Is it time the bloggers went away?

Jacket by New Look / Jumper by New Look / Bag by New Look / Jeans by Stradivarius / Boots by Boohoo

There's been A LOT of press recently on bloggers. Namely what they're doing wrong. From various new guidelines from the last two years being said to have been made because bloggers "aren't doing it right", to the most recent: The Times' pooy article. Let's have a chat.

I still think that as much as the blogging industry is clearly a success, and changed consumerism completely, it will never be fully accepted. To say that I aim to blog as a career, to write for myself on my page without 100 people biting my ear off, is sneered at. To say I want a job in journalism for a magazine where working for myself is a rarity and I'm beholden to many many bosses, is the accepted way of doing things. I'm only allowed to be successful if it's the traditional way of doing it. I think the first time I really saw this whole looking down their noses thing was a few summers ago, when my pal Maria J Blogs went on the BBC to discuss the issue and a woman from a very well known magazine spoke over her, at her and down to her, disregarding any point made and in general, just thinking she and her publication are superior. How nice.

The new guidelines, from the ASA/CMA, put the legal bits and bobs into an easier to understand format, or so I have come to believe. Throwing out the jargon, it gives a clearer view of what's right and wrong, as before this, everyone was disclosing differently. Don't get me wrong, of course many more #gifted are now seen and it's easier to identify an ad now, but I doubt Sally with 3K on her first paid campaign was to blame for not disclosing properly. It's the reality TV stars, the Love Island contestants and their teeth whitening products clearly advertising the brand whilst being paid thousands, and not one piece of disclosure. AND STILL after all this, they don't bother with it. The amount of sheer panic from bloggers and brands there was about following the guidelines and threats of fines, and yet these people with millions of followers are not being asked why they aren't following it. They may be influencers, but content creators? Not a chance.

Now for that article. Before I started writing this, I wanted to have the article to hand to refer back to, so literally wrote "The Times, Influencer" into Google and the AMOUNT of articles slating bloggers  that came up was ridiculous. The words "so-called influencers" and "come clean to freebies" really solidifies their hatred for the business. Back in November, Debra Ross wrote the article "Let’s replace the word ‘influencer’ with ‘detestable freeloader". I won't bother you with the details, but the first little paragraph is available to view on the site before you are told to part with your pennies to grace your eyes upon such a disgusting piece of jealous "journalism". How is THIS allowed to be called a job compared to actual hard work most bloggers put in. I won't waste any money on that site, so I headed to The Guardian instead for their view. The line "the men in their lives are reduced to stage-hands and photographers" really got to me. Do you know how many people are 'reduced' to taking photos which turns into a skill and then a career? I've seen countless new photographers join the ranks in the past year all because of their fashion blogging photographs. Charging anywhere from £25-£90 for an hour doesn't seem quite mere to me. 

Both articles themselves state that residents are complaining that people are taking photos outside of their well kept homes. Not once has anyone complained to me, or my friends, or anyone I know of actually about shooting outside their houses. If you looked at the majority of fashion blogging photos, each house looks exactly the same and could be anywhere in the West London streets, with door numbers usually blurred in the background. I don't agree with doorstep sitting or leaning on cars obviously. But why tar an entire industry because 1% aren't doing it right. The girls in the article said that they were lied to by these newspapers about the context and were asked to stage photos to be taken by THE NEWSPAPER doing the exact thing the 'journos' state is wrong. As for the tents, they're a fantastic idea that makes the entire process quicker, disrupts 0 peoples' day, and means that the local Starbucks's toilets aren't filled up unnecessarily. 

This whole thing of banning bloggers from Notting Hill is simply laughable, and when spoken about on the radio and asked by a parent of mine about it, we both agreed it was a load of rubbish. Places like Notting Hill thrive on the money and tourism that bloggers bring. Peggy Porschen and Farm Girl wouldn't have been half as successful without the promotion of bloggers and influencers. Their queues go on for 20+ minutes on a normal day. Ban the bloggers and watch the businesses drop like flies. How can you distinguish between a blogger and a tourist? One resident was said to have stated that it was the latter who cause issues and not bloggers. We want the shot quick and we're done. No one has the time to lounge about and take in the sights. It's a job, not a holiday. 

To sum up, I think everyone is tired of the backlash from people who don't quite get it. Journalists, magazines, newspapers etc WILL target those they feel threatened by. Legal organisations have to put things in place, and in some ways, should be seen as a positive, that the influencer world is being taken far more seriously now than it ever was. And that's the key, it's successful and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Businesses wouldn't bother if not. 

I don't really want to give any backlinkage to either article, but for reference purposes, if you did want to read it, click here. Ew.