A Message to the Goth Kiddies of the World

Goth kid� the kid in black, or in those bondage pants, or the one in the platform shoes. Yea, I hear you talking shit about how all "preppy" kids are the same. It really makes me laugh. You know those Hot Topic stores you go into and buy hundreds of dollars of stuff from? They are owned by the same company that owns the Gap. Do you really think you are individual because you wear all black? Hot Topic has 346 stores nationwide. Each store stocks relatively the same thing, and just because there are only five Goth kids at your high school, it doesn�t mean that you are the only one that has the "Kelly Osbourne" t-shirt.

Goth kid, I bet you sit at your lunch table and laugh at those kids that wear obvious brand-name clothing. Have you ever thought that the band logo you eternally have plastered to your chest is doing the exact same thing? Fine, you may agree with me, but those preppy kids spend hundreds of dollars on their clothing! They aren't like me at all! Wrong again, kiddo�. $20 for a band t-shirt is probably about the highest you are ever going to a t-shirt go for in any store. $80 bondage pants outprice all but the most exclusive clothing lines, and $110 Doc Martens or thigh-high boots are on par price-wise with any name brand�s shoe line.

Goth kid, I�m not a person that has never been in these situations. I still have bands plastered to my chest, I still dye my hair, wear makeup, and listen to popular "Goth" bands. I just never have gotten into the consumerism of the neu-Goth cliques, and my popularity in those groups always suffered, because I didn't buy the new Orgy or Misfits album when it came out, or bought anything from Hot Topic or Gadzooks unless it was 70% off. If one has money to throw around on the pursuits of continually gaining prestige because of an adherence to high fashion or new music, go ahead. Just realize that the people that you constantly lampoon are really closer to yourselves than you may ever think.

Goth kid, you'll realize that this whole rat race, this whole desire to be at the cutting edge of fashion and music, is a race you'll never win. If you do decide to go to college, instead of slumming around living at your parent's house for the next few decades, you'll realize that you just won't have the money to go to 3 concerts, buy a new set of clothing, and eat out every week. I wish you well. I know it always proves difficult for me to go by a Hot Topic or Gadzooks and not desire to spend hundreds of dollars every time. I�ve had to swallow my pride and buy my clothing at Goodwill, and I feel better about myself than I did at anytime during my high school periods. Try this type of shopping out sometime, as some people drop off the coolest clothing. *Grins* You might even find something, if I haven�t been there yet this week.