A Goth Anthropologist On Cemeteries, Shrines, and Veneration of the Dead

Cemeteries are incredible places, filled with sorrows and works of art. I've always enjoyed them, but haven't been able to make myself visit ours much since my brother died. His ashes are buried near a family of four that passed away late last year from carbon monoxide poisoning. (Please people, get a CO sensor. It could literally save your life.) Their graves are stunningly personal: the eleven year old's grave is a toy train set, the fourteen year old's a Rubix cube on it's axis.

I visit my relatives buried here and often leave gifts of small stones (I don't know where I heard to do this, only that if you visit a grave put a stone there and watch the stones pile up overtime), candles, mourning cakes on Halloween, and offerings to the spirits that watch over cemeteries and gravestones. 

Even those who are not Pagan find themselves leaving offerings of flowers, vases, pictures, and trinkets. There is a child's grave I cry over every time I pass, as visitors still leave baby toys there for him or her to play with. I can't stay long with child graves- having children of my own makes me internalize and empathize far too much. (Frankly it's the same reason I don't pay attention to the news; I'm still f****d up over a few stories about children I came across.) 

I like to think this is where the process of deification began, of how mortals became demigods and then gods overtime. The catharsis was less heroic deeds and more the remembering. My brother's grave is covered with trinkets from friend and family and strangers who never knew him personally but felt his impact nonetheless. You can't see everything in this pic, as more has been added since it was taken including peacock feathers, chewing tobacco cans, and other stuff a 17 year old should probably not have been doing.

How I wore Tripp

Okay, I'm very nervous to post these pics for a couple reasons. 1. I never post pics of myself unless it's a particularly angled phone selfie and everything looks right. 2. I am very, very body conscious, so I'm afraid of being judged by that. 3. This is my first time working with taking self portraits with this camera. I don't really know much about it (my Rebel is ruined so I'm borrowing someone's DSLR, a Canon 20D, and it's a whooooole new world). So please be gentle and pardon the awkwardness and grainy pics. 

I'm used to doll photography, haha.  I'm also 149lbs and a measly 5'2" tall in shoes. I guess that's why we short, stocky girls aren't professional models, lol. There's a certain awkwardness here to work with.

The other day I came across a green Tripp miniskirt at Goodwill. It was half price day so I got it for $2.00..... even though Tripp isn't my thing, I thought, "Why not?" and snagged it. I also got the skirt with all the ruffles underneath for another $2.00.

I like layering! Layering is my very best friend and makes me feel comfortable, especially knowing I'm not going to accidentally flash things that ought not be flashed. I have a rather large *ahem* derriere, so Tripp miniskirts ride even higher on me than others. My ass literally cannot be covered by a Tripp miniskirt. So, I layered the skirt over the ruffles and voila! Not too bad. Not something I'd wear a lot, as it's a little young for me I think, but I might consider it with a biker jacket for a weekend of doing something fun that doesn't require a ton of bending over.

I'd also probably pair it with leggings or dark colored nylons. A colored corset could be cute too actually.. *brainstorming*
 

Then I remembered I still have a skirt from before I had my kids that I was never confident enough to wear. I admit I can barely fit into it and relied on some shapewear to make me feel a little smoother, but the effect is nice enough too. 

So I suppose this is a decent way to wear Tripp or miniskirts if you don't like super, super short skirts. (Or you have enormous bottom that refuses to be covered by them.)

So there you have it, a post I feel pretty brave putting out there, and my first actual fashion post. Hopefully my self portraiture will improve and my modeling skills.