Thoughts on Fashion Bloggers

[softgrey]

I've found reading all of this quite interesting, and I think it also speaks to the perceptions around blogging and the different types. Blogs are a place to express - whether it's personal style, fashion commentary, or even just personal opinion. The critiques are endless on everyone's blogs, but I think that's the hidden beauty. The best thing about blogs is that they are free - you don't have to pay to subscribe (much like a magazine), and they're interactive. I will agree that forums (such as this) are the best way to have a dialogue, but having them through blogs are also great.

I know it sounds childish and frivolous, but if you don't like a blog, you're not required to bookmark it or read it. I think there's something in human nature where everyone wants to be heard and for their opinions to be validated, and blogs are a great way to accomplish that. I know I sound like Suzy Sunshine in all of that but realistically it's everyone's prerogative to their opinion and to ignore...exercise yours.

Are some blogs pretentious? Absolutely. Do I agree with every blogger's opinion? Of course not. Solution? I just don't read them. They're not detracting from the space in the blogosphere.

...
you're funny...


i don't think you sound even remotely childish or frivolous...
but i do think that everything you said is quite obvious and i think that we all know that we have the option to ignore what we don't like...
just as we have the option to discuss what we don't like and/or why we have that opinion...

some may choose to ignore...
some may choose to discuss...

it's really the same thing...
people expressing themselves in the way they like best......



* and in a way...
the bad ones do detract...for multiple reasons...
not that they take away space...
but that they take UP space and make it harder to find the good stuff...
and also...
it's guilt by association...
if you have a blog...and everyone starts hating blogs because of all the bad ones...
it's bad for the good blogs because people aren't going to be reading/finding them...

not so good for anyone that......

the personal expression part is good though...
i think everyone here would agree with that...

welcome to tFS...

 

[micahslope]

Unless someone here is working for Tumblr, I fail to see how their opinions would be inauthentic due to using the software itself. For someone who complains about the narcissistic tendencies of their generation it is more than a little snide to be automatically dismissive of the opinions of your fellow posters... I trust that everyone in this thread is speaking their mind and sharing their real opinions, whether or not they use a certain blogging tool.

I should've re-worded my sentence better. As I didn't mean to insinuate that using different software is inauthentic. That's ridiculous. What I was trying to say is that with each tumblr I see, people's intents with the photos seem inauthentic. I can never tell if I'm reading the opinion of the blogger of the tumblr, the reblogger, or the blogger who is reblogging the reblogger. To me it just feels as if some people who have tumblrs go "Oh look that's a cool picture that will make me seem deep and cool." The actions of some of them feel very glib. As for calling me snide,the people who were replying in defense of tumblr had tumblrs themselves. So right away they're already subjective to it. I just wanted to see if anyone who didn't have a tumblr would share their opinion on it. Which you don't seem to have, so thanks for sharing your opinion on it.

I called Tumblr the poor man's blogger, because it essentially seems like it? Alot more time goes into making your blog on blogger look really good as opposed to tumblr, no? I could be wrong though.That's where the poor man's blogger came.

I dare someone to show me a tumblr, that isn't anything from what I've described or mocked in my previous posts.

 

[Susanna-Cole]

micahslope, Oh, I better understand what you said before now, and do indeed agree in a lot of ways. Tumblr's feature of reblogging does seem almost like a cheat, does it not? It's like letting everyone else do the leg work and merely lifting a finger to hit "reblog". Easy, perhaps, too easy?

It took me over a year to reblog anything, and I still prefer hand selecting, writing, and finding my own content. I did eventually cave and have now reblogged a few times, but I use the reblog button very, very sparingly.

And yes, there seem to be numerous blogs that all look eerily similar there. This...

"Oh look that's a cool picture that will make me seem deep and cool."

...certainly seems true, at times. Of course, in today's times, it's excruciatingly difficult to be original, anyhow. Still...

On Tumblr, there's also hundreds of decent looking and lovely templates to choose from and with just a click you can have something looking fresh and professional. However, I think mostly this is a good thing, I'd rather the convenience of this than the eye-sore of layouts I often see on Blogger (due to the fact that creating a personalized layout requires a certain level of skill). Forgive me, if that sounds harsh...

 

[anonymouschic]

* and in a way...
the bad ones do detract...for multiple reasons...
not that they take away space...
but that they take UP space and make it harder to find the good stuff...
and also...
it's guilt by association...
if you have a blog...and everyone starts hating blogs because of all the bad ones...
it's bad for the good blogs because people aren't going to be reading/finding them...

That's a really good point - it does certainly make it difficult to find the good ones. And everyone has to find the bloggers that appeal to their style or taste or sensibility. I've certainly had to go through my fair share of style blogs I didn't like before I found ones that I do. It's also unfortunate when people or the media are exposed to blogs they don't link...it just contributes to creating a bad image and could possibly create a negative stereotype (which is the last thing the blogging community needs).

Just trying to contribute to the conversation and perhaps state some of the obvious. I think it's a great discussion that's going on, and it's nice to see some fresh perspectives on some of the mainstream popular blogs.

 

[anonymouschic]

welcome to tFS...

And I can't believe I forgot it in my last post, but thank-you for the welcome. I think I'm going to quite like it here.

 

[nyc_art_style]

I dare someone to show me a tumblr, that isn't anything from what I've described or mocked in my previous posts.

Well I'm not sure if this tumblr will change your mind or not, but it's worth a try. tfs member inaya's tumblr stray souls is beautiful, obviously well thought out, and selective.

In my personal opinion I don't see why tumblrs have to be these deep meaningful blogs. I have a tumblr because I like imagery, I like sharing it and seeing it. It's as simple as that. (At least for me)

 

[Zazie]

I know it sounds childish and frivolous, but if you don't like a blog, you're not required to bookmark it or read it. I think there's something in human nature where everyone wants to be heard and for their opinions to be validated, and blogs are a great way to accomplish that. I know I sound like Suzy Sunshine in all of that but realistically it's everyone's prerogative to their opinion and to ignore...exercise yours.

First, blogs are put out in the public domain. They are thus fair game for critique and commentary. If you are bold enough to put yourself out there, you should be able to "take it" when people disagree or dislike your contents. We can also switch off TV shows we don't like to watch, but does it mean we cannot express opinions about it? So we are "exercising" our prerogative here, as you seem to champion, I don't get why you have to tell us "if you don't like it, don't read it." Why can't we read what we don't like, and then comment on why we don't like it? It is a social phenomenon that has significant impact on this generation's thoughts, attitudes, etc., we should rightly comment about it.

 

[Susanna-Cole]

Zazie, well said, you make an excellent point, from a perspective not often thought of, I hadn't yet even thought of it quite that way, but all very true. After all, I don't like to turn on the news very often, because it tends to be on the terribly depressing side, but that doesn't mean I should ignore all that's happening in the world. In fact this a trap many fall into, it's in a sense like, "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" and yet evil happens, and we should speak up and take a stand against.

Of course, blogs aren't really of the magnitude of evil forces, per se. Mostly, if we don't like it, it's not because it breaks our heart or that we don't want to bear any of others' burdens or anything of that sort, more so, that it's merely our taste. But we don't have to try to wash it away from all memory and pretend as if it never happened either. Commentary, even when not highlighting the bright parts, can be a very good thing indeed.

 

[Squizree]

Any smart blogger should be open to negative feedback. Trial and error was the key to human civilization. Failure to "handle" negative comments is quite silly because you can just as easily say "if you can't handle the truth then save yourself the pain and stop blogging".

 

[softgrey]

Well I'm not sure if this tumblr will change your mind or not, but it's worth a try. tfs member inaya's tumblr stray souls is beautiful, obviously well thought out, and selective.

In my personal opinion I don't see why tumblrs have to be these deep meaningful blogs. I have a tumblr because I like imagery, I like sharing it and seeing it. It's as simple as that. (At least for me)

OMG..
the first time i ever paid attention to tumbler was because i looked at the link at inaya's sig and went to her blog and such...

and OMG...
inaya's tumbler is ASTONISHING>>>...


.......................


it is...it really is...
i got lost in there for hours...
i want to go back there and visit...
again...and again...and again...


yeah- if tumblers are like that...
i like them...



*and i don't have a tumbler...
i barely even have a blog...

 

[anonymouschic]

First, blogs are put out in the public domain. They are thus fair game for critique and commentary. If you are bold enough to put yourself out there, you should be able to "take it" when people disagree or dislike your contents. We can also switch off TV shows we don't like to watch, but does it mean we cannot express opinions about it? So we are "exercising" our prerogative here, as you seem to champion, I don't get why you have to tell us "if you don't like it, don't read it." Why can't we read what we don't like, and then comment on why we don't like it? It is a social phenomenon that has significant impact on this generation's thoughts, attitudes, etc., we should rightly comment about it.

Actually I completely agree with you. I was just trying to join the dialogue on this as I actually do read and sift through a lot of blogs and do get really frustrated with their contents. Quite honestly up until recently hadn't really found a place that was having such a candid commentary about what was coming out of it all. Blogging has certainly made an impact on the way that people view fashion, social interactions, and the world in general and to be able to have a space like this to comment on this is really beneficial. The feedback and commentary is a huge part of the way it evolves. Believe me, I agree with a great number of the posters on this thread about what has come out of the fashion blogging community.

I really do apologize if my earlier comment was off-putting, it was just a thought I had when I was reading through the thread and thought I would share.

 

[softgrey]

does anyone think it's narcissistic to have a blog?...

 

[nyc_art_style]

I wouldn't say narcissistic. I would say anyone with a blog has a certain sense of confidence, which some times may not be backed by talent or astuteness. But that only matters with certain types of blogs (ex. personal style, advice).

and inaya's tumblr made me believe tumblr was cool.

 

[ErnstLudwig]

does anyone think it's narcissistic to have a blog?...

well it fits in the digital-exhibitionistic world with facebook and other social network sites

 

[wishbone666]

I think a lot of fashion blogs are kind narcissistic
...the ones I read and get inspiration from (there are very few of them) seem to aim to have some sort of genuine interactions with the readers...I think that is what really sets a blog apart from others
the narcissistic ones I think come across as nothing more than real slaves to fashion and trends

 

[Adorngirl]

Bloggers are here to stay

Everyone should be free to express their opinions, you don't need to have qualifications to be able to have an opinion on fashion. How you express that is entirely individual, and if someone doesn't like it don't read it.

I have my own blog, and I have an opinion, but I don't have the means to do the work experience on no pay, that is required to get in to the industry, so I made my own opportunity. The magazine Editors feathers are ruffled, becuase they believe they should have all the privileges, anyone can be a blogger, but a good fashion writer will always rise to the cream of the crop.

 

[iluvjeisa]

Well at this point, it's not really about whether there should be blogs or not. Everyone has one. Personally, I think many the best blogs are about images. That which cannot be said, and is unlikely to be completely boring. Preferably arranged in a way to - quite alone - convey a mood, a feeling, a moment in time. Obviously, that's reflected by my own interests.

Since I rarely read fashion magazines but just focus on the images all this talk about how important writing is just kind of weird. Does anyone really care? Unless you are as fun as Diana Vreeland, and I mean, who is, name one? Isn't it just about applying some elementary rules and the rest is name dropping?

It's very hard to write anything interesting about art or fashion. It often gets very narcissistic and banale.

The images are really it for me, that is what it is all about. Hence, writing to show good taste, connections and language skills does not interest me. I'm sure someone looking for an employee might, though, and I suppose that is partly what many personal style blogs are about.

 

[Luxx]

does anyone think it's narcissistic to have a blog?...

Is it narcissistic to have a Facebook? A MySpace? Twitter? To put all your music on Last.fm, to have a picture of yourself in existence online, etc, etc, etc. The argument could be made that any of those things are relatively narcissistic, but I think we are living in a time period wherein all those things have become normal in a way, at least for my generation. Almost everyone I know has an identity online in some respect and I think a blog is just another online outpost, it depends on the person behind it. Though admittedly I think some people have used their blogs as a means of tapping into their inner narcissist, I find it unusual that some people post pictures of themselves in various various states of undress online. I've seen people do it and I never quite understand the purpose of it.

Though maybe I'm just jealous of their willingness to let it all hang out

 

[Luxx]

RE: Blogs and commentary

Yes people should be able to comment, but at the same time people often forget that the person they are talking to has feelings. Every blogger should be prepared for mean comments but they should also be prepared to know when to put their foot down. There is constructive criticism which is always a good thing and then there are plain ol' trolls which no one should have to put up with. Ultimately a blog is a personal site and if the person doesn't want to deal with people insulting them (some comments border on harassment - to say you don't agree with the person's opinion is one thing but to say they deserve to die or unleash a string of curses or threats is another thing and those comments do happen, I've seen them) or posting off topic junk (spam comments are the worst - who wants an advertisement for shag rugs all up in their blog) it is really their call.

But they should say in advance what their policy is. I like how Tommy at Jak and Jil made a post flat out saying his policy on comments. That way there is no confusion.

 

[JunyaSchick]

regarding narcissism... I don't necesarily join a blog with a narcisist actitude. Actually many people feel more comfortable on giving opinions and expressing themselves behind the anonymity of Internet,

However, It's true that narcisism exists and I see that more often in some streetstyle blogs.