Photo by A. Frumberg for The Glitter Guide
Preface: This is in response to the Independent Fashion Bloggers posts, here and here, on Bloggers and Body Image, and the conversations that followed. Davies has since also posted an apology. It is clear that the original post was not malicious, but it has certainly unearthed some important conversations.
Ihave a lot of respect for IFB, and have been honored to be featured on the site, work in collaboration with their teams, and speak at IFB Con (both last year and this upcoming season). They provide an important platform to help bloggers realize their own value, promote each other, and facilitate a network that all fashion bloggers can participate in. Even if I don't always agree withthe points of view that each individual writer possesses, I appreciatethat they are able to get the ball rolling on conversations that areimportant to have - and sometimes difficult, even painful.
Foras long as blogs have been around, (and before, since the fashionblogger trope, at least in my experience, began on the fashioncommunities of LiveJournal), I've felt that they've played an importantrole in offering an alternative to mainstream media. There is literally astyle or fashion blog to serve as a platform and voice for every niche,every type of individual, every person that has been excluded from the mainstream, dominant fashion conversation. There are style blogs based on religiousvalues - whether you're
Muslim or an
Orthodox Jew or
Mormon. There are
petiteblogs and
plus size blogs and
curvy blogs.
Octogenarian blogs.
Transfeminine blogs.
Feminist blogs.
Tomboy blogs.
Butch blogs. You get the point.
But, wherethese varied voices become disenfranchised is when the blogging world,in all it's diversity, begins to mimic the values of traditional media-- a world where thinness, whiteness, and an appearance of wealth arecontinually prized and rewarded. I might not fit a physical ideal putforward by traditional fashion media (and I'm well aware that I don't,)but I do possess other privileges that make me, or my blog, appealing tothe mainstream; ignoring this would be irresponsible of me. It is true that many people turn to blogs for aspirational content; as much as any other type of media - movies, television, etc., blogs can be a place to turn for escapism, and a "reality" that is alternate to our own, but this should not get lost in the very important place of having varied and diverse bloggers promoted across blogging networks.
Themissing key to this entire conversation seems to be the business ofblogging, something that seems ironic since so much of IFB's platform isbased on the ability for bloggers to monetize and build careers fromtheir online presence. In order for someone to truly capitalize and reapthe benefits of blogger-as-business, they need to firstly generatetraffic, and secondly, and perhaps more importantly, fit an image andideal that brands and businesses want to be aligned with. There are veryfew exceptions to this, like say,
Tavi of Style Rookie or
Susie Lau ofStyle Bubble or
Gabi of Gabi Fresh, all of whom have managed to remainthemselves and succeed without playing into a role or archetype that isbeneficial to brands. But by and large, the most successful bloggers,have become successful because of their thin, pretty privileges whichprovide an alternative to traditional models.
Why should a brand hire orcollaborate with a traditional model when they can get a personalitywith their own following and audience to work with them for the same (orless) money? Why hire a traditional stylist when a blogger with anenormous audience can tweet, instagram, and blog while doing it - allwhile looking flawless? It's smart, it's strategic, but as far as thediversity of blogs goes, and which bloggers stand to "succeed," - itmostly continues to reinforce the same ideals put forth by mainstreamfashion media.
More brand partnerships lead to more capital, which leadsto more opportunities to reinvest into a blog. IFB called for higherquality content from the people who stray from the thin and pretty (or,as the original post by Davies put it, "disciplined,") ideal, but truly- that can only come with resources and time, both of which arecostly. But, then, the assertion that quality blogs written by people who stray from the norm - blogs with content rivaling "top tier" bloggers, to say these just aren't there, or don't exist? False. They absolutely do. There are so many of them that I couldn't even begin to list them all, because it's so freaking overwhelming.
I'm not interested in pointing fingersat who bears the responsibility for promoting a more diverse group ofbloggers, but I'd love to reference Audre Lorde;
It is not theresponsibility of the oppressed to educate the oppressor about theirmistakes. Lorde was obviously not talking about fashion blogs, but Ithink the entire blogging community, myself included, could takesomething away from this.
I'm looking forward to continuing this conversation, and would love to hear what you all think of this issue. I will be moderating a panel at IFB Conference on "Bringing Bravery Back to Blogging" and am hoping to continue the conversation there, too.
