Tuesday, October 14, 2014

... approved office spooky (Mid-Month Status Report)...



Origami Owl
http://goth-gardening.blogspot.com/2014/08/another-weekend-with-tombs-bats.htmlThis mid-month status report is focused on “office-appropriately spooky” attire.  I’ve let it be known that I work in an environment where I can get away with a bit more than most. I almost always have some sort of bat pendant/necklace/brooch/socks/hair bow on me while working. I do my job and earn excellent evaluations so no one says a thing. 

Last year, I just so happened to be wearing a skulls scarf (a black version of the one that Trystan is wearing in her picture) which is a bit unusual because I’m not really a skull kind-of-girl… at least not in my clothing. At the time, members of the English Department had just been introduced to the new dean who ended up sitting by me at a meeting. She asked me if I liked skulls. It was a bit of a puzzling question because without wearing a “I’m a goth girl” t-shirt or even stating it, EVERYONE on campus has picked up that I adhere to the goth aesthetic… and for whatever reason she hadn’t noticed my bat necklace or my hearse earrings.  My office has flying bats and coffins for décor. My vampire course made the Washington Post’s list "The 15 Oddest College Courses in the D.C. Region". It immediately made me feel uncomfortable when I responded, “For Halloween” because I was in fact wearing the scarf for the season; yet, that wasn’t the full answer. I responded so casually and I realized that she really didn’t know me, or perhaps anyone like me, and I should have used that as a teachable moment opportunity (after all, I am in the education profession).  I do try to keep things subtle so perhaps my attempt actually worked.
 
In the average day, I sneak in something *weird*. I really enjoy when people comment on something that they like only later to realize that they hadn’t realized it was a vampire teeth toile or the like. 

One of my favorite brooches is a skeleton. I actually saw it one Halloween morning on a woman who was in her 70s who was ordering coffee in a cafe. She wore it with a black & white knit blazer and she looked so put together. I asked her where she found it and luckily for me it was from a local boutique.
Hard to see but I worked the skeleton earrings into my recent Faculty ID retake

I think earrings and pendants are a great way to sneak in a bit of the spooky without drawing much attention especially in a conservative workplace.


5 comments:

  1. That skeleton pin is so charming! Heh, & I love how you worked some goth into your ID. I did that for my current work badge too -- you can just barely see a bat necklace.

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  2. Love it!! And the skeleton pin is great! :-)

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  3. I love that brooch, it's so weirdly spooky in a fun way...if that makes sense. ^^
    I can also get away with a lot more, than most at work, at least regarding the dresscode, so even though I dress completely ordinarily, I often sneak in something weird, like a skull pendant, bat earrings or pumpkin buttons and spiderweb print, too. :)

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