Feature: Annabelle Lee

	Chest	Waist	Hips	Height	Weight
Imperial	31"	25.5"	33"	5"3'	101lb
Metric	79cm	65cm	84cm	159cm	46kg

GGotW: How long have you modeled?
AL: Up until the age of 18, I absolutely refused to be in photos at all! When I was studying computers at polytech, my friend Justin, an artist, told me about a girl in his class who he thought I should meet. This turned out to be the photographer from Gothique Noir, who I agreed to model for a shoot, and we ended up doing two shoots together. I still haven't done any paid or professional work, but am keen to if the right oppurtunity comes up.

GGotW: What got you started?
AL: Meeting the photographer/artist from Gothique Noir, Jess. I was already a fan of her work and we had alot in common, and I was in awe of her talent, I really wanted to be a part of her work, and I loved the thought of being part of her artwork. We both had Emily Strange bags, and 'Tim Burton style' shoes, and this was going to be the beginning of a beautiful working relationship.

GGotW: What was your first shoot?
AL: I think it was around August 2005, with Gothique Noir, it was quite casual, we were just students taking photos in the polytech studio, but nearly ended up burning the place down when we almost forgot to blow out the candles we had lit when we took a break!

GGotW: Who have you shot with?
AL: Gothique Noir, twice, and Paul Michaels Photography. I wish there were more options available for gothic/alternative models in New Zealand, its hard to get work, especially paid! I would really like to get work modelling for gothic clothing companies but I know theres just not enough work to make a career of it.

GGotW: What was your best experience on set?
AL: Not having had much experience, I dont really have any stories to tell, or anything amazing thats happened. Apart from leaving the candles burning, and a bit of a nipple slip once (who doesn't have that happen at some stage?!), theres not much to tell.
The most awkward moment though, has got to be posing on a rubbish bin in a graffiti covered alleyway. It had been raining so it was really slippery and I had big chunky shoes on, and I ended up climbing onto an abandoned heater to get onto the bin, then sprawling myself all over
this slightly wet, dirty rubbish bin, trying not to fall off an holding on for dear life, as it was on a steep angle. The photographer was trying to get a contrast, classic gothic against city urban
graffiti, but I was too busy trying not to fall off, to really give any expression other than 'get me off here!'.

GGotW: How into the goth scene are you?
AL: I hate the word 'scene'!!! I was gothic' long before I heard of the term, so I was surprised to find out there was a whole 'scene' of people out there who had the same viewpoint of life. I personally don't like being called 'goth', as I prefer to describe myself as being gothic.
It may sound stupid, but 'goth' these days is a word that people who don't deserve to use it try to compliment themselves with. You know, the ones who are practically emo, but are like 'I like My Chemical Romance, I like Nightmare Before Christmas, I wear black, I cut myself, blah blah blah, Im a goth'. And they say it with pride. So I find it almost an insulting label, as it puts me in a similar category as them. Whereas gothic...now, theres a term that puts beautiful images in my mind. Gothic is midnight in a cemetery, long black dresses, and candlelight. Gothic is everything I love, describes the whole world I live in.
Anyway...Im not really in the 'scene' at all. I began my gothic existence alone, and thats where it will remain. I do have friends, but they are mostly the friends I had at school - the general 'misfits' who all hung out together. I like the fact that my friends are different to me, and not 'in the scene'. We dont really have a goth scene in New Zealand anyway, like we dont have goth clubs, though we do have a Fetish Ball annually in Christchurch. I am a dedicated metalhead though, and I guess you could say I am more into that scene, although really I just have my own scene! :-p
Online, its a different story, as I do like to meet other gothically minded people, and visit gothic sites. I even had my own gothic/altervative lifestyle ezine, which I hope to reinvent in 2008,
when I get some time.

GGotW: What lead you into the all things Gothic?
AL: I was always drawn to the dark side, a big fan of classic horror movies, horror novels, Edgar Allan Poe, etc even as a child, and as I got older it became more dominant in me. As I started choosing my own clothes, I was drawn to darker clothes, and I liked things like skirts and dresses, that were considered unfashionable. At school, I always got comments like 'Why do you dress like a slutty vampire?'. But I didnt realise there were other people who lived like me. I was very drawn into my own world, and had no idea that there were other people who lived like me. There werent other goths at school either, so it wasnt til I was quite old, maybe 15?, that people started asking if I was goth or not. And I'd just say 'What the fuck? Im just me'. So I just led myself in the direction that life pushed me, and ended up gothic, so I got myself into the scene...though I do believe I live in my own scene, really - I definitely have my own twist on the traditional goth style.

GGotW: What is you favorite aspect being Gothic?
AL: Because we live differently to most of society, we can all bond over our experiences. We've all been persecuted against, we've all known what its like to be different. So we have that in common. But more importantly we like things that most people dont like, so when we meet people who like the things we do, its special. Like if I meet someone who shares my love of B-grade, old school horror, it means alot to me, because its so unusual. And despite the fact that we're always accused of looking 'scary', most of us are friendly and down to earth people.

GGotW: What do you do when your not modeling?
AL: I'm obsessed with computers, and still spend alot of time with them. I live with my boyfriend, and we spend most of our free time together, fortuntely he shares my passion for horror movies and metal. I work in retail, which I hate, but am going to art school next year. And I spend way too much time watching CSI and Law and Order (and its spin offs).

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