Hating on Fashion Influencers

I had to post this because I keep seeing over and over and over this hate from people towards fashion/beauty influencers, is like we are the demons who came to this world to destroy it and it is our fault that people can’t control themselves with those credit cards. Many understand that all of us spend the whole day in a mirror taking selfies, that this is easy to do, that all of us are here for the “free” stuff which I have to inform you aren’t free because everything you get means content to create, that we are all airheads (ohh if they only knew) and on and on. I know we live in a society driven by emotions, people who only repeat what they hear, and people who don’t analyze anything before they talk, that is why I felt the need to write this post and remind/highlight people a few points.

Following a fashion blogger doesn’t mean you have to buy everything they show you or wear, because, well, that would be ridiculous, and anyway, the people who do this would do it as well after seeing a celebrity or reading a magazine so it isn’t the fashion bloggers fault. To me, this new medium is more about finding ideas on how to mix and match pieces, create looks, find nice brands, find cool places, get inspired. Also, there is always someone in the look for a new top or pair of pants, a face cream, or a service, and also there are people like me who are curious about new and different brands.

Over-consumption is not new, especially in the USA. Over-consumption is an old habit that thanks to a lot of fashion influencers is changing because they are showing you how to wear the same piece a million ways, how to buy, and where to buy better.

Highlights:

1.     Influencers have always existed, just that before they were called celebrities. Humanity was influenced by the same little group of people, publications, and brands, Madonna, anyone? Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Kim Kardashian. I mean, just imagine being in a different country, having a different ethnicity, having a different body type, not being rich, and yet having these people telling you how to look, what to wear, where to go!! Eee I am not skinny and I am not rich… But now thanks to this new medium called fashion influencers from all over the world you find people you can relate to and all you have to do is click that follow or subscribe button, not spend 20 dollars in a magazine to see the same people wearing the same clothes from the same designers we have been seeing for decades.

2.     Thanks to fashion bloggers the pressure towards big brands to be more eco-friendly and ethical in their practices, while challenging the new ones to be better is at its highest, it wasn’t thanks to Vogue it was thanks to a group of fashion bloggers, spreading the word.

3.     Thanks to fashion bloggers we no longer have to use Lamer, Loreal, or Lancome products or wear Channel to look good. Our advertising lower rates compared to the price of a half a page in a Vogue or Cosmopolitan magazine for advertising is giving small and new brands a platform to promote their products.

4.     Thanks to fashion bloggers, new talents are rising, big publications and media agencies are no longer determining, finding, and promoting who is the most talented photographer, model, fashion designer, stylist, singer, writer, rapper, etc, is or solely promoting them. Our platforms are helping promote new talents.

As a female fashion photographer who moved to New York and wanted to become the new Patrick Demarchelier (lol), I can tell you how disgusting and difficult it was to try and thrive when you had to stump with disgusting and lewd people to MAYBE through them get an interview with a magazine or with a designer to show your portfolio, long story short I desisted from pursuing that dream and undertook in other roles.

5.     Thanks to fashion influencers, we no longer have Anna Wintour dictating what is cool and what isn’t.

6.     Thanks to fashion bloggers we are getting smarter about how to shop and when to shop.  

7.     Thanks to fashion bloggers inclusivity is at its best, and it isn’t longer just about adding a size 8 model in a fashion show. Inclusivity is extending to people with birth defects or injured by an accident or a disease.

8. Thanks to many fashion bloggers we are learning how to be more conscious when purchasing and being better at sustainable practices in our daily lives.

I am sure there is more but let’s leave it here for now.

Creating needs isn’t new anyway, this is a core practice in Marketing and Advertising, promotion isn’t new either. I don’t know why people get so appalled by fashion influencers for something that has been in the world forever, the only thing that changed in the last years is the medium.

I am not saying that all of us are good, follow-worthy, or clean at heart, there are a lot of influencers with a crappy attitude, big egos, fake as f, clueless about what they are doing, untalented and contributing nothing, as it happens in every single industry, but here is when you have to use your judgment and decide who is worthy of following but adding everyone in the same basket and not acknowledging the positive isn’t fair.

Viewers have to acknowledge as well that they love to see crap and that is why there is so much of it, getting people to read a post or watch a video with substantial information is near to impossible.