As A Fashion Blogger I Struggle To Keep Up

As much as we want to keep up with that new midi skirt, or those new Gucci loafers, for us fashion bloggers it isn’t actually viable. 

As much as I say to myself in my head ‘I don’t need that jumper’ and ‘NO EMILY those Adidas trainers are NOT a necessity’ we all know that sometimes I do give in. And we all have to admit that every now and then we do treat ourselves to something we like. But there is something more deep than just saying ‘Oh I deserve this outfit’ when you are a fashion blogger. 

Being a fashion student I am more than aware of the rising issue surround fast fashion. Not only is is incredibly harmful on our environment but it actually makes fashion increasingly hard to keep up with. Look at fashion weeks for example. Some brands now allow you to by the styles you see on the catwalk straight away on your phone. Brands are giving out same day delivery or payment services meaning you don’t have to pay for another month. So we can order new clothes and whack on a good student discount code in a matter of seconds. Scary right?

This isn’t just limited to use fashion bloggers or anyone who is remotely part of the fashion industry. How many times have you walked into Primark and thought ‘Blimey they have changed this place around again’. High street stores are constantly rolling out new clothing. What you see one week will be replaced with another style of trench coat for example. 

Instagram, even though it is a babe, is half the blame. How many times have you seen a blogger or influencer wearing something and you fall for the whole outfit? The next thing you know your card number and expiry date are being typed into ASOS and your bank account is left empty again. This is all before you manage to boil a kettle and have a cup of tea. I know the routine far too well. But this well known routine is actually something that I feel fashion bloggers struggle with. 

I have been blogging for 3 and a half years. Yes I am susceptible to reposting a photo I actually took this time last year. However I have changed an awful lot in three years and so has the trends. For a start I am now a fashion blogger, rather than a beauty blogger! I am at that stage with my blog I don’t want to be show casing that jumper that I have had stored in my wardrobe for the last 5 years, or those mini skirts which just are NOT OKAY. Its not a way to gain followers in an every growing and over-saturated industry.

At the end of the day, to be popular you have to wear the popular styles. Fashion bloggers have to keep up with the trends. For example did you see a blogger not wearing a blazer this autumn? I think not. We want to stay relevant and look the role, but it isn’t actually viable for 90% of us bloggers. Especially if you are like me and spend the majority of your student loan on Starbucks. 

With social media influencers and bloggers on the rise, and the impact that they are having becoming greater, it also comes with a greater pressure to keep up the standards. Today, brands put a lot of money into influencer marketing because it is becoming to great that it models other advertising methods like TV ads. There is something about being able to link the exact brands you are wearing, the exact product numbers and being able to purchase that item you see straight away that people like. No, LOVE. But they want to see what is on sale now, not what Zara was showcasing back in 2013. 

I moved more into fashion blogger when I realised that photos that included myself, were more popular than your typical flatlay. They come from a real person, not the next size 6 model, and people like seeing that realness. Doing more outfit photos means more of the whole Sunday afternoon routine of me and my mum going out and getting photos. But to try and make that outfit fit into the trends each time when I don’t go and buy new clothes for each shoot is hard. 

There shouldn’t be that pressure, because we should be able to wear whatever the hell we want to wear. If you want to wear the same outfit in three different photos, or if you want to wear that bright yellow jumper then do it. But it is inevitable there is pressure because a huge proportion of the blogging industry is based around trends. You don’t want to exhaust the same roll-neck top every autumn. But you don’t need to by 17 different ones instead. 

Its hard because you can’t stop the fashion industry or pause it. There will always be others being able to afford the new trends. But there is a large proportion of us who can’t and that it okay! I love being able to buy something new, and keep up with the trends, but personal style is as important to me. Maybe the pressure comes from ourselves instead?

Are you a fashion blogger? Do you find the same?

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