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NEW HE BATTALIO 1 land i from page 1 Homeland Seam: Iton said Gov. Ta ominee for the on, but saidhet confirmed by is posal is to fulfill: lal language I vhat a ur to be the best pi U.S. govemmem the myriad of iss, homeland secun: Aggielife said 1CHS plan; th other universi Mational Center iecurity. i to compete hard it ion, love to be desigms ud center, but tk ompetition levels i decided.” aid he is confider ibility to aid the go h the war on terra S acts as an umbrf for safety aspect' riculture. transpcr- at ion archiving sec and other areas'u personnel, part of the fede: University-center; fort to protect it n terrorist attaci :ts the effort, won :onsortium ofTe systems includi rsity of Housto i, the University s and the Univers; "ward and clear, als are very simpl o make Texas A& n the nation and tit aspects of homelas t Bush signed The Battalion Page 3A • Thursday, January 16, 2003 Shopping on the dark side Mass marketing of Goth-inspired gear brings mixed reactions By Nara Schoenberg KRT CAMPUS Maybe the turning point came when Virgin Megastores started selling those cute little vampire-girl lunchboxes, or when suburban kids started buying their spiked collars at the mall, or when Kmart trotted out corset-inspired T-shirts. Carlton Maybe it came at last year's Oscars, when Gwyneth Paltrow donned a gown that would have made Morticia Addams proud. But by late fall, when fashion magazines flirted with ghoul-chic and stores offered clunky cross jewelry and faux-vintage black lace, there could be no doubt. Goth culture — long the exclusive domain of self-styled misfits and defiant outcasts — is bubbling up into the mainstream, making the black-clad, kohl-eyed Goth faithful who have endured the taunts of the “normals” for more than two decades something of a hot new thing. “It's kind of something that snuck up on us,” said Thom Svast, the sales manager at the Guess? store in Chicago. This fall, his store . showcased an array of Goth fashions, including black bell-sleeve ?ment ot biohazari shirts and flowing crushed-velvet coats. The irony of pop culture's cool kids embracing outcast fashion is if six first-respono; not lost on the small but vital Goth underground, whose response to the societal thumbs-up has mostly ranged from apathy to dismay. At Web sites, Goths rail against exploitation and consumerism or Security Act, wk worry that "poseurs" with their judgmental cliques will ruin an underground club scene that has long regarded itself as a last refuge for those who are too creative, original or just plain strange to fit in anywhere else. John Wirtz, 27, of Riverside, Ill., a librarian and member of the Chicago Goth-punk band Anarchy (Butt) & the An-R-Kids, says that, for true believers, Goth offers a rich alternative lifestyle, complete with its own music and literature. To reduce Goth's many elements to a mass-produced fashion statement, he says, "cheapens its meaning." “I've seen people get really upset over it,” said Wirtz, who recalls ... J one friend who tore out a pile of pseudo-Goth fashion spreads from l UCl .mainstream magazines and used them as fireplace kindling. Wirtz's friend reserved special treatment for an image of pop princess Christina Aguilera in a corset and leather. “He lit her face on fire, and used that to light the rest of it,” Wirtz says. Initially associated with bands such as Siouxsie & the Banshees and Bauhaus, Goth grew out of the punk movement in the late 70s and is often viewed as punk's darkly romantic kid sister. Like punk, it iecurity Act imo la. [celebrates individuality and rejects the conformity of mainstream r 2002. This law istlf jsociety, but where punk was political, Goth is artistic; where punk >nal security eta ij| was disgusted, Goth is amused. sponsoring prdmi Best known for its over-the-top fashion statements — Count U.S. war on terror. Dracula capes, black lipstick, fishnet stockings— Goth is rooted in an appreciation of the melancholy, the sinister and the forbidden. On the most basic level, anyone who has shuddered with delight at a hor ror movie or taken perverse pleasure in wallowing in a bad mood has caught a Goth vibe. Those who seek to explain the current popularity of Goth fash ion point to a number of factors, from the recent fin de siecle gloom to the rise of Marilyn Manson, a shock-rocker disavowed by many Goths. It's also interesting to note that the Goth mini-trend comes at a time when corporate America has gotten into the habit of raiding the counterculture's closets. With hip-hop clothes, extreme sports gear and rave-wear available at the local mall, could Goth be far behind? Chicago Goth disc jockey Scary Lady Sarah, 35, said she recently picked up two Goth-appropriate shirts at Kmart, a corset-style lace number and a crocheted black top. “I was very, very surprised,” she said. Not all Goths are opposed to the marketing of Goth products by corporate America. “I think it's great because it means people are dressing better,” said Scary Lady Sarah. “Maybe it will make mainstream people less likely to criticize or harass someone dressed Goth, if they think, ‘Oh, I've got that same dress.’” But in the eyes of many Goths and observers of the scene, main stream interest is, at best, a mixed blessing. “We (in the underground) advocate just a real individualism. To be accepted by the mainstream is to lose credibility” said Mick Levine, co-owner of the Goth-friendly clothing store 99th Floor in Chicago. And even for an underground subculture, Goth's concern with authenticity is unusually strong, with insiders bemoaning the pres ence of insincere weekend Goths or debating endlessly — and, to be fair, often humorously — what makes for a genuine Goth. Among the more amusing examples of the Gother-than-Thou aspect of the subculture: the “Goth or Not” Web site, where you can rate the authenticity of aspiring Goths on a scale of 1 to 10. “I think it's better to sort of embrace your depression, and admit that it's a feeling, just like any other human feeling, rather than trying to discard it or dope it up, which is what mainstream society likes to do,” Wirtz said. The nightmare scenario, Wirtz said, is that Goth will be so widely accepted — and diluted — that the young people who represent the next generation for Goth will reject it as inauthentic. That, Wirtz said, can spell death for an underground scene. “That's an honest fear, because it has happened with previous trends and cultures,” Wirtz said, citing punk as an example. At this point, mainstream acceptance of Goth can safely be said to be in the early stages. Hot Topic, the California-based teen retailer that has done as much as anyone to bring vampire-chic to the suburbs, not only declined to comment for this article, but declined to Comment on PHOTO COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Chicago deejay Scaty Lady Sarah, sporting a top she found at Kmart, says mainstream marketing of Goth products means people will be more tolerant. whether the store sells Goth clothes. That's an interesting position to take, considering the Web site includes a clearly labeled "Gothic" cat egory of clothing. Goth, Wirtz theorizes, is like vodka: Most people prefer it when mixed with something else. And, indeed, those who look closely will note that Guess? is mar keting not so much pure Goth as peasant-Goth, with white lace soft ening the black. Ads for John Frieda's Sheer Blonde hair products showcase a perky-blond California Goth. And those Emijy the Strange lunchboxes offer an airbrushed kiddie-Goth. Still, the Goth underground isn't taking the threat of wholesale acceptance lightly. "^ here are a, lot of people who are scared," Wirtz said. r I ool uses race as ( factors that coul applicant's chancel sklent had not givi pproval of the bri| esday, officials sai familiar with its col ras expected to gij ie go-ahead befcj deadline, ails were still bell icluding whether : to make a sweepii) gainst racial quois LION ef i, Sci/Tech Editor hoto Editor na, Graphics Editor Radio Producerjason Webmaster y through Friday duringthl ring the summer sessWf versity. Periodicals Po i changes to The Battaliot j 111. at Texas A&M University | aalism. News offices are J ; Fax: 845-2647; E-mail . hip or endorsement by Trig call 845-2696. For class-f feed McDonald, and oWf 78. Texas A&M student to pic* I es 254. Mail subscription 1 .50 for the summer or $1®[ Express, call 845-2611 | :nir family iking terms. THURSDAY NIGHTS COLLEGE NIGHT 300 HIPHUGGER CONTEST NO COVER W/ COLLEGE I.D. 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