. You are right that there are no set standards, but I also feel that there are no "commonalities." Each individual person is who they are, they dress the way they like. Just because someone is a vampire or a goth doesn't mean they dress a certain way or put on a "mask" as you say. I am who I am, whether I'm home or out. I wear what I'm comfortable in. That means that if I'm in the mood to go out in a pair of sweats, I'm going out in a pair of sweats. Also, I don't put on a "mask" when I'm around others, not even on here. It seems pointless to me for people to try to pretend they are something they aren't, which is exactly what putting on a "mask" is doing.