Kindness Over All

While I have been known to get personal on here, I normally don’t stoop to addressing drama. However, after reading an article by Vogue.com, I am left with a horrible feeling of anger and confusion that has given me the desire to write it all out. I also realize that this post is aimed for my blogger readers, as a lot of girls might not have even read the article I’m about to address, but I still felt compelled to speak up.

When people have a large following, it bothers me when they use it to perpetuate negativity when it could be used for good. This goes for magazine editors, celebrities, bloggers, and anyone else who has a number of people who look to them for any kind of advice. So, here is what I have to say:

Dear Vogue, what was the point of writing this article?

Do you really think the millions of bloggers who read your article are going to suddenly stop going to fashion week wearing fun clothes? Answer: No, photographers seek them out and fashion magazines, including yours, ask for bloggers to send them their photos because it creates good content that people want to see. Was that Aimee Song and Susie Lau in your slideshow about Paris Haute Couture? I believe it was. It’s like posting your political beliefs on Facebook. Do you think your friend is going to scroll down, see what you wrote, and suddenly change their stance on immigration issues?

Also, do you really think the PR team behind the runway shows are going to suddenly stop asking bloggers to come or sit front row? No, bloggers have a following that give a show more exposure, and if you give them the best seat, they can do their job better.

And finally, do you really think your readers are going to say “oh wow I’m going to buy a bulky magazine to tell me what to wear now instead of checking my favorite blogger on Instagram who will show me what clothes will look like on a real person instead of a photoshopped model in a professionally styled shoot“? No.

So what was the point? All you did was temporarily hurt our feelings until we realized NO we shouldn’t be upset, we should be mad. We’ve just been cyberbullied by arguably one of the most established and accredited names in fashion for simply doing our job.

That’s right, our job. There are so many bloggers in the world right now because what we are doing is working. We are moving merchandise, establishing our own names and putting ourselves out there, and all in all, having great success at it. I’m not speaking about myself personally, I believe I have a lot to work toward and obviously I was not at Milan Fashion Week, but I’m talking about all of us as a united voice. Blogging to me is a sisterhood, and you’ve just insulted my girls. It’s also not just some phase that’s going to pass because of your personal opinion, it’s an industry that has been paved by intelligent young women who saw (rightfully so) a great new opportunity to be in the fashion industry. They themselves trusted fashion advice from real people rather than a magazine who was pushing Prada and Valentino down their throats, and thought that other people would do the same. The blogging narrative will change and evolve, inevitably so, but it certainly will not go back to the way is was in 2009.

As for questioning our intelligence, (yes, I am registered to vote, as you audaciously asked us) I am downright disappointed. This comment sounded like a popular middle school girl trying to make the new girl in class feel inadequate by insulting her. I feel like I should show you the video I watched in 7th grade about bullying. What did you achieve by patronizing us? While I knew from the beginning that because I am in a female dominated profession I would encounter competition and the occasional animosity, I never would have expected it to come from the mouths of the established, successful women working for Vogue. Why would you choose to redirect the conversation from fashion to your own personal remarks on the actions of bloggers when clearly you despised the attention they were getting in the first place? You might have hit home with a few women who were annoyed by the street style photography happening that day in Milan, but to the vast majority, you baffled us and probably lost some faithful readers.

In conclusion, I applaud the women in the world who use their platforms for good. Whether your voice is reaching hundreds or millions, if you have the opportunity to influence people, it upsets me when people choose to use their influence to insult others. Aren’t we all just trying to make it? Don’t we already have it hard enough trying to battle men in the professional world with the wage gap issues? Aren’t we as women supposed to raise each other up and create power through a united front? I thought so, but maybe I was wrong.