Five Things I Hate About Fashion Blogging

I know I'm extremely late on the ball with this Refinery29 graphic, but it's hilarious. It's also a little sad - but I think we actually are that predictable, haha! These (rather ridiculous) truths inspired me to make a list of the "Five Things I Hate About Fashion Blogging." Or rather, the five types of girls who give fashion blogging a bad name.


The Narcissists

I know that anyone who starts a fashion blog must be a bit of a narcisst. And to a certain extent, I actually support this trait. My mother always taught me that it's important to look good and be confident in yourself. However, there comes a point where self-confidence becomes self-absorbtion and many people have trouble knowing where the line is.

You know this girl, as she is a common breed in our world: the ones with excessive amounts of overly posed photos. I get it, you are a beautiful girl. But twelve photos of you prancing around a field in that floral print dress in various poses and backgrounds is a bit ridiculous, no? (Because God knows you don't wear 5-inch heels to spend a day hiking through marshlands.)


The Hobos

I understand that part of ideology behind fashion blogging is being creative and unique (although to be honest, fashion blogging more resembles high school to me.) I understand that sheer maxis, chunky sweaters and combats boots are in style. I understand that grunge is an inspiration to many girls.

But if I mistake you for a homeless woman in that outfit post? That ain't stylish, and something certainly isn't right with what your wearing.


The Yes-Men

The overly enthusiastic, fake commenter. There are far too many hanging around these parts - girls with blogs who comment, comment, comment without actually reading to increase their traffic and get famous. Trust me when I say I can tell whether or not you read my post, and whether that comment was sincere. Please, only leave comments that you truly mean. I live by this rule and it's served me well so far.


The Pimps

Let me make myself clear: if your blog is successful, I fully support monetizing and turning that hobby into a business that will generate a little extra cash. However, there are certain ways to go about this without alienating your readers. I can't say how much I hate seeing any one of my favourite bloggers being turned into a corporate flunkie.

Please Do: Start up and blog shop and donate portions of your profits to charity, such as some of my favourite bloggers Monochroma.chic and Shop T.O. Live.
Please Do Not:  Start a blog shop filled with clothing that you bought to wear once for an outfit post - and then sell it at full price. People will see right through it. And they'll probably respect the girl who is better at working a smaller wardrobe in several different ways a lot more. 

Please Do: Accept advertising offers of companies who have approached you - provided that the brand is advertising a product that you actually believe in, and that these ads don't crowd your blog.
Please Do Not: Have monthly posts calling for new advertisers and cram your sidebar with a ridiculous amount of ads - especially if they're from from brands that you would personally never wear. If you wouldn't, your followers probably won't either - they follow you because they like what you like.

Please Do: Wear clothing offered to your from brands that you like, and that fit your personal style. Free clothing is awesome, and if you do if right your readers won't care.
Please Do Not: Throw on any old rag offered to you by someone just because it's free, or change your style to incorporate "Courtesy Of" clothing. When you start wearing head-to-toe gifted clothing, readers feel alienated - suddenly they're not reading about their favourite blogger anymore, they're being force-fed a product.

Please Do: Host awesome giveaways from brands you actually believe in, of products your followers would actually want, to thank them for reading your blog.
Please Do Not: Host giveaways of completely random objects that have absolutely no relation to your blog or style - and use it as a promotion tool.


The Herd

The ridiculous herd mindset is, to me, the worst part of fashion blogging. I think this is to be expected, as these blogs are all focused on an industry that is obssessed with trends - what's new, cool, hip, in, whatever. But isn't fashion blogging also about being unique? Creative? Inspiring others? Taking a trend and making it your own? Not owning the same pair of $200 shoes (Jeffrey Campbell "Litas", I'm looking at you.)




To me, the most important part of blogging is showing your readers who you really are as a person, not just what you're wearing. I know that a picture is worth a thousand words and many bloggers struggle to find the perfect balance between words and letting their outfits speak for themselves. But you started this blog to say something to the world, to be noticed, to give yourself a voice. Don't be afraid to use it.