Goth in the Workplace

Greetings, greetings, greetings, my lovelies!

I must apologize for my long hiatus- I've been away enjoying the season's festivities of Halloween parties and Renaissance Faires and autumnal weddings!

This week's post is over a topic I've been just itching to blog about for quite some time now, and it just so happens to be the recent status report for This is CorpGoth (unfortunately, I'm running behind- though I swear it will not happen again!)

 Subject: What's your work "uniform" or go-to outfit?

 Although ((I'd like to think that)) I pull off a dressy, work appropriate, yet gothic look, I have found myself slightly limited on just how creative I can be- which is great, since I love a challenge! I work at an eye clinic that requires all staff to wear scrubs; moreso, in my department, the dress code is solid scrubs only (except on the 25th of each month when we wear Christmas print scrubs). Of course, I could've gone the obvious route and stocked up on only black scrubs- and don't get me wrong, I have 4 sets of black scrubs, including my favorite black scrub top with red trim.

I decided to stick with "gawth-appropriate" colors that compliment my complexion- wine, dark purple, hunter green, grey, and navy. For some variety (and because I get cold easily) I typically either don a simple black sweater with ruffle trim or I layer with a long-sleeved black shirt  with a high collar to hide my tattoo.

Horrible lighting, but this is one of my favorite work outfits.

Now, I'm fortunate enough to be in a workplace that is actually quite okay with a bit of ink showing, but it's my personal preference to keep mine concealed. Let's just say the very first day I decided to show a peep of my tattoo, a patient told me that I "shouldn't get no more" and that her daughter has one "just like it," which was followed by a rambling of how her daughter had one "right above her butt crack" and "why in the world would she put one on top of her butt crack" and it was just an awkward situation, hence, the concealment. Sometimes, however, I have mixed things up and worn henna designs on my hands- it's a fun way to try something new and it's a great conversation starter.

As far as jewelry is concerned, I do keep it minimum, but still a little something gothic. I stay away from spikes obviously, and skulls, but I do have a variety of fancy (yet professional looking) crosses, a few ankhs, and sometimes just some basic black stones.

Disney bracelet from Wal-mart. It did have a gigantic pearl that I replaced with a charm of my own. I don't recommend wearing visible pentagrams when you work with the public; however, because I wear long sleeves, it remains pretty well hidden.

Okay, some days, typically Fridays, I do go a bit all out. It must've been a payday because I'm wearing green.

Good example of minimal. One small ring, one small necklace, just a little eye shadow. 

 Most days, I wear a slight amount of makeup. Foundation is a must for me, and I usually fill in my eyebrows a little. Some days I will forgo any other makeup, but most of the time I do just a minimal eye makeup- a dab of shadow, and a faint lining of my upper lid with liquid liner, usually resulting in a cat eye. For the most part, I leave my bottom lashes unlined.

This shade of purple is one of my favorites- I always get compliments when I wear it. I got it a few years ago at Hot Topic for just $3. 

As with my jewelry, some days I do just go all out, and wear my dark red lipstick, fully line my eyes, and sport my black eye shadow. Of course, I like to have balance, so if I do maximum makeup, I do minimum jewelry, and vice versa.

I complete my ensemble with a pair of Chucks (a staple in many wardrobes) that have been customized with purple shoe strings. ^.^

Group shot of my babies. The Chucks really do stand out.

I know there are a plethora of other goths and darkly inclined individuals who work in a medical profession where scrubs are the standard, so I hope I've given someone some inspiration on how to maintain their ghastly look without going out of your dress code boundaries.

Love 'n Hugs,
 Sea, the Gothic Optician, A.B.O.C.