Being Different

Hello My Lovelies :)

I usually try to keep my blog posts as positive as possible, but sometimes you come across an issue that touches your heart so greatly that you cannot but help make a statement about it.

Sophie Lancaster is one such person that I'm compelled to comment about. She is a teenage girl who was a Goth. Now I know a lot of people think that Goths, Punks & other members of sub-cultures are 'not right in the head' or 'just plain weird' but would you use that as a reason to beat someone to death???

I THINK NOT!

This lovely young lady gave up her life to save the life of her boyfriend [he was also a Goth], who was being attacked & she got in between him & his attackers to protect him; but instead of stopping their attack they started attacking her instead! They beat & kicked her into such a state that she was unable to be identified as either male or female when the paramedics arrived.

I mean how could ANYBODY do such a thing to another human being, just for being different ...

Check out this You Tube video about the foundation that has been created in Sophie's memory - if it doesn't bring you to tears then you need to check if your heart works.

You will also find other videos of how her mother is coping after the death of her daughter & after having the perpetrators caught & brought to justice - this lady works as a youth counselor, so she spends her time working with disadvantaged youth. Yet, if you listen to her speak you will hear that somewhere underneath her grief, there is still a belief in the basic goodness of humanity.

I saw the You Tube video several days ago & it has not left me since, it's really hard to understand why any person could feel such hatred for another, simply because they dressed/behaved/spoke differently to them.

This got me thinking about the various sub-cultures in society today. Where I live on the Gold Coast of Queensland the only real sub-cultures to speak of are; the gym junkies, surfies, night-clubbers, chicks who lurve shopping, yummy mummies & then everyone else! So basically, you need to be part of one of these groups to really fit in here - unfortunately I don't belong to any of them.

Yes, I go to the gym at least 4 times a week but I am still waiting for my body to catch up with all my hard work. Yes, I enjoy shopping but I certainly couldn't spend all day every Saturday trawling the shops. Yes, I enjoy the beach but you'll only find me walking along the edge of the water in spring & going in for a swim on a hot summers day. I was never a yummy mummy while I was pregnant but I did do a nice impersonation of a beached whale...

What I am, is a member of a sub-culture that exists in most capital cities around the world - I'm not going to reveal what group I belong to because my mother will refuse to talk to me. Yes Mum I do think of you :) xxx

But please understand that what I enjoy doing in my spare time is certainly different enough that I have to be careful about to whom I discuss it with & how I bring it up in conversation for the first time. My husband & I go to monthly 'club meetings' but they are always at night & the only way you can know about the meetings is to either; be invited by a member, be a member of an affiliated clubs website, or be known from one of the clubs in the other cities in Australia [Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne].

Now I know that if I 'came out' in public & wore my 'other' clothes on the train of a morning, I would certainly have the entire carriage looking at me & I'd also receive more than a few unwanted offers from members of the public who think that because I look different, I am available to be treated in a way that they would never do if I had my 'straight' clothes on [i.e. black suit, stockings, shirt, etc].

Believe me I have certainly thought about shocking the commuters of a morning & wearing SOME my 'alternate lifestyle' clothes in public - but after reading a recent blog post from Lolita Charm about how she was recently treated on the New York subway; I've certainly had second & third thoughts about such an idea.

But, maybe things here in Australia are different???

If you do an internet search you will find plenty of alternate lifestyle people who regularly blog about what they do, what they wear & the fun they have while they do it. For some people their alternate lifestyle has become so popular that they are paid for what they do. Check out Super Kawaii Mama & Violet LeBeaux - both ladies are based in capital cities [which the Gold Coast is not] & both ladies make some or all of their living from looking, dressing & behaving in a manner that is different from the rest of mainstream society.

Now, I adore both of these ladies & read their blogs on a daily basis. It was Super Kawaii Mama who inspired my new obsession for Vintage & Violet LeBeaux who has encouraged me to be more girlie :) Thank You Ladies :)

I love what they do so much, that I've started to find ways to incorporate small facets of their style in my daily life. It was great fun to add a twist of Ingenue into the outfit I wore last weekend when I had lunch with my handsome hubby [he certainly enjoyed my efforts] & it was even more fun to swing my work suit into something more 1940's inspired on Thursday & yes I got lots of comments for the effort too.

Just check out the 2010 Winter female outfits at Veronika Maine & you'll see that the 1940's & 1950's is making a comeback in a big way. Plus, where do you think the designers got their ideas for all the lacey skirts & tops that are the current must have pieces - from their local Ingenue of course!

Which just proves that if you keep true to yourself, regardless of which sub-culture you might belong to, eventually somewhere along the line it will become popular & you'll be the one making the fashions instead of following them!

Yes, I know that was not how you expected me to end this post - but after all it is Friday night & hubby & I will be attending a club meeting over the weekend & I'm too excited about a night out to be morbid & gloomy anymore ...

Until next time, take care & make sure you hug & kiss the ones you love.

Ciao
Mish :)
xxx