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Hokayyy... huge chunk of waffle incoming, having been written on the wordprocessor a couple of hours back and therefore bearing little or no relevance to what is actually being said in the thread at present. It's just some stuff I reckoned wanted saying.
On the vexed question of dress-codes:
It's understandable that some people are going to feel excluded and generally put-upon by the idea of a dress-code, but there are genuine reasons for them.
A fetish club is sort of there for people to go and be all, y'know, fetishy. The club's responsibility is to provide a supportive and safe environment for folk to do this. Bear in mind that some of the people at the club will be wearing outfits that might attract a lot of trouble from someone not used to the scene, and it doesn't take much aggro to ruin a person's evening.
But why judge someone's fetish-awareness and general disposition on something as superficial as their clothes? Look at it this way:
Since the bouncers can hardly subject every single punter to a detailed perv-Q test at the door ("Okay, we'll let you in, but only if you can write a 2000-word essay on the usage of safewords, citing any relevant texts, or alternatively a brief discorse on the rival merits of the cat-o'-nine-tails versus the riding crop. Ten minutes, starting... now!"), it's useful to employ a dress-code: a crude, rule-of-thumb technique, but about as good as you're going to get under the circs.
And there is more leeway than some might assume. Much as one might like that £2000 PVC ballgown, a student loan will only stretch so far. Personally I favour outfits cobbled together from various odds-and-ends I've either made or gleaned from "vintage" stores, e.g.:
PVC trews (from thrift-store): £2.50p
Fishnet "top" made from tights (from local market stall):£5.00
Waistcoat (from cheapo boutique): £2:50
Jewelery (from fetish fairs, etc): £10.00
Boots (from thrift store) £15.00
Makeup, glittery sludge and whatall (from all good glittery sludge retailers): Probably around £5.00 if I was buying from scratch.
Total: £35.00
That's the average. It's rare for me to be wearing more than £60-worth of clobber, and I can certainly throw a look together for a lot less. Yes, it's certainly beyond some people's budgets, but we're not exactly in Immelda Marcos territory either. With a bit of help, imagination, and gumption I reckon anyone reading this post could rustle up a suitable outfit. A freind of mine recently attened the TG for the first time wearing a loincloth and silver body paint, and very smart he looked too.
Which begs the question: If anyone can do the look, why have the rules at all? Most of the regular punters will be well into their sartorial vice, so what's it matter if gaggle couple of curious investment bankers in charcoal grey slip in among the leather and the lace? Answer: If you've actually gone to the trouble of concocting an outfit, you're probably at least perv-freindly; a sympathetic bystander, if not an active participant. If you don't at least make an effort, then your motives for wanting to be in the club are suspect. It's easy for a person in their everyday clothes to jeer a tranny or cop a feel off someone in a revealing outfit; it's a lot harder to do so while wearing a borrowed pair of leatherette jeans and a choice assortment of lipsticked obscenities.
For those who are into BDSM (or are BDSM-curious) but not very fetishy, there are plenty of non-dressy alternatives, including "vanilla" social activities such as munches (restaraunt/pub meets). Look on the net for sites that can give you details. |
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