[My very good friend wrote this, although she has asked to remain anonymous. Thanks, though, doll. Please enjoy this recounting of her working life. I do not envy you.]
Hello.
I am a Goth and I have a job!
A lot of people might think that Goths hang around the grave yard all day and night,but that's not true.We have normal jobs,we are doctors ,we are lawyers and we have families.
If you are a Goth you have to face a lot of challenges in your work life,which are not always fun.
My first job ever : Kitchen helper in a Greek restaurant
The first challenge was wearing white clothes......white trousers,white cook-jacket,white apron.And everytime I slipped into those clothes I felt so depressed and certainly not amused.
It doesn't make sense to wear white in the kitchen,especially if you are doomed to peel tons of beetroots.
When my shift was over,I was so happy to slip into pure black clothes.You could literally feel the darkness pump through my blood : “Ahhhh black”
After about 6 months of white torture attire they finally hired a proper sous chef and I got a promotion to be a server.
YES black clothes !!!! Oh yeah baby black work attire!
But the bad part was : I had to be friendly and put a fake smile on my face while serving those hard to please customers.Believe me,when a customer returns a perfectly cooked lamb chop 3 times,you already feast on this customers soul in your thoughts,while trying your hardest not to shove this damn lamb chop down his nose.
After a few weeks of fake smiling and all the 'the customer is the king' behavior,I was not myself anymore.Thank the non existing god that school started and I could quit that lousy job.
My next job : Call center for a phone-troubleshooting company
I knew this job would require a lot of fake friendliness,but at least the customer couldn't see me.
Taking advantage of this fact was a great deal of fun.While the customer was explaining the problem I could make silly faces,pretend to stick my finger in my throat or bang my head on the desk.It was just so much fun,especially because I could wear whatever I wanted and embrace the darkness.My co workers managed to ignore the weird girl with hilarious black make up and we kept that silent relationship until the company closed.
Then it was time to finish school,go to the university and finally turn into a serious person.
I wanted to become a teacher,but within the years of studying my looks changed and became more dark and extreme than ever.
My first job interview was a pure disaster : I was literally yelled at for not having a religion.
Yes,I used to be a catholic,but once I turned 18 I 'unsubscribed' from those heavenly lies told by the priests.
After about 30 job interviews that were rather a huge fail,I started to think about my future.
Can I still be a Goth and be happy with my job?
Will any school accept me and my liberal beliefs ?
Is there any way I can make both ends meet? Being professional yet Goth?
So the idea of becoming a teacher died.
I don't want to tell lies or half-truths to innocent children.
Then I started to send job applications everywhere.
And then finally I got an answer and an invitation for an interview.
I put on my black 'business' suit and went for it.
In the beginning I was soo afraid that I was going to get yelled at again.
Not this time.
To my surprise the man that interviewed me was very liberal too.
So I took all my courage and asked :” Is it okay that I am a Goth?”
His answer was sooo amazing: “ No as long as you don't offend anybody or consume blood during lunch break,you can work here”
Ohhh yes! Finally!
A proper job in a proper office.
During the first week I was really worried about behaving the right way,dressing the right way and saying the right things.
I wore black clothes,but not Goth-type of clothes because I didn't want to offend anybody.
My co-workers were very curious about the new Girl,but they really made me feel welcome there.
And then one beautiful Saturday I went out with my full Goth attire and make up and ran into my boss.
Dang!
From that moment on everything changed.
Suddenly people were talking behind my back,my boss was making funny comments about Satanism and I didn't feel that welcome anymore.
A few months later I was called into the staff managers office and I was fired for no reason.
That day I buried the idea of being a working Goth.My love for the dark things had to stay at home while I work.
In my new job that I have for 2 years I try to behave like a normal person,dress like a normal person and hide the fact that I am Goth.
The world is a very sad place for a Goth who wants to work .
People are judging,mean and most of all badly informed about the Goth culture.
1 comment:
this is sad! At our workplace, it's office work as well, and we're allowed to put pictures up on our cubicle walls. There is one person there who has marilyn manson pics all over her walls. he isn't too out there...but for the workplace. And I wear semi-subtle goth clothes, yet they all made me feel welcome and happy. But i'm sure at my previous job, it would have been different. seems some companies change, but others don't.
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