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21.8.12

Blogging Body Issues and Me!

Its 5:26 in the a.m. and I'm up blogging because there's something I want to bring to your attention that you just might not be aware of if you're not a blogger. Its the age old topic of Blogging and Body Issues. I participated in a weekly bloggers chat group called #Blogtrends and this was the topic of discussion last night, but I left the chat with so many things I wanted to discuss but never did so thought I would just get it all out  here. While I think it's fab that so many of us can get together to discuss the whole body image topic I left the meeting actually seeing and feeling a complete disconnect. I think its hard for a blogger to see and experience what a size 8, African American, Fashion Blogger  goes through on a daily basis if you yourself have never experienced it. Many will never know what its like to blog about a brand you luv for a year straight only to contact them and be told their not interested in working with you because you don't fit the image their looking for! We talked about how a majority of the bloggers who get the brand sponsorships and major acknowledgements are normally really thin and pretty and represent the brands target audience, but I don't believe that person who is thin and pretty and always being contacted by brands can understand me feeling like I'm not contacted because I'm not thin, I'm black, and just your average looking female. To say that brands are more in contact with you because you represent their target audience is a lie within itself as far as I'm concerned.  I think it's just a way for brands to sell a false image that we allow to happen repeatedly by purchasing those products. I mean let's face it, Its a known fact that women are more likely to buy when the person selling the product looks more like they  do and I don't recall the size 2 diva being the norm so why is she the mass majority of what we see in the magazines, commercials, and even online sites? . We also had some that stated Minorities or Plus size bloggers weren't being acknowledged simply because they weren't working hard enough on their blogs to be contacted by Brands and Sponsors and we all know that's a cop out! Don't get me wrong, I happen to be in a serious luv affair with my body and the image I have created but Imagine working hard and constantly reaching for a goal that you may never achieve simply because you're not 5'7 with blond hair an blue eyes. Even if you pretend to just be blogging for the pure satisfaction of it, what could be more satisfying than being recognized simply for the luv of what you do. I appreciate the fact that such a large group can get together and discuss such a heated topic without there being any blood shed, but I also left the meeting fellin a little clueless on what to do next. Not a day goes by that I'm not telling someone how to find a great pair of shoes at bargain prices, how to find a fab dress on a budget, or how to shop to make an everlasting impression on date night. So personally speaking when it comes to being able to sell fashion, I am and will always be what I consider the perfect target audience! Isn't it time you see someone like you selling the items you want to wear, or will we forever allow society and brands to forever feed us the targeted seperation? I simply cant wait for the day that I see women of all ages, sizes, and colors being represented equally when it comes to fashion and I feel my role as a fashion blogger of color is to fight, educate, and bring attention to this issue until it changes! I ask each and every one of you today, Are you ready for a change?

11 comments:

  1. Excellent post and at 5:30 am - you go gurl!!!!

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  2. Thanks Rose and believe me that experience has only made me stronger and even more determined!

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  3. *Sigh* I struggle with this all the time especially here in South Florida, the larger national companies always seem to contact the same bloggers, tall, thin, etc... I am not trying to ruffle any feathers but its true. I blog because I love it and I feel like I can inspire women that look like me, curvy. Plain and simple if you read my blog I am all about curvy women being confident and feeling good about themselves. However, the bloggers that do work with the companies I love aren't relateable to me at all. I want to see how that skirt fits on a chick with with 44 inch hips also, not just a size 2. I also feel like there isn't a spot for women like myself. I am not plus sized but I am not skinny where do I fit in and why do I have to be in a category at all???? I digress I am going to keep doing what I do because I love it and hopefully these companies will realize that us regualar gals love to shop and would love to see a better representative of us and not just those model types.

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  4. Thank you for this insightful post! I would love to know if you wrote back to any of these companies. If you dedicated your time and voice to blogging about them I feel like they should be made aware of how they are alienating customers.

    -Rachel
    www.thecuratorial.com

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  5. This post really spoke to me. I wear a size 8 and was stunned that the fashion industry considers 6-8 plus size. And I am 5'10. I went on my first "go see" fashion industry lingo for casting call for modeling job and was told that they were not looking for plus size. I had no clue that being as tall as I am and an 8, they consider that fat. Wow

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  6. Great article and I totally agree on everything that you have discussed. I'm a curvy fashionista and I fall in between the middle being that I'm a size 14. In some cases I'm considered plus size while in others I'm not so it doesn't make sense to me. There is so much diversity and there is no way that all of us should not be recognized, but at least you are speaking on it and being heard. All we can do is keep doing what we love and hope for a change sooner than later. GREAT POST!

    http://www.diaryofachicmommy.com

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  7. What an excellent post and it's the truth. My blog is about the 'average girl' yet I can agree that there are issues within the blogospehere, and brands interested in working with us, looking to collaborate with a diverse group of bloggers. I do think there are multiple issues why brands are or are not interested, however you bring up a core problem that we have to find a solution for. THank you for bringing the topic to the forefront of the conversation.

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  8. Great post. I'm not an 8 nor a 12-not plus sized, not super skinny either-but I'm black and clearly black is not what gets noticed when it comes to these big wig companies. It definitely sucks. It's almost like if you don't appreciate my loyalty enough to work with me as someone who values your brand, why should I keep spending my hard earned money with you. I, like everyone else, blog because I love to do it. Though the perks and relationships are nice, they don't impress me. I have never contacted a brand and not sure if I ever will after reading this. I see it this way, if they contact me by some freak chance then I will know it's real. Until then, I will continue to blog for the love of fashion and writing.

    http://thriftyandshameless.blogspot.com

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