Blogging while Brown. There is a whole movement behind this concept and really, should there be? Like anything in life, why oh why should it matter about the color of your skin, it should be about the strength of your character right? In blogging it really should be about the quality of your blog’s character aka content but unfortunately its not always the case but it should never, ever hinder us from creating the absolute best content that we can. Some of us blog for fun and some do want to blog for exposure and a chance to turn this into a business. Regardless of either, as long as you are happy with what you are doing, no one else should tell you otherwise.
Last night on twitter, a girl who I assume blogs, went on a rant about black bloggers and offered great advice on what we should do as a community. I retweeted almost all of what she had to say and it prompted great discussion between my group and I. The only problem is that we always have this same conversation. We know we need to post more frequently, have superior pictures, engage our social media followers and of course write relevant and interesting things but even if we do all of this, will we get any recognition? It may happen and it may not. We cannot focus on that and we must focus on just continuing to leave a positive mark on the blogosphere in our own way. We may not have 30k pageviews a day or 50k unique visitors daily but what we do have are loyal readers who adore what we do have to say and post. We should not complain as much because then it diminishes those loyal readers and their worth. Again this is all my opinion and we know what opinions are like.
I do not feel as if we have a strong non white blogger community. We pretend to support each other but in the end we really do not to the extent that we all should. We do not go out of our way to “shout out” any of the bloggers who are not as popular but are doing amazing work. We do not visit lesser known blogs and leave sincere comments. When we post style inspirations, it is always celebrities or top bloggers. Style is everywhere and they are not the only to have it. Let us help emerging desingers, makeup artists, stylists, models in our community, locally and globally. I have begged and pleaded on this blog many times to step out of our comfort zone and check out a blog that we typically would never visit. Why? Because we may shock ourselves and actually enjoy it.
I am not perfect at all. My blog is nothing special. I do have high quality pictures when Sig shoots me but my content is more ehhhhhhh than AHHHHH. I know this and because I do want to hopefully gain opportunities from my blog, I must step it up! I know I do not bring my “A” game. If I graded myself I would give myself a solid C, maybe C+. Because of this, I really cannot complain and should not complain. But of course I am human and well…. I do.Le sigh.
Today the same lady who ranted about the quality of black blogs is talking about the fact that she really does not see or read any blogs that peak her interest minus the few she mentioned in her tweets yesterday. Which is fine…. opinions are like…..you finish it. But her tweets yesterday brought us together and had us offering her a standing ovation. Today, most of us are just back to realizing how catty females can be. Unfortunately such is life and you must just keep moving on!
Some have taken offense to it but I dont. Why do I not? Because what is the point. The only person that can make or break your blog is yourself. We are in control of our destiny. Even if you have a kick butt blog you may not get as many opportunities as a non white blogger but it could be because your content or “look” or audience does not fit that brand’s market. I am not naive enough to believe that is always the case and I do know there IS prejudice in the fashion industry and blogging world but if we always put our best foot forward and still get ignored then we can DEMAND reasons from these companies and brands.
I had a phenomenal conversation with Nadia of Nadia Aboulhosn and she is ridiculously successful but she puts in the WORK. To us on the outside it appears as if things are just handed to her but that is far from the truth. The girl lives and breathes growing her blog! Does she appear overly cocky at times? Yes but she fights for her truth and believes in herself with an intensity that we ALL should have. She puts in effort and is constantly bringing a fresh outlook to the blog game.
That is why she has the collaborations that she does.
I have been feeling a little down about my blog because my stats have drastically declined and I have heard comments (hearsay and to my face) about my lack of style. It bothers me because my style is MINE. Its not yours. It does not affect you. You may offer suggestions but you cannot say that it sucks just because yours is not the same as mine. I may wear more comfortable styles lately but to be frank, it is because I have put on weight in places that I am not used to being “curvier” in and I do not know how to dress for it. What you put on should be an expression of how you feel. I am confident but I am not “stupid” either. I cannot rock out in the tight fitting clothes that I own because I do not feel my absolute sexiest and it would not be highlighting the positive. I believe in dressing for your CURRENT figure and not the figure that you used to have or wish you had. Back then I dressed that way because I felt comfortable and beautiful in those garments. Now the items I choose to put on are what make me feel beautiful. We must stop judging others style choices and just start applauding them for being content in their own skin!
At the end of the day I implore anyone who wants to blog for money or brand collaborations to really take a deep, unbiased look at their own blogs. Ask yourself, would I visit my blog more than once? Would I retweet what my blog is saying? Would I want to send my friends links to this blog? I can honestly say there are SOME posts of mine that I absolutely would want to do the above but more posts that I would not. I intend on bringing it from here on out. I may flail a little, I may falter here and there but I will create & maintain a site that I can be proud to shout from the rooftops! No more blogging just for a filler! It will be about quality and not quantity! Although consistency is key!
If you have made it this far with me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If not, well you are not reading it anyway, hahahah and you are totally missing out on ‘The List”!
Please take the time to take a look at the comprehensive list of bloggers compiled by the uber talented writer Ty of Words and Wardrobes. It really is a MUST read!
It is located HERE,
Words and Wardrobes did such a phenomenal job with this and am thankful to her for adding me in such great company! Thank you again!!!!!!!!
So ladies and gents… what can we do? How do you feel about this? Do you strongly believe that your blog is all that and more or do you feel as if you could bring far more to the table.
Let me know what you feel your blog is lacking and I will do my best to assist. If its photography, I have great resources to help and will even offer feedback on your blog images. If its content, I will reach out to some of the great writers that I do know. I will not offer feedback on this because I am not a strong writer in any way, shape or form, lol. My goal is to continue supporting my fellow bloggers and to open up lines of communication with all of you!
Thank you for reading!!!!
