lately léna

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In lieu of Friday Favorites, I thought I’d talk a little bit today about blogging and materialism and how ridiculous the whole thing is. I know, as a blogger myself,  this post may make me out to be a huge hypocrite, and sometimes I can be, but on the whole, I’ve noticed a significant shift in the blogging world since I first started reading blogs around 5-6 years ago and it’s been bothering me for a while.

When I first started reading blogs, I was captivated by both the voyeur-like glimpse into other peoples’ lives and the creativity with which bloggers posted about DIYs, fashion, lifestyle, food, interior design, and other interests of mine. I think, as humans, we all have a secret desire to peek into other peoples’ lives, and blogging is (in a way) the perfect platform for this, as you can show the parts you want to share and hide the parts you don’t. I don’t see this as deceptive, because we all do this in some way or another (on Facebook, via Instagram, in person, etc.), and why not find a way to focus on the positive in your life?

That being said, blogging now is a whole other ball game. It seems to be a profession reserved for the elite; the rich, the pretty, the thin, the non-9-to-5’ers. Sure, anyone can blog, but not everyone can have a famous blog, and that seems, more than anything, to be the point these days. The big hitters of fashion blogs (I won’t name names, but pretty much everyone who gets invited to NYFW) have become so detached from what I loved about blogging in the first place, that I often find myself going back through their archives to the days when they didn’t have only designer purses and constant free trips to Ibiza, because those were the days that they actually wore stuff I would consider wearing, and seemed like real, imperfect people. The same is true of my favorite lifestyle blogs, whose new posts are 80% comprised of sponsored goods, and of my favorite food bloggers, who are now all in talks for book deals.

It’s not that I am jealous of their success (although I certainly wouldn’t turn down a book deal or a free trip if offered, hint hint ☺), but more that it changes the original voice and tone of the blog to one where I no longer feel connected to the blogger, and no longer feel inspired by them. Instead, I find myself envious, depressed, and feeling inadequate that I don’t also have a Celine phantom handbag (which retails at approx. $1,800!). How RIDICULOUS is that?

I love fashion, I really do, but I will never be able to justify spending money like this on material goods. First of all, I don’t have that kind of money. Second, if I did, I’d much rather use it towards a trip or paying back my student loans. And third, I wouldn’t be able to live with the thought that I spent thousands of dollars on an inanimate object when there are people who could live off that amount for months. I make do with what I have, and in a way, I think that makes me infinitely more creative than those with unlimited resources to the best of everything (clothes, jewelry, cameras, photographers, locations, etc.).

What I am saying, I think, is that while I love blogging and I love reading other blogs, I have a profound distaste for what many ‘successful’ blogs have now become. I reward women being successful, but not when their success is based solely on portraying a completely unattainable lifestyle by way of selling, selling, and more selling. I  hope that by writing this down I can continue to expand my readership while staying true to my voice and my values, and have faith that this is what draws people to my blog, as I have been drawn to others’.

Of course, there are still tons of fantastic, inspiring, creative, and beautiful blogs out there that continue to amaze me and give me hope that the art of blogging is alive and well! If you want a list, let me know and I can put together a blog roll (remember those?) ☺

What are your thoughts on ‘successful’ blogs? Do you ever feel badly about yourself after reading them, or do they continue to inspire you? I’d love to know your thoughts!

xxLena