Can we chat about fashion Instagrammers/influencers..

[Cherrypie32]

..because I don’t have anyone in real life to carp about it to. So, I follow a few, am addicted to the stories/feeds of some but don’t always know why. The ‘high end’ ones, The Frugality, Dress Like A Mum, Emma Hill etc pop up but quite designer and high end for me. I like the ramblings of Does My Bum but I’m nothing like her body shape so don’t wear her clothes. There are a few more ‘high street’ ones I follow, Steal My Style, What Kathy Did, Forty not Frumpy and more but they tend to be repetitive. Is this because they are so heavily sponsored to flog something? At the moment they are all banging on bout All Saints leather bikers and maxi skirts. And they all copy each other so there’s not much new to look at. There are a few I follow with nowhere near the amount of followers that seem more creative and have different body shapes so I presume that they have more liberty to do this as aren’t under afflilate deals.
I don’t need advice to ‘unfollow’, I enjoy looking at it all, just interested in how it all works really.

Thinking of insta accounts as businesses.....the ones being spoken about on here are doing pretty well whether it is positive or negative discussion....because they are being discussed....advertising without them having to do anything

Ooglyboo has summed it up perfectly.

Yes, I agree with Ooglyboo’s thoughtful post.

I think it’s no coincidence that the IG accounts who manage this best also tend to be the ones with ‘proper’ journalistic backgrounds: The Frugality, Erica Davies, Liberty London Girl etc.

Perfectly put Ooglyboo

Anyone work out what brand A Life to Style is referring to in her blog post? #nosy

Superstar the only brand I’ve seen her work with in the last few months is M&S.

I actually started following Styled by Susie and a few others because of this post. I also unfollowed a few people when there was that Instamum thread ages ago because of their particularly unkind "everyone on MN" comments.
Of course a career of free clothes and Daniel Wellington watches would be great ..... that doesn't mean we all have to follow those accounts and we cant prefer smaller more normal ones.

Haha I unfollowed styled by Susie because of this year! I really hate people who diss mn without even acknowledging the validity of the threads or comments made.

This thread

I saw her Insta story also and thought her comment that this was a ‘nasty’ thread unfair. As we are presumably these IGers target audience I think our comments are valid and fair. She was pretty peeved about being called ‘late 30’s’ too which I imagine was a genuine mistake by the poster.

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homeisthecalm

This probably won't be a popular view but I don't get the whole influencer thing. I know what I like, my style etc. Don't feel the need to study other people's?

Then again I've always swerved girlie shopping trips for that very reason, so much more efficient and successful on my own. That sounds a bit antisocial I know but I'll always go with friends if they want my opinion or to just spend time together. Otherwise influencers don't influence me in the slightest and can come across as very self-absorbed and materialistic if they're always posting and promoting a certain brand for freebies.

I also agree with @ooglyboo's post and many of the other sentiments here. Its a classic response by influencers (how much do I loathe that word!) to bash MN and label us all as sad jealous bitchy women. To the contrary, I think most posts here have been very measured and the issues of ads/the evolving nature of IG/how this type of social media makes people feel are all very topical and worthy of debate.

One of the main reasons why some bloggers/IGers became so successful was that they built up a loyal fanbase based on being relatable/giving a helping hand to women like them who just needed a little nudge or some different fashion inspiration. They now operate on a totally different level and by and large the original fanbase has been discarded. I used to follow lots of fashion bloggers right back from the early days but, like so many, I got so tired of the constant gifts/paid partnerships and endless duplication of them all at posh breakfasts, slap up lunches, film screenings, luxurious nights away with a slew of gushy stories ‘let me just pan around and show you my gorgeous hotel room’. I wonder if they ever stop to think how that makes people feel or do they think we are meant to be genuinely happy that they are 'living their best lives'?

Its no longer really about fashion (which some of them genuinely do have a flare for - the Frugality just to give one example). On the whole its just now a lifestyle of freebies and excess. Anything promoted from hotels to skincare to holidays to vitamins to jewellery to beds is lavished with praise. It can’t all be genuine and that’s where we’re entitled to point the finger. The newer kids on the block look like they have jumped on the bandwagon desperately hoping to cash in on freebies - gushing over other influencers constantly and if anything being even less transparent. I also am tiring of the life guidance that some give out - how we must all like ourselves more, accept our imperfections, never conform, we're all sistas together. Sorry but it just feels patronising.

On a personal note, as a working mum I struggle with their constant mentions of how hard they work and how the juggle is real when it just looks like a round of press invites/lunches/dinners that they have ‘chosen’ to accept! If they don't want to blog for a couple of weeks they don't have to. Which is fine but don't equate it to a normal job with real deadlines.

Another excellent post. Disagreeing doesn't make me a bitch or a "hater", it makes me someone who disagrees and, as people who make their money by selling, yes selling, then they have to accept that people are entitled to do so. As you say, the move from relatable to ridiculous has been so meteoric that people are entitled to question/roll their eyes at the non-stop junket these salespeople are living. And, of course, there are the ones who do it well, people like #simplythenest who really do empower women without the endless grind of selling, naff #hashtags, unattainable lifestyles and endless holidays and freebies. Instead she works full time, raises 3 daughters and is doing up her beautiful home. Instagram can be a force for good but not while it is overun with salespeople playing on insecurity to earn a fast buck.

I find them all incredibly tacky and tedious.

I work in magazine publishing and if you don't think every article is written at the whim of an advertiser you're naive. Declared or not every media you access, social or otherwise, is driven by making a buck. At least with Instagram you're in control of who fills your feed.

I unfollowed a load of people after that Stacey Dooley programme. There were endless posts about the horrors of the fashion industry, and pledging to shop less/more ethically, then a fortnight later it was forgotten about and it was Prinark coats and H&M jumpers a-go-go. (I’m a rampant consumer, I just couldn’t bear the hypocrisy of it.)

Mags much worse for that than news brands @ToBeClear I like a mag now and again but don't really read eg the beauty stuff as I know that's all ad-driven.

I stopped buying magazines years ago because of the endless advertising and the realisation that none of the 'new product testing' was in any way genuine. I presumed none of them were and get my gossip on here. Sorted!

The best source of advice is online reviews (taken with a pinch of salt) and real life experiences of products and services on here!

I deactivated Instagram a couple of weeks ago and feel so much happier without it. I feel as if I have a part of my life back - and guess what, it’s great! I don’t feel as if it’s lacking anything and I feel no urge to run out and buy loads of new clothes. If anything, I’ve started to realise that I actually have far too many .

And ditto I stopped buying magazines years ago too. I do not need to spend £4.50 only to be told what to wear and buy along with a strong dose of inadequacy that I am not rich, thin, beautiful or fabulous enough.

I work in magazine publishing and if you don't think every article is written at the whim of an advertiser you're naive. Declared or not every media you access, social or otherwise, is driven by making a buck. At least with Instagram you're in control of who fills your feed.

But surely no one can make you buy a magazine either, so you are in control, again??

tobeclear yes, the “I don’t know if you know but London is quite different and there are no good state schools” line that was wing pedalled

Was being I meant

@Tootrousers just ridiculously out of touch - such elitist nonsense. There are great state schools everywhere- depends on your definition of great and if you care more about what your neighbors think.