To be honest, in thinking about pushing out this post in response to The Independent’s blast at Fashion bloggers, I almost couldn’t be bothered. Their stance that fashion writers and fashion bloggers have reached a ‘cat-fight’ co-existence as editors start to realise just how influential bloggers can be is so predictable as to be barely worth the ink. But, that said, beauty does tend to link inextricably with fashion so it may well have relevance for us beauty bloggers as a pre-cursor of things to come. Basically, Paula Reed, fashion editor at Grazia, sat behind upstart tweeny fashion blogger Tavi, and found her view blocked by Tavi’s preposterously proportioned hair bow. This caused a stream of fashion folk to wonder what a 13 year old was doing in a row further forward than a fashion editor anyway. Selfridges’ Creative Concept Manager finds it mind-blowing ‘that bloggers like Tavi are at couture shows and being showered with all kinds of gifts’ and finds it ‘sours things a little’ for her. And yet, what is issuing grown up couture invitations to a 13 year old girl if not a creative concept? Robert Johnson, associate editor at GQ says, ‘bloggers are attractive to the big design houses because they are so wide-eyed and obsessed, but they don’t have the critical faculties to know what’s good and what’s not’. A couple of points, Robert. You say wide-eyed and obsessed like it’s a bad thing? Better to be fresh, alert and open to ideas than jaded and professionally critical, I think. Fashion isn’t rocket science – it’s all about personal perspective and working on a fashion magazine might give you credentials in critiquing, but it doesn’t give the right to assume a layperson’s opinion can’t be valid. Fashion, like beauty, relies on falling in love over and over again with collections – we can’t sit around and say it’s all dreadful. It is that very obsession combined with innocence that brings a fresh eye and a new perspective. He concludes that as soon as a fashion blogger has been invited to a couture show that they’ll immediately be unable to cast an impartial eye for fear of not being invited back. Er, doesn’t exactly the same principle apply when it comes to scoring some juicy fashion ads for the magazine? Impartiality, I find, is a moveable feast. I kind of hope that things will never come to this with beauty – so far, beauty magazine editors seem to be viewing beauty bloggers with a curious eye, more than an overtly critical one. It only takes a couple of minutes scanning some of our better beauty blogs to realise that when it comes to testing, product knowledge and telling it how it is, we are a wealth of valuable information fast becoming a widely used resource for decision making and influencing. Happy co-habitation in BeautyLand would be nice.
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27 comments
Am I the only one who finds Tavi a bit creepy
I think the major bone of contention here is with the fashion “gurus” who work for magazines. For years and years they’ve been telling us that the newest products are the best (despite having tested them strenuously enough themselves) and now they get people with no “qualifications” doing a better job than them and they’re not happy.
It’s ridiculous to suggest that just because you’re a blogger and you get something for free, you will give it a positive press for fear of never getting freebies again. I find blogs far more honest than the glossed over reviews you get in magazines where every negative is turned into a positive.
OK, so letting a 13 yr old from fly-over country sit in the front row of a couture is, most certainly, silly. I can understand any industry wanting to get its hooks into its future consumers, but honestly, Tavi is never going to be a couture customer (unless she finds a career or husband to support the bill).
But this comment is way off base and really pisses me off.
“bloggers are attractive to the big design houses because they are so wide-eyed and obsessed, but they don’t have the critical faculties to know what’s good and what’s not.”
What the hell? First of all, that discounts a blogger’s experienves and capabilities. Just because we’re not on SI Newhouse’s payroll doesn’t mean you or I don’t have the critical faculties to know what’s good. That’s just the most ridiculous, offensive assessment of every fashion consumer out there.
And finally, a fashion blogger *IS* a fashion writer. Again, just because SI Newhouse’s money ain’t behind it all, doesn’t mean that a blogger’s writings are any less a valid publication. Jeez, I’m so mad right now….
LOL. further proof that bloggers are scaring the hell out of the ‘professionals’. Personally, I love anything that pricks their pomposity. Go Tavi, go Tavi, go Tavi!
I’ll admit, I don’t get the hype around tavi, Some of the things she puts together will get me ripped with shreds if i ever wore it at school at her age. And yes, a little creepy.
I understand where you’re coming from. nothing gives anyone the right to write off what others consider part of their life, a hobby. perhaps its all to do with competition?
Sorry, I meant to say (Despite them having NOT tested them..)
I also think some of these teen fashion bloggers are a bit wierd…
Anyway, I agree with beauty bloggers being positive for product testing etc. I knew a beauty editor at a broadsheet and heard that they simply recommended what had been sent to them that week, mostly without ever trying it.
As someone who slavishly followed such fashion editors’ advice for years, I was devastated. I’d much rather trust someone who’s actually tried something, whether bright eyed and obsessive or whatever, then a cynical hack!
Love your post and your perspective. Honestly, I’m not sure how many U.S. magazines really give the timely in-depth coverage that the beauty bloggers do. There’s a wealth of information from beauty bloggers compared to the once a month circulated publications that can’t devote the same page space. And honestly, beauty collections are likely to be sold out (the good stuff anyway), if I wait for a monthly to review it. Thanks for the thoughtful discussion.
There is a nice little colum in this month’s Glamour mag (UK) with some bloggers they like.
Blogging just brings people’s opinions to a wider audience. Eeryone has their own mind and can work out who they respect and trust. (I would hope).
Great Post!
don’t they say that many fashion designers work with 13 year old bodies in mind rather than those of more average adult women? So maybe Tavi isn’t that surprising.
I can see why a seasoned fashion editor would be outraged at being seated behind her though and can equally see that Tavi’s perspective on the show might be a lot fresher and less dictated to by advertising.
Woman, we have some strange parallel thinking going on. Already left my tuppence on the actual article it bothered me so… although my nimble fingers moved quickly enough that I missed an ‘i’ in vitriol and tacked on an ‘e’ at the end. Blast. Never the less, it seems like the classist fecks at the mags are happy to cast stones even though they live in giant glass houses built by advertisers and the same fashion houses. Hm…
Does anybody see the irony in this story that fashion ( allbeit In the form of an extraordinary head piece) is blocking the view of fasion! Fasion Bloggers and magazine writers should be working together, after all they have the same goals. Plus I know plenty of magazine journalists who also write blogs… Thanks bbb great post x
Very well said.
I think it scares them a little, and so it bloody should!
It makes me giggle a little when I see a product on beauty pages of a magazine that I’d heard raved about ages ago through blogs 🙂
Lol – I’m all about the makeup and don’t even pretend to get fashion, but I still appreciate the points made in this post… I’ll have to check this Tavi person out!
At least I WEAR everything I write about, and it’s my personal experience, if anyone else is interested.
I look forward to reading people’s REAL experiences with beauty and fashion, because that’s what makes the writing meaningful to me!
Great post! We, fashion bloggers, are real people having real experiences. We will never tell that this or that is wonderful just because of marketing, is from a consumer to another consumer. Fashion industry could learn something different maybe… but they don’t listen. It’s weird because it’s supposed that the fashion world is full of designers and creative people… and creative people should be OPEN MINDED.
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I’m not aware of this Tavi person but I say good for her getting to experience something exciting bc of her blogging!
I think people who are being paid for their reviews (magazines!) are just getting irked bc they are no longer considered the ultimate sources of knowledge on the subject. Everyone can have an opinion and thanks to blogging anyone can share their opinion. If people are finding honesty in blogging over magazines then maybe magazines should try to keep up instead of berating the competition. Just my two cents worth though:)
I can’t really take the opinion of a 13-year old about fashion – I wouldn’t do so even if she would be a fashion editor, which she can’t be at her age, thankfully. Was it a fashion show for the age group 12-15, or was it for adult women ? If it was a show for grown-up fashion than I’d prefer grown-up women sitting in the first raw – bloggers, or editors I don’t mind, they only have to be good !
One further thought – could the lauding of and fawning upon a 13 year old who dyes her hair grey to look like the 40 year olds who are busy dying out the grey so they can look like 13 year olds end up being the apotheosis of ridiculousness that causes the entire fashion industry construct to disappear in a flash of self-referential stupidity?
World’s longest sentence – yay me.
Nice post, thanks for sharing this wonderful and useful information with us.
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The Inde seems to be writing a string of these articles about bloggers pitching them against the traditional media or each other. Devisive and leads to a large amount of linking to their site…
I only can agree with you BBB, and the commentators.
On qualification I want to add for me as a bigger beautyblogger in the German area: I have written my thesis on blogs. And if you say blogs, you say massmedia.
For my reviews, I use the help of my best freind, who is a professor in pharmacology, means she studied biology and chemistry as well.
By far I have a bigger and better idea about products, but also about brands, and I do research like I learned it for science.
So the TRUST I get from my readers is something I earned as a blogger, so please, beauty and fashion mags and editors – stay calm. I do not want your job.
I do mine.
🙂
…and I biased about Tavi, creepy, but also a genius, and pretty lucky massmedia found and hyped her. Actually, this could have happened to anyone of us.
Fabulous post, I’ve come along a bit too late to say anything that hasn’t been said already… but I wanted to do a great big public LOL at GreatSheElephant’s wonderful comment.
Beauty editors… do they exist in the UK? There are no beauty magazines in this country, not even a single one. In fashion magazines I find articles devoted to cosmetic products and makeup trends to be a joke.
she could have just asked tavi to remove her hat or failing that, swap places. it’s kinda immature of her tbh…
I love this! I love that the glossies are getting shaken up by the blogosphere! It’s so brilliant being able to put your opinion out there as a blogger, be completely open and honest and not care about any impact on advertising revenues, etc. Yay for the blogosphere!!! x