The time is upon us again to vote for your 2011 Bloggers of the Year. And I can’t disguise my disappointment. First off, take a look at the nominees. Look familiar? Almost identical to the 2010 list. But what’s really disappointing is the EXTREME lack of diversity. A sea of affluent white girls with blogs dedicated to c/o items. There actually isn’t a single African-American on the list, for best-style, all Caucasian {and slim, of course}, for most original – so much lack of originality {just another version of best-dressed, only slightly more avant garde “Check me out! I wear Mickey Mouse ears, I’m SO original” DERP.}! And what on earth does “International” mean? Isn’t the internet international?
I’m sorry bloglovin’, but your standards are totally lost on me. It isn’t for a lack of diversity in the bloglosphere, it just seems you’re not willing to step outside of the slender-rich-white-girl-blogger. For your benefit, please take a look at these highly successful bloggers with massive followings. And I urge you, dear readers, to voice your opinions. Does it seem strange to anyone else to celebrate the same-old-same each and every year in an industry so stylistically diverse and dedicated to change SUCH AS FASHION? BLARGH.
Here’s who is missing off the list for me:
Nicole: I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more chic, elegant, put-together, totally confident in her own style AND she’s a business owner! She doesn’t ‘blog’ for a living, but instead scours vintage markets and shares her beautiful wares with her loyal following. That’s inspirational…
Folake: Totally walks to the beat of her own drum. Whether or not you love her style, she never follows trends instead creates her own, totally tailored to her personality. She was also voted Style Icon of the Year by Chictopia! Her influence is far reaching!
Vintage Virgin: I absolutely adore Virgin. All her looks are thrifted, sewn, vintaged, hunted down and again, totally her own. One of the last few not to fall under the ‘c/o’ spell. When she posts something, you know she ACTUALLY wore it that day. She isn’t selling anything, a true showcase of what style can be.
Lily: A fave CANADIAN blogger with a big heart! She’s got a youthful spark, energy and dedicates a good chunk of her blog to spreading good karma. In between her amazing outfit posts, you’ll find pictures of her travels throughout Asia, videos of her bungee jumping, great music and so much more.
UM PS. HOW IS LUXIRARE NOT IN THE MOST ORIGINAL CATEGORY??? Do I even have to explain this one? She makes everything! Those darling little food blogs you love that do hipster-detail shots of salad? Yeah. She started that. YEARS AGO. Those DIY projects you love? She started that. YEARS AGO. And she’s got more talent in her pinky finger that I can even begin to describe. Just look at all the stuff she made!
Nicolette: Incredible photos? Check. Incredible style? Check. Kick ass taste? Check. Slim body? Nope, this girl loves and adores each and every curve on her god-given body. That’s style you just can’t buy.
Karen: How did Karen not make it on the list? You know she was in Vogue, right?
Zanita: An incredibly stylish photographer, you just can’t deny it. Every day IS an editorial, because somehow, she manages to shoot 3 incredible editorials a week. Her photographic style is so unique, you can see a ‘Zanita’ from a mile away! Whatever happened to nominating bloggers with talent that goes beyond picking out a pair of pants?
StyleLikeU: A completely unique video blog that showcase the style and individualism of those the creators find inspiring. One glimpse and you’ll be hooked. StyleLikeU has been turned into a book and the creators have traveled all over the (from NYC to Paris and beyond) to capture the style of everyday individuals (that aren’t paid by companies to wear their clothes). Below: Coury Combs from a StyleLikeU video post.
Nadia: How do you even begin to describe a girl with taste so eclectic? She’s a total individual, borrowing her style from history and yet creating something brand new. The loveliest little video on her, featured a belt she bought as a child in DisneyLand and wears to this day. Plus, she’s an amazing photographer.
I really REALLY could go on forever and ever, and quite frankly doubt anyone at Bloglovin’ will ready this but I hope they do. When you champion the same-old-same over and over again, you lose relevance. All of the blogs I’ve listed have THOUSANDS of followers, subscribers and supporters. What do they lack? C/O’s? It makes me think who actually came up with this list, bloglovin? It *almost*, dare I say, seems like your sponsors picked the nominees….
For something like the fashion industry, you’re risking quite a lot. And to be fair, the nominees all have great successful blogs, but hasn’t everyone noticed the overflux of ‘c/o’ items? Sure the blogging scene has changed. What started out as a democractic, open reflection of ones style has morphed into yet another marketing vehicle for the big guys upstairs. There’s nothing wrong with c/o. Getting a freebie here and there is great, but when every other item in your outfit was sent to you for free {and with the amount a person is sent, it seems ridiculous to think ‘they’d still buy it’: with that money exactly?}, how much style do you lose? A lot, I think. Sigh. I’m done ranting for the night.
What did you think of the nominees?
Love the rant.
You have a point there, but I think for bloglovin are much more important the statistics of the blogs to be nominated, not the content… Besitos! You’re doing a great job and I love your posts!
I do agree that things get a little stale when you see too much of these overly commercialized blogs. I guess at the end of the day they are judged by the number of fans and followings.
I love your choice of blogs!
Yeah, but that’s my point though: the blogs I sought out in this post HAVE a huge following: for ex. Nicole (Gary Pepper Vintage) has 10, 033 followers on BL, 87,000 on FB and 5,700 on Google… and every other one has a similar following…. so its NOT for a lack of fans… it seems to be about something else… no? She has very few c/o posts, and those that are c/o are smaller designers with smaller budgets, so, what gives? I think she’s THE most successful blogger, bar none. Has her own business, her own style AND a huge following that does not depend on the support of big designers. THAT to me is the definition of a successful blogger… just sayin’.
these numbers have become WAY too important for us bloggers. instead of staying original and true to self, many of us started doing things that are first and foremost meant to attract the crowd. pardon my french, but FUCK THAT SHIT. I’ll admit it, I’ve been there, done that – beat myself up about the stupid numbers and wonder why I can’t get more people to follow (but never to such extent that I’d try to change who I am or to come across as someone more appealing to the masses). I’ve talked about this any chance I could get, but it won’t hurt repeating it – what I see on a daily basis is a bunch of FANTASTIC blogs showcasing super original style that are stuck with a low number of followers, and, on the other hand, blogs so mediocre and boring that it makes you wanna cry with hundreds, even thousands of minions. (fortunately, there are exceptions – great blogs with great numbers, such as the above mentioned GPV, for example.) my point being, we should be more aware of the fact that the followers/fan/visits count shouldn’t be a measure of blogs’ quality. many blogs that attract the masses are, sadly, reflections of just that – people’s average, mediocre taste.
I think all of my thoughts and sentiments about the nominees are totally echoed here. One of the only names I was happy to see Jamie Beck though in most unique blog, because From Me To You is absolutely beautiful.
Most of the international choices I didn’t really get – so many were unknown to me – maybe I’m out of the loop but I certainly think that Nicole (one of my ABSOLUTE favourites and constant inspirations) of Gary Pepper and Ebba Zingmark should totally have made the list. Both have such huge followings, and serious style.
I guess it frustrates me to see Rumi, who took home two awards last year, nominated yet again. Frankly I stopped following her blog because it seems similar to me all the time, although I know there are many who love her aesthetic. I guess I was looking for a fresh take in the blogosphere – you’d think bloglovin’ might look for that as well.
And Style Pantry! She was one of the first people I followed on Chictopia – she is consistently so put together, and a champ at mixing colours. I initially hadn’t really thought about the fact that they were so limited when it came to race in the choices, I was more focused on the fact that it was almost exactly the same people as last year. But as you mention it, the “Best Personal Style Blog” really is made up of only slim white and wealthy women. I guess there are a few Asian people represented overall – Susie Bubble and Bryanboy for example, but they are also slim and wealthy enough (or receiving enough c/o items) to dress almost exclusively in contemporary to high-end designer wares. I mean – I love designer clothes, don’t get me wrong, and when I can afford to get my own pieces during sales or on ebay, I do. But I do have to also say that I am much more inspired by people who by necessity (usually of budget) have to thrift, diy or alter high-street items and make them their own.
I also find it somewhat odd that someone who is an actual fashion editor made the list. Of course it is easy to be “original” when you have every possible contact in the fashion world from designers to other editors to help your “blog” gain success, have the experience of working for Vogue as an editor and have two apartments full of designer and couture items. As much as I admire the style and panache of Anna Dello Russo I find it bizarre to compare her to the others in the category. There is really no comparison?
Two choices I was happy to see were Jannine and Tavi as best businesses. I do think Tavi deserves recognition because of the launch of Rookie, and how seriously great it is. There are some excellent articles on that site, and it’s amazing how far she’s come at such a young age. And with IFB as such an awesome resource for bloggers, I think Jannine totally deserves some props.
After a bit of a novella of a comment, I just want to reiterate once again how great this piece of yours is. I’ll be sharing it around, it’s very much worth a read.
I agree too, with what you’re saying|: I”m so happy to see Tavi making a positive contribution to the blogosphere, as well as Janine. I think their nominations are well deserved because over the last year, they’ve gone above and beyond their own popularity. As well as newcomer Jamie (and let’s face it, the Glamourai would be b-o-r-i-n-g if it wasn’t for her photography) but most of the people on the list have been doing the same-old-same and its getting old. Fast.
I’m so glad you mentioned this. I didnt look into who was a part of it only because I assumed it would be the same faces, so I was like, ugh, why bother finding out the nominees. Thanks for posting these wonderful blogs. It’s a shame according to some of the comments above that winnders are based on stats and not content, when it should be the other way round or at least an equal combination of both. As for diversity, I work as a model and deal with the headaches of that hooha enough, but I also feel like it’s the same with blogs. By no means should there be a quota, but companies are just head hunting in the same way that brands would look for a tall, thin white model to represent their brand or be their muse. I am personally tired of this popularity contest. If anything, I use my blog as a platform to meet industry people. Like a CV (because quite frankly I hate doing CVs, so I’m like yo just google this …hahaha. No, kidding, I’m not that lazy). But yeah back to my point. I just want to see something new for a change. Thanks for bringing this up.
Great post. Nicole is simply amazing- my number 1 favourite!! Thanks for sharing all these other fabulous blogs with us.
x
Michelle
http://www.michellesstylefile.blogspot.com
I read every word on this post (what is rare from me!) I went to check every bloggers you propose! Some of them I knew already!
You are so right!!
We want to see something new! How we can do to change the nominees of bloglovin?!
Totally with you at this one.
I’d like to add this ladys blog: http://pullyoursoxup.blogspot.com/ to this list of yours. She’s such an inspiration to me, even though she doesn’t have so many followers.
I’ll definitely check out all the blogs of your list (exception being Nadia, since I know her already.)
Hey, I just wanted to let you know about The Dark Globe’s “February Shoot Off! Photography Competition that will beginning February 1st, and Running Through February 14th… At The Moment We’re Voting on the Themes for the Photos if you’d like to Partake Here http://thedarkglobe.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/february-shoot-off-help-us-choose-the-theme-s/
Also, if you’d like to Submit a Photo, or know people that might want to, be sure to Let them know it will be Starting February First
Thanks
DarkJade-
This is GREAT. I took a quick look at the bloglovin’ nominees and lost interest in about 5 minutes – scratch that. 15 seconds. And Olivia Palermo as best newcomer? Hmph!
It would be great if I was introduced to interesting new blogs to stalk. INSPIRING blogs.
Oh well. Thank you for this list, I checked out a few of the new (to me) faces but will have to come back when I have a few hours to kill!
Emily
I love you for being brutally honest. at least they spared us with the blonde salad this year … or did they?
This was a great post on so many levels Justyna. I completely agree with you. Growing up I was a figure skater and could never get over the “appreciation” aspect of judging. By any measure any and all of the blogs that you’ve talked about here could and should have been nominees.
On a positive note I “discovered” LUXIRARE, that site is perception changing.
LUXIRARE ROCKS!
haha Luxirare is the most original, do you EVER see someone who wear sunglasses in EVERY POST and takes pictures behind a studio and buys 5 different colored alligator skin and randomly hang them in places?! omg.
I’m kind of disapointed that out of all the DIY blogs I Spy DIY is nominated, because her DIYs are nice, but she often reuses the same idea (ie instead of making it on chain x she makes it on chain y and instead of using red leather she uses black suede). Anyhoo, we had this convo in the car the other day already, you know how I feel :)
I totally agree…how is Olivia a newcomer?? She’s a TV celebrity! Same with ADR…I don’t think of Anna as a blogger at all but rather as an editor.
Nicole is beautiful, nice, gorgeous, and her style is amazing. She should have been nominated under the business for sure and maybe also the personal style. I nodded with your comments on Luxirare… plus there are way more original blogs out there other than a handful of DIY blogs.
I was glad to see Atlantic Pacific on the personal style list though.
Thank you so much for posting this! It so needed to be said and I totally agree. I try to talk about all the exclusion in fashion/blogger world as well. Well done!
http://thefeministajournals.blogspot.com/
Justyna you rock. I don’t even know where to start. my sis and I were literally talking about this yesterday and we’re disgusted. Quite frankly I’m sick of reading all the “popular” bloggers’ posts. Every single outfit now is designer or gifted. Wow, so original. There are thousands of rich people wearing designer clothes, what makes them so special? Rumi for example started out wearing vintage and brands like F21…now everything she wears right down to the belt or socks are designer. All we see in every post is her wearing designer and traveling to Tokyo or elsewhere. Woohoo. Must be nice. Where’s the realistic blog nominees? The ones who are working moms, business owners, plus sized, etc? The girls who shop at Marshalls or Target? Apparently bloglovin doesn’t care about reality, or diversity. So disappointed. Who picks the nominees anyways?? They should be shot, lol. Seriously, so tired of seeing the same damn faces everywhere being touted as “original” “daring” or other bs. And Olivia? WTF? And ADR? Quite frankly I think she’s a lousy dresser, I don’t see the fascination with her. Yeah, she wears designer, but not well. Ugh. I could freaking write a book of disappointments, lol. But I won’t. Kudos to you for bringing this to light; I know a lot of bloggers would be too timid to do so. but someone’s gotta mention it! Btw, love your posts, you’re always flawless! :)
Thank you, thank you, THANK you for this post. I’ve been following your blog for a while (and thanks for following lil old mine :) because I love your style and often find your posts inspiring. This one takes the cake, though – I totally echo your thoughts. I am a blogger. I am black. I am based in NYC. And I often feel like trying to work my way up the blogger food chain (if you want to call it that) is a losing battle for many of the reasons you mention above. In an “interesting” twist, by day I am ALSO a PR pro who has, at points, been on the opposite side of this – trying to engage bloggers on behalf of some very recognizable brands that shall remain nameless. It really is such a game, and often times the PR pros are being pressured by other parts of the business to only communicate, share samples, etc, with bloggers that have a certain number of readers. But we (bloggers) know that the meaning of those numbers only goes so far, and that influence is measured in many different ways. What happens is, the PR firms only engage with the “top” bloggers (and they determine “top” pretty superficially for the most part) and so those few bloggers that have high numbers get commercialized very quickly. The rest of us are kind of hung out to dry….unless, of course, we all support each other – let’s do it!!
I should say, I don’t mind reading blog posts that include some gifted products, as long as the blog remains authentic. There truly is an art to striking a balance. Some of my favorite blogs include a nice mix.
On a completely separate note – THANK you for the awesome blog recommendations. I have a whole new reading list and I can’t wait to dive in!!!!
xoxo
Carla
http://www.theprettydish.com
Thank you so much for sharing this! You read my mind. The Bloglovin’ Awards are a joke – and it’s sad because they are so influential. They should promote blogs that are off the beaten path and not the ones that everybody already knows about. But I guess it’s the ongoing debate between what’s popular and what’s artistic. If we look at the music industry it seems that the popular ones will always win over the original talents. It’s just sad that a fairly new medium such as blogging is already following this belief.
I cannot believe none of these girls were even nominated. Especially Zanita, Nicole, and Folake! They are so incredibly talented and successful, it seems ridiculous that BlogLovin’ wouldn’t acknowledge that. I’m pretty sure Zanita was the first person I added when I started on Chictopia years ago.
It seems so many of the bloggers that get all the attention are already rich and privileged. I think girls like Chiara from The Blonde Salad and Kelly from The Glamourai were already pretty well off before they made it big blogging. They are talented, but they also have the money to buy the most fashionable clothes whenever they like, while regular girls have to be satisfied with what they can get at F21 or might stumble upon one day at a thrift store. I’m just not convinced they work as hard as some of the other bloggers out there!
It’s nice to see another blogger that shares my feelings :)
Most bloggers on that list are carbon copies of each other. :( Not necessarily their fault of course. I don’t think villianizing them will help the others we’d like to see succeed. They do work hard on their respective blogs, and that should be recognized, but there’s definitely an imbalance in the concentration of recognition for blogs. I think there are a lot of factors that play into this….mostly social stigmas. It’s the same thing with commercials and other forms of media. Why be risky when you can stick to the status quo? I would have loved to see Cosette, Carrie (from WishWishWish), and June Paksi (http://www.junepaski.com/). Also anyone heard of this girl? http://hijabholicanism.blogspot.com/ She’s a color mixing machine! I’m always surprised she has so little followers. Might be because she’s not scantily clad. But, there’s always going to be hundreds of amazing bloggers out there…the important thing is to continue supporting them. Having an award is nice and it will keep you in the top tier but creative comes from monetary limitations and creative freedom. That’s what all these girls have in common. :) I think we should just create our own awards. :P You should do that! Haha
Yasmeen
i completely see your point and i quite agree. it’s pretty hard to get out there as a new blogger, especially one that doesn’t fall under the typical fashion blog stereotype you pointed out!
bijou-minou.blogspot.com
You make a great point that I have’t really thought about!