Beyond the Pale

   Today I will be talking about goths and being pale. It is a stereotype that one must be pale to be a goth. I have friends with darker skin tones say to me 'I wish I could be more pale like you to look more goth' Sometimes I do accentuate my pale with a bit of makeup but only once in a while if I am looking for a particular look however I have met plenty of goths who were many different skin tones and looked lovely. I wish people would stop thinking it was a requirement for being goth. If you do have pale skin like me or paler you can definitely work with makeup to get a cool look. I have a bit of a bluish undertone to my skin and sometimes it makes me look sick so I just play it up with pink or blue eyeshadows but if I want to add a bit of color to my skin I add yellow. Yellow can really help if you don't want to look sickly or too pale hehe. If you do want to look paler add a bit of blue or you can blend in a lighter skin tone makeup. If you have dark skin I find reds look amazing and you can even work it with dark teals and purples if you find some dark enough. If you have a very yellowish or orange tint to your skin I would stay away from oranges because it can make you look a bit summery unless you want to look that way then that is cool. I am not a make up artist but these are just things my friends say work for them.

     There are many people with dark skin that have amazing gothic looks. All the goths in my gothic group are from many different heritages and we don't really think about skin color unless someone asks but please don't assume you can't be an amazing goth if you don't have a light skin tone. Nothing can be further from the truth and if anyone tells you that they need to go take a hike. If you have photo shoots you want to have a darker skin tone for you can always use filters. If I want to look less pale I use a bronzer and then mess with a filter to add "natural" color. If I want to look like myself I just don't do anything and put a spot of red lipstick on to accent my natural pale.

      I want to be open about something I am not usually open about. One of the reasons I am a bit pale is because I can't be in the sun much. I have a disease where I am allergic to the sun and the sun's rays and other heat sources so my body temperature is naturally lower and I get very sick if I get too much sun and have even been in the hospital. As a child I caught Scarlet Fever and almost died because my temperature went too high and it caused loads of problems. I try not to ever get fevers because it makes me feel more ill than most people. My skin blisters (cue vampire joke here) I am not sensitive about it and if you do have a sun sensitivity or can't be out in a certain climate much I recommend always using sun screen. There are people who can't even go out of their homes unless it is evening time. I am not that bad off but I do have to stick to going out mostly on overcast days. That being said please know we come with all different skin types. Be proud to be different! I am and if I have a sick looking day I use it as an opportunity to do some fun zombie photo shoots hehe.

    If you do happen to be like me and have a sun allergy/disease etc you can go ahead and check out these links. If you suggest you have one you should see a specialist and get diagnosed. It can saver your life! Many people don't know a sun allergy can be quite dangerous if you have a bad enough one. Even if you don't have sensitivity make sure you wear your sunscreen! :D Below are a few sites you can check out for awareness.

http://www.sunallergy.org/

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/solarurticaria.htm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-58074/Are-allergic-sun.html

Me and my snake Ragnar out in the sun for a rare second!

Cheers!