Sunday, August 26, 2012

A Response to Jennifer Barger's My Blog, My Self


rachel mlinarchik, fashion blog, my fair vanity, response to my blog my self



Jennifer Barger’s “My Blog, My Self” in Friday's Washington Post Express asked a provocative question: “When style bloggers show off their clothes, is it inspiring or narcissistic?” After criticizing a few popular blogs, Barger concludes that fashion blogs are written by “little girls, all dressed up, with no place to go, staring into the mirror.”


Alternatives to Link-baiting

The tone of this article is very different from Ms. Barger’s other pieces on Express, so it was jarring when Barger dismissed local gals Carlis and Katya of Spicy Candy DC as members of an “echo chamber” composed of “clash-y, slightly trashy outfits in what seem to be Shaw alleys,” especially after Barger herself complains that style blogging is akin to an “online high school cafeteria.”

It’s easy to make fun of fashion blogs, but there are real benefits to the style blogging phenomenon that were not discussed, such as the diverse faces and body types they make available to their readers. In the blogosphere, short girls, curvy girls, and those in between are giving readers an accessible alternative to the cookie cutter body type splashed across popular print magazines. You don’t have to be stick thin and 5' 10’’ with cheekbones of steel to represent fashion online-- you just have to be yourself, be honest, and be creative, and that’s pretty cool.


Entrepreneurship

What’s more, Carlis and Katya of Spicy Candy DC—along with many other locally-focused blogs—serve an important community function that giant news media corporations don't provide. Those two ladies are constantly partnering with small, local DC businesses to promote a store opening here or style a lookbook there. The fact that they take photos in "alleys"  is far less meaningful to me than what they actually do with their blog.

Spicy Candy DC and Kelly Framel's The Glamourai (also mentioned by Barger in a negative light) exemplify one of the most significant and exciting attributes of the fashion blogging phenomenon. These blogs serve as an empowering, entrepreneurial online space for women to promote their small businesses, their fashion skills, their writing, or their personal brand. This is the case for the vast majority of popular blogs in other categories (hello Seth Godin, Daily Kos, etc.), and fashion blogs are no exception to the rule.



Ms. Framel, for example, used to have her own jewelry line for sale on her blog. Her outfit posts served as a free, DIY display catalog for her latest creations and I always thought it was an ingenius form of marketing. Apparently the Ford modeling agency, Instagram, and her many other big-name partners agree. Framel worked in the fashion industry before her blog and jewelry line took off, but like many successful bloggers, her site allowed her to become fashion editor, art director, and head stylist—all on her own terms. By styling photo shoots with the tools she had at hand and investing in her own brand, she built a portfolio that made it clear she could direct an editorial spread just as artistic and edgy as any that you might see on the pages of Vogue. The difference—the Millennial generation twist, if you will—is that she didn’t need Anna Wintour’s approval to do it.

Jessica Quirk of What I Wore provides another great example. She also worked in fashion design before making it big with her blog, writing a book on affordable personal style, and being featured in a diverse array of print publications, from Marie Claire to the Wall Street Journal. She did all of that by taking a lot of pictures of herself and posting them online (and maybe some hard work, skills, and dedication).

What's clear is that there is a strong contingent of people who blog as a side hustle to earn supplemental income or to snap up a position in their dream field. While Barger might be correct in categorizing Gen Y and Millennials as the "look at me" generation, it's also true that they are the generation most likely to start their own businesses. They are a generation of Etsy shops and start-up popsicle stands. They are the type of people who see their peers facing growing unemployment and start a popular movement to fix the problem. They are building their own life trajectories, and they are blogging all about it.  


rachel mlinarchik, fashion blog, my fair vanity, response to my blog my self



The neat thing is that for the most part, stylin' lady bloggers are supporting one another instead of tearing each other down. Check out the gloriously pink and sparkly girl power of Gala Darling or What I Wore's pro-tips for new bloggers to see what I mean. On a local level, the Capitol Area Fashion and Beauty Bloggers (CapFABB) are one of the warmest, most supportive groups of women I have ever met. Ms. Barger should join! 


Blogging for good?

Time for full disclosure. Clearly, I am writing this expansive 'letter to the editor' via my own style blog, which I started approximately two months ago.

Ms. Barger is right: I love to dress up, even if I have no place to go. Also, looking at pretty pictures on style blogs inspires me to look my best in conservative, suit-filled Washington, DC. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the shiny and sparkly often clashes with my thoughts on international trade policy, industrial farming, and labor issues. Fair Vanity is my way of reconciling my love of fashion with my personal ethics, and perhaps inspiring a few others along the way. Here, I can promote brands and designers who not only make beautiful clothing, but who are kind to the earth and to the people who live on this earth.


Hats off to Barger's new fashion blog

I want to thank Ms. Barger for sparking what I'm sure will be a lively discussion. For the record, if she were to start a fashion blog – she describes herself as "an old-fashioned stylista who would rather wear sweatpants to Fashion Week than show off my wardrobe on the Internet," – I would bookmark and read it EVERY DAY.

If Barger chronicled her appearances at high-fashion events in sweats and other grubby attire, ideally including a few candid reaction shots from the pretentiously scandalized guests surrounding her, I guarantee she would gain an ocean of readers.

And, Ms. Barger: I would be your number one fan.

Respectfully yours,

Rachel

15 comments:

  1. What a smart and articulate response! I couldn't agree with you more, from beginning to end.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great article Rachel, very thought provoking. The whole idea of defining our generation as that of the direct to consumer, "I am my own brand" entrepreneurship is a fascinating phenomenon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great response girl! we were so shocked when we read the article. She reached out to us to contribute and we denied her request because we had a feeling it was going to be a negative one. Her opinion was way too harsh and unnecessary, glad to have your support and the support of our blogger community.
    xo
    C
    www.spicycandydc.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kindness and encouragement when I joined CapFABB!

      Delete
  4. Thank you Rachel for this response. We truly appreciate your support and you're absolutely right about our generation and our ability to build our own future on our own terms. Opening our blog almost three years ago has inspired us in more ways than I can put into words, helped us build incredible friendships, allowed us to discover our true passion, and even gave me a push to open a business (my own jewelry store in Old Town). So Ms. Barger's opinion does not really mean anything to me..it just makes me sad to see our local "journalists" trash us this way instead of recognizing the amazing things we work so hard to achieve!

    xoxo
    Katya

    ReplyDelete
  5. You know what I dont have to read this to say, that this chick needs to quit. I dont think that people realize the fashion industry wasn't looking for hot for a moment, and personally I know a couple of online store owners who have made great livings from partnering with bloggers, to me. Look at Katherine of La Petite Marmoset, apart from her beautiful nature, I think bloggers shouting her out, buying her items, and her own personal blog is part of the reason she is exceling. I know plenty of people who started off on etsy, and who are putting their pieces in stores, or moving away from etsy and maintaining their own shops full time.

    Bloggers are all part of a great system involving retail. There is nothing wrong with that to me when there is a win/win for both sides.
    While Blogging our outfits might not win a nobel peace prize there are many purposes that it serves. When i'm going out there looking for a dress I might want to see it on a curvy woman, or how a pair of shoes fit on something, maybe get a real life "review" i turn to fashion blogs. I find that information, and I've found amazing blogs just searching for a certain shoe, or dress. So to me it's not just about looking and gawking, i'm always interested in seeing other's fashion sense. Carlis and Katya shouldn't be a target.

    It sounds to me like she just doesn't understand that this could be a hobby, this could be a pasttime, and this could be a way to help out local businesses, look at home many sales goodwill has now that bloggers have basically said, go to these non-profit places and find gems and make it part of your personal style. Why is she targeting Bloggers is my question? IS she so prudish that she can't imagine posting a picture of herself in an outfit that she feels makes her look amazing? I'm not saying we take credit for everything and single handedly reviving the fashion world, but we have had a decent part in it and Blogging is not just a trend, or something that's going out of style, not as long as fashion is out there. I don't think it's about being self absorbed of trying to me a model. Some have gotten lucky enough to become models but to say that anything Carla/Katya is " composed of “clash-y, slightly trashy outfits in what seem to be Shaw alleys,” " Tacky... I have never seen the two looking trasy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate the visit and I'm glad to have started a dialogue!

      Delete
  6. Outstanding, wonderfully written post. And you are so much nicer than I am. Hats off to you, Rachel.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great information. I read your whole article. I got many things from your site.
    green mountain grills reviews

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think I have never seen such blogs ever before that has complete things with all details which I want. Buy frocks for women

    ReplyDelete
  9. This blog was extremely helpfull. I really appreciate your kindness in sharing this with me and everyone else! Rosemary companion plants

    ReplyDelete
  10. Did you ever scale that building? LOL
    Are you wearing a sports bra there by any chance? I was just reading about the benefits of these https://www.upliftedlingerie.co.uk/benefits-of-a-sports-bra/

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you, my fair friends. Thank you so much for your comments!

You might also like...