How to Be Goth at Church

Being Goth at church isn't as complicated as it sounds. While churches don't usually have dress codes, many people have an idea of the proper way to dress for church. If you're a Goth and want to be true to yourself while in church, follow these tips.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Keep coats and other outwear plain and simple while still being true to your Goth dress sense. Choose dark, solid colors.

2. Wear small amounts of jewelry. Leave chunky, noisy jewelry or jewelry with violent themes like spikes, studs or bullets at home. Opt for smaller, more modest pieces that can be hidden in your clothes if the jewelry depicts something that could cause offense. Keep piercings limited to studs. However, feel free to show off your favorite cross, crucifix or icthus.

3. Choose comfortable shoes. Huge boots or heels can make climbing up church steps hard and their squeaking might disturb other church goers if made out of vinyl.

4. Leave fishnet stockings at home. These types of stockings can easily hook onto church fixtures and tear. Opt for solid black stockings instead.

5. Style your hair considerately. Pass over hairstyles that call for high up-dos, hair falling over the face or tall hats.

6. Tone down your makeup. Skip the black lipstick, overly dramatic eye makeup and extremely pale faces.

7. Modify your behavior if necessary. Avoid cussing or causing a scene, even if others are being rude to you because of your appearance.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't wear anything with frays, rips and holes in it.
• Don't be turned off of religion because a few people in a certain church had negative reactions to you. Keep searching for a church that will accept you for who you are and not how you dress.
• Avoid wearing printed shirts that depict skulls, death or bands that could be considered "satanic."
• Be prepared to get a few curious looks if you don't want to tone down your appearance. Some Goths even report having children moved away from them while at church.