It’s A Women’s World

Some of the most difficult items to find in this day and age are clip earrings. During this time of many piercing accessories, few people have untouched ears. There is a good reason why I want to find clip earrings. I am one of those few who have closed ears. This may come as a surprise, but some people do not have pierced ears.

The quest for clip earrings has led me in many different directions. I’m not particular and I only require two things out of the jewelry. First of all the clip earrings have to be comfortable. You would be surprised to discover how much a pair of these things can really hurt. Many times I have had to take my clip earrings out because I couldn’t take the discomfort on my earlobes. The pain is usually great when a pair of earrings is too heavy. If the clip does not hold the weight evenly you will know it and within a few hours you will find yourself either in tears or pulling the clip earrings off of your earlobes.

It is important that the jewelry is light and this is ideal for me because I like small jewelry. Here is the next problem. Few clip earrings are small. This is ironic because they need to be light weight in order to be bearable for the wearer. If you can find a small pair of clip earrings, hold on to them. Usually I have pretty good luck getting this hard to find jewelry at the occasional estate sale. These sales can be great resources for anyone who wants to find older merchandise that may be very difficult to locate in regular stores. You can also get your hands on some beautiful clip earrings if you are patient.

I like to visit antique stores as well. Clip earrings can be found at these kinds of stores on occasion, but it is really hit-and-miss. I have had some good luck at times and other times I have come up with nothing. Other great places to look for clip earrings include yard sales, second hand shops and flea markets. You can find a lot of unique styles and some newer versions of the earrings at these kinds of sales. My newest resource is online shopping. The World Wide Web has opened my eyes to a new adventure in finding clip earrings. I have discovered that they are not nearly as elusive as I originally thought.

In the late 1970s a new youth craze emerged in England. They were called Goths and they listened to Goth bands and wore Goth costumes. The movement spread to the U.S. and parts of Europe, Germany in particular. It was influenced by Gothic novels of the past and horror films, especially those involving vampires. The overall effect was dark and gloomy.

The bands were a big influence on the clothes, hair and make up associated with Goths. What they wore filtered down to the fans. There weren’t any hard and fast rules, and individual experimentation with Goth costume was encouraged. The usual color worn was black, purple and deep red on occasion. Both men and women had black hair, white make up and black nail polish. Eyes were heavily made up with mascara. Women wore long, velvet dresses with fishnet stockings and men wore frilly shirts as worn by the Romantic poets. Sometimes studded dog collars were worn around the neck. Silver buckles and silver jewelry would often finish a Goth costume ensemble.

Old horror movies, featuring Dracula were a favorite of the Goths. The largest annual gathering of Goths in England takes place in the seaside resort of Whitby, where Bram Stoker set his original Dracula story. The women especially, modeled their Goth costume on the female vamp actresses. More recent films were lapped up, such as “Interview with a Vampire”, adapted from the Anne Rice novel. Winona Ryder played a Goth in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice”. Goths started to appear in TV shows too. Symbols of horror were used in their music venues, such as bats and cobwebs.

The bands of the genre had wonderfully macabre names, such as Dead Can Dance, Killing Joke, Sisters of Mercy and Southern Death Cult. The most successful were Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure.

The Goth look was such a distinctive one that many young people were picked on and bullied. A lot of people who felt insecure with their looks felt at home in Goth costume. It gave them a character to hide behind, which made them more confident. It was also a cry for individuality in a time when society is obsessed with perfect, model type looks. The Goths are still with us today, although in depleted numbers. Most people grew out of it as they got older. They made a lot of friends with like minded people and there will be some interesting photographs to show their children.