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[mitochondrialme]

An Explanation: This poll is intended to assist in a paper for a studio art class on the subject Elvira. If you consider yourself to be gothic and would be willing to take the time to fill out this survey, any response would be greatly appreciated.

I appreciate and invite any and all response. If you need more space, leave your answers in the

Comments

[theatrejawa]

Define "goth"
An alternative subculture, a fashion, a way of thinking, and a musical movement. Ranges from highschool posers, through BDSM, hardcore body modifiers. Usually recognizeable by lots of black. These circles tend to be very accepting. Many of them have never run with the "in" crowd and thus share a common bond. But they aren't outcasts. Non-posers have made their own identity confidently outside the typical bonds of society. They aren't as prickly as they look even if they sometimes appear to be a bit elitist.

What are your thoughts on Horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark?
She's positively gorgeous and has an amazingly successful, extensive career. She's also a fun, recurring Dragon*Con guest. I've never seen anything she's done but I have a great deal of respect for the role she's played within the subculture.

Do you have any thoughts of her influence on horror hosts or gothic culture since?

I'm sure if I had seen anything she's done, I'd be able to talk about this. But I haven't. I just know her as an icon.

To what degree do you believe that the gothic movement draws upon mainstream or outside ideas?

Not entirely sure what you mean. My feel of the true goth is that he rejects the mainstream. His ID is to be counter to normal. In the idea that horror movies are mainstream, vampires and werewolves in particular, those ideas are lots of time incorporated as elements of style.

How do you feel that stores such as Hot Topic attempting to make the "gothic" subculture more mainstream have effected the pre-existing subculture?

They make it more accessible to the outside. It bothers me. I love the store while simultaenously hating it. It's so very commercial. Maybe that's one of the distinguising lines between goth and punk. Punk absolutely cannot be commercial. True punk at any rate. Hot Topic makes an attempt at it, but Hot Topic punk is just emo. Goth has quite a bit to do with image and because of that, it can be commercialized. I think Hot Topic cheapens it. It's just as stupid to show up at school with the same 50 inch pants as four other kids as it is to be an Old Navy clone. Hot Topic allows goth to be a phase.

At the same time, they provide a really awesome service as they provide clothing more forgiving for a wide range of sizes. Also, they've got neat t-shirts and, if only on superficial levels, allow for a broader variety of fashion options.

Older goths. Like forty year old goths talk about Hot Topic sometimes with the elitest rhetoric I talked about earlier. They talk about shopping thrift stores for Victorian inspired stuff, hunting down originals and constructing their own. Hot Topic takes the "alternative" edge off the entire thing.

How do you classify yourself?
A geek. It's the only classification I can back up with enough reasons for me to be in comfortably "non-poser" area. I'm not angry or hard out enough to be punk. Nor do I spend enough money on clothing to be goth. A month or so out of every year, I'm hardcore goth. I'm a fan and participant of many alternative scenes that fall heavily into the goth, hippie, and generally alternative side of life. However, that life isn't in Memphis. I haven't pursued that scene here. When I'm here, I'm just a geek. When I'm away, with my group, only then does true gothic alternative occur.

What bands/musicians do you think have most influenced the gothic subculture?
Voltaire, Rasputina, The Cruxshadows. I don't know the truly hard, older stuff. But I know each of these have had impact on it today.

What artist/writers do you think have most influenced the gothic subculture?
Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelly. There are probably more modern ones, but these are classicly important, well, not Rice, but the others. Stoker helped majorly popularize the vampire and still has much influcene on canon.

Do I have permission to reference you in my paper, and if so, how would you like to be referred to?
Sure. Michelle Jean.

Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Only that it's important to note the bleedover of other subcultures. Emo and punk in particular. I'm not sure how that'll work into Elvira… but yeah. Good luck. This seems like a fun assignment.