I’m a goth, been a goth since they were Punks gone Romantic (early 90’s). When I got my Senior pictures I got told “You look like a witch”, I guess because of my long hair and my pale ivory skin contrasting with the timeless black knit long sleeve shirt I was wearing.
I was also the “weird art student” and it was in this class that I had some fun on more than one occaision “playing” with some of my classmates. I’d do things like sing They Might Be Giants songs especially “Particle Man” and “We Want a Rock”. (I did it as a form of whistling in the dark, art class was hell for me because I got beaten and my projects destroyed.)
Once I was trying to explain to the teacher about kirlean (sp?) photography because I wanted to imitate that effect in water color. A jock broke into my explanation to ask “So, if you can see auras, what color is mine?” I glanced at him, and for some reason the first thing out of my mouth was “blue”. Fast forward over 10 years to the 10 year class reunion. This guy showed up, and he still remembered that I told him his aura was blue, (which I was startled to note it is, turquise blue).
It was obvious that it really tripped him out, and it would have tripped him out even more if I’d told him I’m now pagan, and that I was absolutely correct. It was enough that I was among largely (count this guy among them) overweight, balding, bitter people who were looking for any flaw in me so they could feel better about themselves. I had fun talking to those who weren’t like this.
I’ve been told by young teens that I CAN’T be over 21, I just don’t look it. (They were my friend’s daughters.) I think it’s maybe because I try my best to be kind and considerate, and not judge. I have fun “messing” with them by remembering things to do with the 90’s.
My husband and our friends have fun by dressing up in all out Gothic style at the local County Fair and Rodeo in mid August. Husband dresses up like a giant undead creature, which is eerie with his very pale jade green eyes, and because he’s tall and slender with very broad shoulders, and a tiny 28 inch waist. (The guys wear all black, boots and trench coats, along with various ornamental chains and spikes etc.) Our friend does his make-up, and jewelry etc. like a demon (with an almost Charlie Chaplinesque walk) and I dress up as the female Vampire. You know, the kind that you want to go and chat up, but at the same time, are afraid of too? I have porcelain skin which I sometimes lighten to almost Geisha pale with talc, and long dark hair, I “Vamp up” with my form fitting black dress, silk thigh high stockings, heeled ankle boots, silver and garnet flower/cross from Thailand, burgundy wine/clotting blood lips, and put my jet black eyeliner on to emphasize my cat eyes, I add a black bow to make the look extra spooky because it gives an edge of innocence and childish youth/vunerability. (This year I’m thinking of going paler pink on the lips, lighter on the eyes, and more innocent, like an undead porcelain child/doll in Woman’s body. I even have a little black panther stuffed animal I’m thinking of carrying.)
Year before last, he even wore a thick chain around his neck and stalked around, letting me lightly hold the end of it. (Beauty holding the Raving beast at bay.) LOL it was pretty funny when he got a turkey leg and was walking to some benches to sit down. The people already parted like the Red Sea, but when they saw him with a big chunk of meat that could easily be a club, some decided they wanted to go to the other end of the fair.
We got all kinds of questions like “Are you Satanists?” and “Are you professional actors?” preen We all did our own make-up so that was high praise indeed. 
(I answered a few questions, like when a spooked child asked if we wanted to hurt her, I crouched down to her level, looked into her eyes, and told her “No, we’re here to have fun just like you are.” We mostly only talked amongst ourselves for the most part, unless we saw some friends.)
We just decided that we wanted to have fun too, and since there are no gothic clubs anywhere near us, we went somewhere Gothed out anyway. We felt “festive”.
One time this past winter my husband and I were gothed out, Christmas shopping with his mother and two brothers at an out of town mall. Some people dressed in very trendy goth/glam rocker styles complete with ear plugs intead of just earrings and other sundry peircings came into the mall. They took one look at me, and Mr. Clawbane, and handed us concert leaflets for a concert that night. They completely ignored his middle brother who was right beside him. This really bothered younger brother, he’s 17 and desperately wants to be “cool”. We don’t try to be cool, we just do what feels right to us.
On a not so light hearted note, Mr. Clawbane has had some experiences with people assuming things because of how he looks that are disturbing. He has worn all black every single day, and a trench coat for years now. He has long hair to the bottom of his shoulder blades. People would call the special hotline that the school set up to report that they had seen him with a gun. He was searched on numerous occaisions for weapons, and none were ever found. He never got an apology either.
We’ve been stopped more than once on the doorstep of my apartment building by the police who asked us what we were doing there, despite the key visible in my hand. Once the police man called for backup, and asked us, who we were, where we lived, where we were going, where we had come from, and why we were doing it.
He even called in to the department to see if we had any warrants. (There were none.) A thorough questioning, even though he’d stopped me and Mr. Clawbane the week before and should have remembered I lived in those apartments and was often out and about at night/early morning hours. (It’s a VERY small town.) It’s eased off since I moved, but we still get asked our business every so often. We’ve been told we should have documented it, because it was harassment.
We even got “tailed” around the town in broad daylight a month after 9/11 by a police car. I don’t know what the police man was expecting, we were walking to various stores, and then to get a meal with our friends in tow. By this time, my husband had been wearing his trench coat around the town for years, even in the summer heat. They (the city’s police force) knew him by sight, and knew he had not broken any law.
He’d gotten a ticket, and had to pay a fine for being out past curfew. (The A D&D game lasted longer than anticipated and he had not arranged for a ride home.) That’s a city ordinance though. They took him to the station for several hours too. It made my mother in law so mad, they really had no right to even cuff him and take him in, it was an ordinance not a law. They do that to every teen they catch though, even if they are going to a school extra curricular activity, like swim team practice. (Probably one other reason the police in this town stopped us so often is because we both look quite young.)
I’ll add, I just kind of shrug my shoulders and go on with my life for the most part. I feel that even if I didn’t wear all black, I’d still get singled out at times because I’m a night owl, a free thinker, and a “non-conformist”. (Not just by the police, but by other town citizens, not everyone, but a good number of people around here.) I’m not going to try to be “normal” or “fit in”. I like being myself.
Some day I’ll get out of this small town, and things like this won’t be so frequent hopefully. In any case, these dummies aren’t worth too much of my energy. They “fear” me for some reason I can’t fully grasp, so they are not worth my time. I’ll let them be, and do my best to stay away from them. Although it is fun to spook them a little at times, maybe “socialize” them a bit and broaden their experiences. Hehe. 
(“count the points!”)