It wasn’t until I received a comment on my Bloopers and Outtakes post a few weeks back that I was inspired to explain what it’s really like being a full time fashion blogger (who’s not a super blogger). I’m pretty certain my life is nothing like Chiara Ferragni’s or Nicole Warne’s so I was taken aback a little when I read this comment:
❝
…I hesitate to click through to your blog sometimes when I see your posts popping up in Bloglovin, as I class it under one of my “Urrrggghhhh life is so perfect there, I can’t be bothered to look at that perfect version of life now” blogs. I think you may just have gained a loyal reader in me with this post. You are normal… your body is not stick thin (you do have curves)! You obviously do laugh at yourself! Wonderful post. Loved it.
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What struck me was that a reader had actually thought (before seeing the bloopers) that my life was “perfect” and that I had a “stick thin body”. I was taken aback by the comment because I have never, ever thought either of those two things about myself, neither before nor after becoming a full-time fashion blogger.
THE THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT MY OUTFIT PHOTOS AREN’T AN ACTUAL REPRESENTATION OF MY LIFE – THEY’RE STAGED PHOTOS SHOWING OFF WHAT I’M WEARING.
I gave a lengthy reply explaining what my life is really like – and this post is basically an extension of what I said there.
The thing to remember is that my outfit photos aren’t an actual representation of my life – they’re staged photos showing off what I’m wearing only. Photo shoots done on holiday are different – as are those done when we’ve gone out somewhere for the day – but 80% of the time they’re just taken outside my parents’ or sister’s house, or along the country lane just down the road from where we live, or on the path along the river down to to the local supermarket. Nothing at all glamorous about any of those places!
Secondly, I am quite, quite normal – but this of course depends on your definition of the word. We all come in all shapes and sizes, and truthfully we all know there isn’t a right or wrong size. I also don’t have a ‘perfect’ life at all (but then what does that mean anyway)? I might think that Living in LA = Perfect Life, simply because the weather is so great all year round… I’m sitting in cold and rainy England writing this. To me, that’s not in the slightest bit perfect or ideal. Yet I’m sure my humdrum tales of travelling up to The Big Smoke will make many a non-Brit go all misty-eyed and long for the adventure of a few days in London; it’s all relative.
So I’ve broken down what – for me – life is really like. I may be a full-time fashion blogger but unlike the Chiaras and Nicoles of the blogging world, I don’t constantly jet around the world and design collections with top brands. Here it is: The good, the bad, and the ugly (but in reverse)…!
If you’re thinking it’s all glamour – nothing could be further from the truth. For example…
Then there are the things that seem bad, or annoying, or a chore, but they’re actually pretty great if I stop and think about it because they wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for the blogging. Moaning about it to other people makes it sound like you’re ungrateful. For example…
Now these things do sound more glamorous, though these opportunities take up a very small percentage of my time. Working for myself is also a huge benefit. For example…
Above left: Getting my hair done for the Francesco Group photo shoot; Above right: Good Housekeeping photo shoot. If only this were a “normal” day for me…!
So when I say I’m just as ‘normal’ as the next person hopefully you see what I mean. The outfits I publish are the slightly more dressed up times, but that’s because I want to give inspiration to those who may not dress up ever, or to those who want to change things up a bit, or to those who are afraid of wearing bright colours and in their forties and are looking for ‘permission’ to do so. As Amber wrote in her post Are Fashion Bloggers Fake?, “Most bloggers (myself included) carefully select which aspects of their lives they want to share with the internet.”
Me, too. In order to make women feel positive about themselves I feel a responsibility to be as positive as I can be, whilst retaining a sense of normality and a touch of honesty about the whole thing.
IN ORDER TO MAKE WOMEN FEEL POSITIVE ABOUT THEMSELVES I FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE AS POSITIVE AS I CAN BE, WHILST RETAINING A SENSE OF NORMALITY AND A TOUCH OF HONESTY.
I hope that I do that… I have enough loyal (and brutally honest!) readers who would definitely tell me if I was losing my touch on reality.
I’m basically very lucky to be doing something that I love, and to love what I’m doing (which isn’t too much to ask from a job, is it). I never, ever thought I’d be one of those people who does a job that they absolute adore doing – it can just be a bit crazy sometimes and not really make sense. Take photos of yourself and put them on the internet? As a job?! That’s just bonkers.
The thing that tickles me most about being a full-time fashion blogger is that as I don’t have a 9-5 anymore I work from home rather than going to an office every day (like I used to). So that means I have more excuses to stay in my onesie all day. And in turn, that means I have to make much more of an effort now to dress up in order to have non-pyjama outfits to feature on the blog.
How ironic is that…??
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P.S. Like this post? You might enjoy reading how I created my own at-home glamour: How To Star In Your Very Own Luxury Brand Advertising Campaign
Linking up to: Let It Shine, Brilliant Blog Posts, Friday’s Fab Favourites, Sunday Funday
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