Clothing, hair style/colour and accessories can also be an issue. Always be sure you know what is okay. They may have a certain image they want to project and need staff to conform to it. On the clock they rent you as one of them. In your own time you can be yourself. Survival takes precedence.

All hope isn’t lost however. There are ways you can be you in a workplace. There is good reason why “Corpgoth” is a thing. A boss can’t be a dick if you are sticking to the rules and simply changing bright colours for darker ones or being a little flamboyant (yet tasteful) with your style.

That said things are getting better. I remember when I was 18 most nightclubs (mainstream ones at that) wouldn’t let anyone in with exposed tattoos. Nowadays its pretty common. The same is happening in the workplace as more accept things like that. There are many employers who value quirky eccentric staff with a sense of flair.

Its worth talking about families too. Many alternative people have families that are anything but. They might be dicks openly or subtley. This can especially be a problem for teenagers as they will be seen as simply being in a phase they will grow out of. This can be the case but not always. Sometimes you have to compromise a little. If you live with your parents, until you are of legal age its their rules under their roof. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be compromises.

As you get older and stick with it they will eventually accept that its just your way. Unfortunately some people are very set in their ways and they will believe the rubbish in the media about goths being evil. Maybe tone it down a little when at family gatherings. I guess it depends on how much you value your family and care about what they think of you.