My personal blog as a 'grown-up' Goth and Romantic living in the Highlands of Scotland. I write about the places I go, the things I see and my thoughts on life as a Goth and the subculture, and things in the broader realm of the Gothic and darkly Romantic. Sometimes I write about music I like and sometimes I review things. This blog often includes architectural photography, graveyards and other images from the darker side of life.

Goth is not just about imitating each other, it is a creative movement and subculture that grew out of post-punk and is based on seeing beauty in the dark places of the world, the expression of that in Goth rock. It looks back to the various ways throughout history in which people have confronted and explored the macabre, the dark and the taboo, and as such I'm going to post about more than the just the standards of the subculture (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, et al) and look at things by people who might not consider themselves anything to do with the subculture, but have eyes for the dark places. The Gothic should not be limited by what is already within it; inspiration comes from all places, the key is to look with open eyes, listen carefully and think with an open mind..

Saturday 10 November 2012

Ye Olde Babybat Pictures!

I can't believe I am actually publishing these on the public internet...

Yes, glowering at the camera made me SO much more Goth... 
These are so old that they might as well be out of the Ark! These are all terrible selfies taken eons ago, when I was a teenage babybat. These are from the start of my second attempt at Goth, so at least they are not as bad as the photographs from when I was a Goth the first time around would have been, had any been taken. Please forgive the absolute lack of photographic skill, and be reassured that I have improved since then (even if I insist on using the built-in computer camera on occasions).I am posting these here to show that even older Goths were once babybats. I did not get it 'right' straight away, and I had to learn what good makeup was (hint: not this!) and that looking sullen in all my photographs was not 'more Goth' and did nothing to make me look more serious, if anything, it made me look more ridiculous. 

So serious, but sparkly!
 Goth, as a visual aesthetic and fashion style, takes considerable time to learn. You can learn about the music a lot quicker than you can acquire the makeup, fashion and style skills. In these pictures I had learnt how to line my eyes, and put white on my lower waterline to make my eyes appear bigger, but my mascara is patchy, barely there and generally awful, and those dots...  just why did I think them a good idea? I hadn't learnt to blend properly, so there are sudden and distinct transitions of colour across my eyelids, not that those colours in that arrangement would blend in a manner aesthetically pleasing to me, anyway. 

I used to dye my hair black (but have since become sensitive to black dye), which is one thing I miss. I have black wigs now, but it is not the same. Before people suggest using henna and indigo, I have tried this more than once, and have only managed to darken my hair slightly, and not to black. I still have that stripy red and black blouse, but the red has faded and black is now a dark charcoal. 
Woe is me, my dots are not symmetrical.

I also used to have terrible, terrible skin. I had bad acne, dry patches, and oily patches. These things cleared up over time, and usually do. I do not suggest using lots of foundation or thick makeup if you have these usual teenage skin complaints; they only made the acne worse with me, and did little to disguise the underlying rough texture of my face. A good diet with a good intake of water helps. I don't have a  fancy regime of products, I just eat my greens and drink lots of water and fruit juice, and wash my face with warm water. 

Anyway, babybats and younger Goths, do not despair, and keep practising. Your future older self may look back on pictures of your current self and sigh, but it is these early years of being Goth during which you experiment and find what you like, what you are good at, and what works. Older Goths, do not mock the younger and newer Goths for their lack of makeup skills and poor choices of clothes (and erroneous music categorisations, arguments over Marilyn Manson and other such newbie faux-pas), because everyone was new once, even if they were new at the same time as the subculture was new (I wasn't, by the way, I'm too young to have been an '80s Goth, even if I am old enough to remember bits of the '80s.) 

10 comments:

  1. I do not have the lady balls to post any kind of babybat photo. Oh God.

    But bravo for doing it :)

    Don't worry though - I did The Crow make-up when I was a babybat. Thank God I don't have very many photos of my babybat stage... oh gosh...

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    1. Haha! Thanks!

      I never did Crow makeup, but I did do a lot of terrible eye-makeup that made it look more like I had a pair of black eyes than Goth makeup.

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  2. I would never in a million years have the balls to post my old photos on here, Gotta say I admire the courage :P

    --
    Please do check out my alternative style blog as well: http://blingyoctopus.blogspot.ca/
    <3

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    1. Thankyou :) I'm confident enough in who I am now that it doesn't bother me, and I'm not ashamed of my roots because being new and inexperienced is nothing to be ashamed of - if anything, I am proud of how much I have come on!

      If you want me to look at your blog (or if anyone else does) the best place to notify me is on the Domesticated FB page.

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  3. ...and now you dress stylishly and look wonderful in almost every self photo that you post. Babybats may start off awkwardly, but if they stay with it they really develop class and style.

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    1. Most of the photos I post are taken either by Raven or Suzy_Bugs rather than myself.

      Suzy_Bugs is a member of the local camera club, and I am thinking of joining, so I may end up photographed by some of the other members in the future because I'd like to get more practice of modelling.

      Babybats are just young newbie Goths, and like anybody just starting out at something, can't be expected to be instantly perfect, and yes, with time, they can definitely develop class and style!

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  4. 10 out of 10 for courage, I don't even like photo's of me now never mind as a teenager and as you know death has been threatened for anyone posting certain images of me. I have to admit style and makeup have definitely improved over time and I wouldn't change you for the world

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    1. Well, I know I didn't look that good back then, but I also know that I've improved and how I look even on a scruffy day now is better than I did on an ordinary day back then, and I know that most of my readers should have a fairly good grasp of my current dress sense, so it doesn't really bother me, in fact, I look back and laugh. I think it highlights that even terrible Babybats can be passably good after some practice, and that it's nothing to be ashamed of.

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  5. I love the first photo..actually it look like a scene from a horror movie ;)

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