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.

Yes agree. I can't bear the preachiness of it all. Alice was fuming that 25 people unfollowed after she posted a photo of herself in her underwear. The absolute cheek of those followers!!

I used to like by fullerfigurefullerbust but this p past year she's been moaning about followers not liking her photos enough and her missing out on sponsorship and ads because of it. She used to be funny and pout together some good looks but now just moans about how Insta is her job and how followers are not helping her earn. I often scream back 'get a proper job then!'. Followed by a quick unfollow. Tbh there's very little style inspiration on Insta any more. It's all very generic and the kind of fashion most genuinely trendy people would not consider fashionable at all.

I think with underwear shots, it's the tone that matters.

A hell of a lot of body positivity peeps post photos of themselves gazing soulfully into the camera in matching fancy underwear, and the caption always says "Last year I would never have had the confidence to put this out there". Then a lot about their old self hatred, and how they still have good days and bad days, then some guff about living the skin you're in, and finally some inspirational hash tags.

I find it a bit glum. They really don't look like they're loving the skin they're in, tbh.

But then I see someone like HelenWearsASize18 and she posts in her big pants and big bra and she looks absolutely on top of the world, with the biggest smile and the caption is "Here's me in my pants! Have fun everybody!" and its an absolute delight!

Also, side note, thefatfunnyone is not funny. I couldn't figure that one out. I mean, there's absolutely nothing wrong with her, but funny? I never got that. She actually seems quite serious.

Yes, so much crap about #bodypositive when it is just a sales pitch for the next #ad, #gifted. The cynicism of these saleswomen is unbelievable - let's feign a faux problem........ and then sell you something they haven't even paid for themselves.

I don’t follow those outfit based accounts but if I did 40 plus would be a good one. She seems kind, with good humour and honest I can see why people like her.

Anyone that does that awful thing with giving the finger eugh are the worst

Yes she's lovely. And actually I'm just remembering that I was "influenced" to buy the illuminating tinted moisturiser she always bangs on about, the Laura Mercier one, and its practically changed my life (only small exaggeration).

Just opened insta to see another one jumping on the bandwagon and posing in her bra and pants and a perfect size 10.

Does this "body positivity" actually help anyone??

Sorry, is this 40 plus style that you are talking about?

No it's 40plusnotgivingupyet.

I want to get that tinted moisturiser Elspeth!

Very light coverage, much lighter than others. But the good bit is you don't look like you're wearing makeup, you just look like you've healthy skin. And you don't have to wear any eyeliner or anything to balance it out. It takes my redness down nicely.

Oohhh, am now following, and being sorely tempted by the LM moisturiser!

Oh great thread. I am new to Instagram and no idea of whom to follow

What is this tinted moisturiser?
Any good for pale with cool undertones me?
I am not cool and I tried to find cool people to follow
I ended up following Ariana Grande and I feel old and weird now

Yeah I'm fair and cool toned and use the shade Bare Radiance. But fuck me, try it first as it costs an absolute bomb!

(Or buy it on ASOS where you can return opened things, lol. That's what I did. I kept it though. )

Do try the Laura Mercier Illuminating TM, it's very very shiny, so while it's great for some it might not work for all.

I absolutely hated it.

Yeah I find the glow suits me and makes me look younger and less haggard. But I can imagine some people hating it as its proper proper glowy, no messing around.

Another one who thinks it must be just so exhausting to be constantly putting your wonderful life out there on Instagram. And yes, where do they keep all the freebies aka new purchases! I saw one post yesterday featuring Luldumas with her very sulky teenage daughter, which just summed up the whole thing for me.
I also unfollowed the lady with the Finger. This is conjunction with the self pleasure post was just a bit too much.
I wonder how wise it is for teachers to be putting themselves out there so much. When do they get time to do any marking??

40plusnotgivingup is absolutely lovely. Really lovely account to follow although can be very repetitive. I've followed her for a while and she hasn't changed at all since her Insta blew up. The becca under eye concealer she recommended is really fab. She's been through a lot this year and in a funny way she cam be very uplifting and positive and funny.

Hers is the only fashion account i follow. The rest are awful and full of gifts/spon/ad. Also as they all know each other if you follow them all it is very groundhog day. Steal my style 40 is all gifts and ads. And very bizarre drawn on eyebrows.

Ystyleireland is very similar, in that it's essentially a "try on" account. I don't mind those accounts, or the affiliate links as it's very clear its a business model. Actually I find them less disengenuous than the accounts that proport to be about their kids but are stealth floggers. At least 40 plus and ystyle are straightforward shopping accounts.

Ystyleireland is STUNNING. Also lovely lovely lovely. I don't buy anything because it's not actually my style (if you're a "classic" girl give her a look, but I'm not a camel coat and white shirt person no matter how hard I try) but I keep following because she's so pleasant and charming and dammit, she looks so good in some cheap Primark thing that I'm always overawed by it.

What’s a try on account ElspethFlashman?

I agree Elspeth if people want to spend time trying on shopping then go for it if you enjoy it, whether it brings in money or not.

And also agree on the stealth use of dc to flog stuff being more suspect

I am also sick of seeing the bloody biker jackets everywhere and also those awful blazers worn by 40plus etc....same crap on all of their accounts...im going to unfollow the lot of them....and who in gods name needs 3 leather All Saints Dalby biker jackets !!!!

See MOD had now done the obligatory "body positivity" in my underwear shot.

It's an account where the person orders all the new things in the shops that take their fancy, try it on, model it for the audience and then return 99% of it. They provide affiliate links to all items. So that's how they make their money. They have to have a fair amount of cash flow in fairness cos they order a couple of hundreds worth of stuff every month if not every fortnight. The object of course is to make a salary on it!

It's a nice little business that you can do out of your own home, in your own time.

Oh!

I watched someone on YouTube try on shitload of stuff they've ordered and I did wonder why she's spent thousands on that. Now it makes sense.