IFB has a history of putting their platformed foot in their mouth lately, but even this is a new low for the site that caters to the blogger hoping to rake in six figures faster than you can say “Messica Moved to Bloomington.” Their latest fuck up is courtesy the stupidest post on blogger body image I’ve read maybe ever.
On the flip side though, it feels like though these bloggers exist, not enough of them take center stage in “popular blog” culture (if that’s a thing). The majority of very visible, successful style bloggers are thin and beautiful – which isn’t their fault, nor should they be chastised for it. They’re “real women” too, just blessed (and perhaps very disciplined). [...]
To break away from these traditional molds of beauty, it’s not an argument of sheer numbers. The numbers, we got. The truth is, these “top tier” bloggers are not only equipped with camera-ready looks, but their blogs are also really good. They have high-quality images, consistent posting schedules, spot-on design and unique style.
In order for a more holistic image of fashionable women to permeate the top tier of blogging as well as traditional fashion media, there needs to be a serious commitment to higher-quality content. Plain and simple – there aren’t enough insanely good blogs that are run by these types of women.
There’s a lot wrong with this article, but let’s start with the incorrect notion that bloggers that aren’t blond, blue-eyed and skinny aren’t putting out high quality blogs.
Take, for example, The Curvy Blogger.
Or how about Franceta? (She was named by Teen Vogue as one of a few “curvy and plus-size fashion bloggers” they love, btw.)
And let’s not forget Allison of Curvy Girl Chic:
These are three. There are probably hundreds of high quality blogs out there featuring girls putting out content who don’t look like Emily Schuman carbon copies. I can’t even believe how insulting it is for IFB to insinuate that they aren’t getting the same press or recognition because of their content. The real reason that blogs featuring a curvy woman or a woman of color aren’t usually “top tier” bloggers like the Cuppys or the Atlantic-Pacifics of the blogging world is only because they don’t fulfill the warped stereotype that defines what fashion and style is for a lot of people. In other words, they aren’t skinny and blond or even just skinny. Whatever is to blame for people liking to look at skinny women or associating fashion with thinness has more to do with the our current culture, the media and the fashion industry.
IFB giving bad advice to bloggers is one thing, but insulting quality bloggers that have great blogs and good style is something else. Something pretty shitty. Don’t throw stones in glass houses, you assholes.
Wow. IFB are real assholes. I’m spluttering with rage here. Dicks. Choking on them. They should be.
The IFB gives me IBS.
Ugh. IFB really thinks they don’t exist? Way to do the research, guys. Very profeshunal.
It’s more like the fact that no one (like IFB) seems to feature these bloggers so it’s difficult to find them without making an effort.
This article on IFB made my blood boil. They could have talked about great, lesser known curvy bloggers like you guys did. Or, they could have talked about the pressure to be thin if you’re a style blogger, while that pressure shouldn’t be there, it is, and how that makes people feel. Or they could have talked about the alarming (to me at least) trend of style bloggers getting more popular as they get thinner, and in some cases, scary skinny.
Any of these would have been better than what they said.
They can’t and they won’t because god forbid they step outside their safety net of the same 10 bloggers they “love” aka brown nose. There’s no reason for IFB to exist, IMO
wow this is kinda enough for me to break away from IFB. What BS. I follow so many bloggers that have awesome style, and they aren’t the typical blonde, skinny chick. The fact that they are saying “this is what beauty” is makes me boil. It’s almost like they are saying anything other than isn’t beautiful or that it’s a unconventional beauty, NOT! It’s still beautiful. I have no idea why people are worshiping these so called “top tier” blogger and literally copying them all, when half of them don’t even interact with any of their readers. They are like the cool kids in high school, rude as hell, run in cliques and still have brainless admirers. I’m not knocking the blogs, i just find it weird how some are totally disconnected from blogging honestly, and I’m starting to get super annoyed at how IFB is hell bent on getting some girls hopes up and giving out this unnecessary sense of superiority to those who have blogs.
There are a few offended commenters, and I really hope it turns into a full on revolt. Jennine Jacob is in there trying to defend this shit. I’m just waiting for an XO Jane style note to show up in the main post.
I guess they went for an old fashioned edit. The final paragraph has been changed to be less offensive.
“By: taylordavies”
Big surprise.
IFB is just another platform for the slim, blonde and pretty much caucasian bloggers out there. Us curvy women have GREAT blogs with high quality content so this is just ridiculous. They always make comments based off their biased opinions and this is why I choose not to support them any longer. I can understand WHAT they are TRYING to say but….. clearly this person did not say it correctly. Seriously like another commenter said….. IFB makes my blood boil…
Have they forgotten:
curvy fashionista
naja diamond
heck even me at times (comme coco)
Alison of Wardrobe Oxygen is amazing
Gabi Fresh
etc etc etc etc etc
“Associating fashion with thinness” YES very well put. Totally off topic but that whole sentence actually made me think of Kate Middleton and how she is regarded as a fashion “icon”. I think all this talk about her “fashion” is really just thinly veiled idolizing of how skinny she is, which is a sick and gross standard.
Wait a second. Did IFB just suggest that its only the skinny fashion bloggers that could be “very disciplined”?
I hope I have misinterpreted that remark, because if not, I concur with earlier comments suggesting they all choke on dicks.
-_-
Taylor apologized in the comments of the article. What are we betting that they made her write it?
Hi Everyone,
Taylor here. Let me first start by thanking you all for your passionate and thought-provoking responses to this post. While it seems that my intention has reached some of you, the overall message is that I have made some errors in the way I hoped to approach this topic with our community. For this, I owe you an apology.
I hoped to point out that IFB feels there’s a lack of discussion about how popular fashion media embraces mainly the bloggers who fit into their pre-established standards of beauty. I didn’t choose my words carefully in this. It was never my intention it insinuate that success in blogging cannot be achieved if you do not fit into this mold. There are examples to the contrary, but not enough. I didn’t call out specific bloggers or types of bloggers in this post because I didn’t want to limit the discussion.
Upon re-reading the post, I have chosen to re-write certain portions to try and clarify my point and take much of your feedback into consideration. I sincerely apologize for my lack of tact in attempting to speak on this topic on behalf of IFB. Thank you all again for bringing my missteps to light, and encouraging a more thorough approach in the future. I hope you can forgive me, and allow me to continue to grow and learn as I hold the honor of speaking to you on this platform.
Totally betting they made her edit, which is comical after Jeanine told people not to attack the author. Whenever someone “speaks for IFB” or any other website, it seems like someone else would be editing the post to make sure it’s in line with any site’s values, so it seems kind of lame for her to say it wasn’t in line with IFB, when you can only imagine that other people from the site read it and agreed with it.
Did anyone catch Jeneane’s comment?
Marie, I think you missed the main point of the article that “not enough” diversity is represented amongst the blogging elite. She didn’t say there are no top tier bloggers.
I agree with her, there isn’t enough diversity in the mainstream and there should be more.
As for the “disciplined” thing it might be coming from the fact she sits right next to me as I’ve been on Weight Watchers for two months, and for me, my size and level of discipline with my diet is directly related. Nothing to do with the amount of discipline it takes to have a successful blog.
What the fuck is she saying here????
Yeah, it doesn’t really matter which way she meant to use “disciplined” because both are offensive and stupid. She’s either saying plus size women aren’t disciplined enough to do something about their size or they aren’t disciplined enough to provide quality blog content.
“She’s either saying plus size women aren’t disciplined enough to do something about their size or they aren’t disciplined enough to provide quality blog content”
Or both. There often seems to be an unspoken assumption that people who are “undisciplined enough to get fat” are also sloppy and unprofessional in general.
(Can I just add that your avatar makes me smile, Lancelle – my mother has the exact same bag, and I scolded her endlessly about spending so much money on it…)
Jeaninne is on Weight Watchers? Are you kidding me? She already looks like Skeletor.
she’s not saying anything that can cover for the Bullshit she allowed to be posted, they are big babies who can’t even accept that they fucked up with the wording and since they feel like being featured by them is a privileged not a right, i think everybody has the right to call them on the BS they allowed to go down. They use the term Bullying very lightly, no body punched them in the face while walking down the street, called them stupid bitches, or told them to off themselves for this article, everybody who they call bullies were stating their opinions to this poorly written ass article. She’s really under the impression that we all are crazy for not agreeing with the article.
Well it was written by that elitist, dense, stuck up twat Taylor Davis. Even when IFB doesnt include her name in the byline you can tell by the air head-ditzy tone of the article who wrote it.
Anyways IFB edited the article and it was still offensive so I can only imagine what the original post said.
Ive always wondered why Karen from where did you get that? And snow balck (sorry don’t know her real name) weren’t more popular or famous. Both are thin which is what the fashion industry seems to love, have high great style, post often and have beautiful photos. Yet they don’t seem to be where Atlantic pacific c&c etc are and they’ve done everything IFB said they need to do.
IFB is such a GOMI that site infuriates me! I hate whenever jeneaine writes about how she started the blog and grew it into a successful company, it’s so mediocre. It seems like they’re tryig to get hits ans noticed by writing controversial posts. Fucking GOMI. Or at least fire taylor.
To clarify I meant with Karen & snow black have high quality blogs and IFB can’t blame the fact their blogs arent up to par or whatever for not being as successful as the top tier bloggers.
Lurker here, just posting to thank you for mentioning those two bloggers. I typed Googled those blogs out of curiosity, and wow, they were brilliant. Of course, they’re both utterly gorgeous and a thousand times more stylish than I can ever hope to be, but they’re nonetheless brilliant and both went straight to my feed reader. I hope they’ll both get the exposure they deserve.
Part of the problem with those two not being so famous (yet) is probably that they’re both UK blogs, aren’t they? But as a longtime lurker on a gazillion fashion blogs, I’ve been increasingly baffled by the segregation I see in the blogging world. People of different races, weights, body shapes, and ages, or disabled people, or just a face being “uglier” than the norm – I don’t expect fashion magazines to be more inclusive of them because fashion mags are f-ed up and I don’t buy or read them anyway. But the fact that readers – ordinary people – are apparently flocking to the blogs that best imitate and reflect the unrealistic reality of fashion mags is honestly making my blood boil nowadays. I don’t bother to look at the front pages on lookbook.nu or Weardrobe or chictopia anymore because I know exactly what to expect. It’s boring and, frankly, insulting.
And I say this as boring slim, white woman. I’m not jealous of the generic blonde wannabe models (however gorgeous) with their predictable shoe collections (however splendid) – I’m just bored of them being everywhere. If I wanted to look at boring Vogue editorials, I’d look at boring Vogue editorials and not somebody’s DIY versions of boring Vogue editorials. (Top: H&M. Cut-off shorts: Topshop. Bag: Proenza Schouler. Boots: Isabel Marant. Me: zzzZZzzzz.)
I haven’t been the Karens blog in awhile but when I first started reading she had just moved to new York.
I agree with everything you’ve said about blogging & segregation. It’s quite sad, but thank god there’s GOMI to talk about it. I hate the homogeny in blogging these days, everything has become so shitty. I have a blog and I 100% believe the colour of my skin hampers it. I don’t feel this way in the real world (for the most part) but online things are different.
I don’t buy or read fashion mags anymore either, the odd local one but that’s it because it’s all white women. Or 98% white women. As a non white person this gets depressing afterawhile.
Are you comfortable with linking your blog here, Princess? I’d love to read it!
From the IFB comments:
Heather Fonseca
August 10, 2012 at 7:26 pm · Reply
So if I write a blog with great, professional quality, photographs, a clean and organized layout, well written content and a consistent posting schedule I will have a successful blog? Well I do have that kind of blog, but I haven’t found overnight success.
Visited her site, http://thestyleconfessions.com/ and can safely say that she is wildly delusional about her blog content and overall image. No words.
oh wow.
I would call this neither “great” nor “professional quality.”
Also, lady needs to lay off the Copperplate Gothic font and ugly photo borders.
Wtf. That picture makes me twitchy. I was guilty of this sort of overediting-to-compensate-for-bad-camera shit a few years ago as well, but I would NEVER call those pictures (or my current pictures for that matter) “high quality.”
I just checked out a FEW of her posts. She seems very full of herself. Her outfits aren’t that great. All she talks about is herself.. Seems very stuck up. She is neither pretty or trendy. She seems old. I hate the way she comes across in her writings. Not someone I would consider a role model in fashion either. YUCK!! Get over yourself woman.
“She seems ”
She seems old!? Dear God, how terrible! Everyone knows that fashion is only for the young, (as well as the thin, white and conventionally pretty). Heaven forfend someone over 30 might have a go at expressing their personal style. My eyes! My eyes!
Lady, I’m 53 and fat to boot. And I have a fashion blog. And you may take your ageism and place it where the sun doesn’t shine.
That’s all.
You know who else should be here responding?
http://getoffmyinternets.net/2012/stay-on-my-internets-vintage-vixen/
I suppose that’s a bit like the people who think that tolerable grammar and being able to string together some kind of a plot is enough to make one’s book a self-publishing success. It’s not.
Good photographs, clean layout, (passably) well-written content, and consistent posting are (at least usually) CONDITIONS to success. They’re certainly not ENOUGH to make one a success, just like my ability to cook food that’s not burned or oversalted doesn’t make me a Michelin starred chef.
Her blog isn’t that bad, but I would never speak that highly of my own blog.