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.

Vitriol seems to be word used against people expressing an opinion on the Instagram world. It’s enables the instagrammers to put us in a box labelled jealous etc and gives them licence to carry on,l doing what they’re doing whilst ignoring any criticism and enjoying the fangirling that goes on

Doesn’t mean we can’t rally against influencers, primary, Amazon, any company who we believe is damaging the environment.

Tobeclear It argument is about transparency and more importantly the lack of it.

Telling people not to look at some accounts is hardly constructive?

@Bloominglovely I was suggesting unfollowing accounts after reading people berate some accounts - actually the instagrammers themselves - I think Caroline Hirons was mentioned - not in response to them not being transparent.

Words really do get twisted and misconstrued on here to make an argument don't they?

Actually I think you are the only one to have posted her full name. All other posters referred to her only by her initials. I’m sure she will thank you for it 😁

If I know Caroline she won't give a toss what is written here. She had a business and blog long before Instagram arrived. And if it means lurkers here have found a fun account to follow then that's fabulous!

I saw some ASA ads in the underground and some stations recently. I agree with three poster who said almost all influencer knew the rules but decided to ignore them and carry on regardless. Now the asa have come down heavy on potential non compliance they are being forced to comply.

Why did they not want to comply in the first place? Because all the followers they gained via an almost reality tv like persona, being all in this together, winning the trust and respect of normal (mainly) women, sharing stories of life and kids etc suddenly became a potential money pot. And they sold their followers for free gifts and ads.

It's the manipulation they didn't want exposed. One Instagrammar I know who gets loads of free things but hates declaring said it reminded of her free school uniform when she was young. Ad a family it saved them loads of money but it was embarrassing that you got it free. It's almost similar to the Facebook data breach. Except the Instagrammars are saying you companies ' I have x thousand followers who i could direct sell your product to' but under the guise of being creative content creators and the poor saps never need to know.

And I am so sick of the Instagram roll out of 'women support women' ' be kind' 'unfollow'. It's reductive and manipulates women into accepting shit situations.

Fun = nonstop anger.
Won’t give a toss = threatening/abusive ranting.

Ok.....

Slightly off topic but noticed one 'Mummy' Instagram person posting pictures of her poorly twins, followed by a later request to send her no more pictures of other people's kids who are more ill. There is something off somewhere!

Disclosure: I have no idea why anyone puts any pictures of their kids on any social media.

Words really do get twisted and misconstrued on here to make an argument don't they?

Or you could just pretend you are someone completely different on here to make an argument, couldn't you? Maybe just be honest about having a fashion blog for years?

#transparency

@Peaches100 who's pretending? Is anyone using their real name here or on Instagram?

"Be kind/unfollow etc" will cut zero ice with any regulator/court.

This! You can't have the fluffy, uncritical, 'kindness' of Instagram and expect to make tonnes of money from it, that's not the way this stuff works.

Do you know who is the worst for all this though is Mario Falcone from TOWIE. Until about a weeks ago there wasn't a single #ad style hashtag on his Insta even though he has loads of paid partnerships on there, in fact that's probably how he makes his money these days. Looking at his grid, about a week ago he has started putting #sp, which I assume is 'sponsor'?

I understand how the "big" IG'S/bloggers make their money. I have always wondered though how the smaller IG's make their mark. I suppose I am thinking about people likeWhat Kathy did next, Fashion mum of 40. etc. Are they making serious money? Kathy seems to constantly show H&M, Zara, New Look. She seems to be constantly shopping.
Also does anyone follow Catwalk School Gates?. She is obviously wealthy and doesn't seem to jump on the advertising bandwagon.

ToBeClear you're just a troll. I don't even think you know what your argument is. Our argument is "Follow the Rules Please"

Your argument is.... What?

I think you're just some Insta-business who wants to live in a bubble, like all the rest of them. And if we criticise your business practices? You come out swinging accusing us of all sorts. When you're the one escalating. I mean, vitriol? Really? Give your head a wobble, love.

I'm sure your sycophants on IG will froth at the mouth in your defence when you post dramatically about this thread later. Something trite about "women supporting women (regardless of how shady you are)" always churns the minions up nicely.

I found these 2 articles interesting. The asa are now threatening court and jail for non-compliance: <a class="break-all" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46960179?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cgrm1zpl4rpt/social-media-influencers&link_location=live-reporting-story" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46960179?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cgrm1zpl4rpt/social-media-influencers&link_location=live-reporting-story

And these one shows how even small influencers are used for targeted marketing: www.bbc.co.uk/news/46945662

I’ve been looking round MN for more discussion of this as it seems to have passed through the main media outlets v quickly but this sort of deception is fundamental.

I like jameela Jamil on this, she’s calls ppl out big time esp on the dreaded diet tea!

Can I ask how does one distinguish between a press sample for review and a gifted item that constitutes an advertisement?

I might be really naive but for a lot of the big beauty youtubers or whatever who must get sent piles of stuff, I quite like to know what they are being paid (cash) to advertise v. what they have just been sent to try out.

Using #ad for everything doesn't seem a particularly nuanced approach.

The times style supplement "reviews" are basically one big ad and I don't really understand why there's no need for disclosure there. India Knight / Sali Hughes aren't paying for any of the products they recommend surely?

@ElspethFlashman you seem nice. I don't make any money from Instagram. I'm too busy with other opportunities. Again I'm really just trying to put the other side forward but some of you don't debate well. You should go into politics.

Remember Estee Lalonde I was talking about yesterday?

Well she's been given a holiday to the Maldives. THE MALDIVES!

She's chosen to mark it #gifted. Meanwhile she's putting up all the hashtags for the resort all over her feed and stories as per instructions. That shit is an AD, I mean WTF??! How is that not an #ad?

It's exactly that kind of ambiguity that these new guidelines are trying to combat. She's going to be posting from the resort all week with the full identifiers of the resort in every frame. Who could possibly argue that's not advertising??

ToBeClear you actually don't seem nice at all. Best of luck.

Some of you don’t debate well

When a number of people call you out on posts, perhaps it is time to look inwardly instead of lashing out?

I realise that my question was a little off the subject, but it would have been nice if somebody could have at least acknowledged it!!

ToBeClear I don’t think you replied to my earlier post. Do you not think some discussion is necessary re mental health, consumerism or children’s privacy? You don’t have to be a user to have these concerns, Im a parent & work in a school so these issues are important to me.

It’s totally far fetched for anyone to say they don’t understand the rules. There’s no such thing as a free lunch - aka of course a gift is an ad.

Asa have been pretty clear that hiding #as or similar in the hashtags won’t work, it has to be up front.

Oh sorry Fantine! I presume with the smaller ones 80% of the outfits they show on their feeds still have the tags on and are returned.

You couldn't afford it otherwise.

I did fantine2 that second link I posted explains some of it...