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(Suomeksi alla)

I haven’t done a post like this in a while, not since my fat legs rant actually. I just saw some tweets by both bloggers and readers a few days ago that woke a massive rage in me, and the need to rant and explain is here again.

The tweets implied to me that the plus-size blogging has become something that people do just to get free stuff, and that everyone looks the same and only says the same amazing things to get on brands’ good books. There was also some comments about how some bloggers have been raving about the boohoo plus range and not been critical about it. I have no idea if that was the real meaning behind the tweets, but I ‘got’ them as a small attack towards bloggers like me.

Seriously, ALL THE RAGE.

First of all, personally I am not in this for free stuff! I am in this to show that plus-size girls can be fashionable and trendy too, and I like showcasing my personal style to the world. Maybe that is vain, I don’t know, but I do enjoy my blog and hopefully one day blogging could be my job. I have the passion for this!

I know that I use a lot of positive words like ‘I love this / this is so adorable / gorgeous / lovely /…’ but that is because I actually LOVE those items. I don’t say those things to suck up to brands, I say them because I MEAN THEM. I don’t say a lot of negative things on my blog because I don’t tend to blog about things I don’t like. I mean why would I? I’m always honest in my reviews though, if the sizing is off I say it, if there’s something else wrong, I say it.

I don’t know if jealousy is a part of those tweets somehow, as some of us bloggers do get a lot of freebies, and some don’t. I know for a fact that it doesn’t all come easy though. Freebies are a nice perk, but there’s a lot of work when it comes to blogging, especially if you want it all to be nice quality! Personally I write my posts in two languages and take most of my photos alone with a tripod. It’s not always fun, but I want to make the effort for my blog to look as nice and professional as possible, and I believe the opportunities that I have gotten are hugely because of that, the passion, dedication, artistry and ambition. (By the way my blog isn’t perfect and I know I can do loads better. A new layout is in the works for example.) But at the end of the day the freebies don’t pay ones rent.. I know as I’m someone who is unemployed and on illness benefits at the moment, so I definitely feel the struggle.

But yes, I have also seen some bloggers around who seem to be in it for the free stuff and it is very visible what their agenda is. I can only hope that the brands can see through their crap as well and they’ll fade, OR have a long think and start over the right way.

Jealousy amongst bloggers has been visible when it comes to opportunities like shoots and features too. If you can’t be happy for your blogger colleagues and congratulate them, then complain to your friends in private. Jealous whining in social media is not a good look, and it can seriously bring the featured girls down, getting negativity just after they have accomplished something. Show some respect please!

So, got sidetracked.. Now my rant continues to the boohoo matter. You know what? Many of us have been raving about the boohoo range BECAUSE IT IS ACTUALLY VERY TRENDY! Why does there have to be an agenda behind it?! Can’t we just rave about the fact that FINALLY there’s a plus range that is totally on point trend-wise and has price points that most of us can afford?!

And excuse me, we all raised critisism too, we all said that the size range should be bigger.

I have also seen some comments lately about the plus-size bloggers forgetting ‘the community’ and ‘the fat politics’… WHY is it so horrible that some of us do this only for the FASHION and personal style growth, and not for the politics?! Of course I understand that in today’s society unfortunately every fat person who dares to be seen and be trendy is somewhat political. For me that is the ONLY way I want to be ‘a fat activist’, by actually showing that fat girls can dress well. I don’t want to TALK about it, it’s not my thing at all. And I want that to be FINE (as to me it is fine that some people feel passion towards the political side).

//

Nämä mielipiteet ovat omiani, kuten aina tässä blogissa

En ole tehnyt tällaista marina-postausta aikoihin, en sitten läskit jalat-postauksen itseasiassa. Jokunen päivä sitten näin Twitterissä kommentteja sekä bloggaajilta että lukijoilta, ja ne saivat vereni totaalisesti kiehumaan. Tarpeeni kiukuta, valittaa ja selittää on siis taas vahva.

Nuo kyseiset tweetit ilmaisivat, että plussa-bloggauksesta on tullut juttu, jota ihmiset tekee vain saadakseen ilmaista tavaraa. Kuulrmma kaikki näyttävät samalta ja toistelevat samoja kehuja, ihan vaan pysyäkseen brändien hyvällä listalla. Näin myös kommentteja siitä, kuinka jotkut bloggaajat ovat kehuneet boohoo:n plussamallistoa ja eivät ole sanoneet mitään kriittistä. En tiedä mikä olisi ollut oikea tapa tulkita nuo tweetit, mutta minä otin ne hyökkäyksenä kaltaisiani bloggaajia kohtaan.

Oikeasti, KIHISEN RAIVOSTA.

Ihan ensimmäiseksi tahdon sanoa, et mä en bloggaa saadakseni ilmaista tavaraa. Haluan näyttää maailmalle tyyliäni, ja näyttää, että plussa-tytötkin voivat olla tyylikkäitä ja muotitietoisia. Nautin bloggaamisesta, ja toivottavasti jonain päivänä bloggaus voisi olla työtäni. Mulla on tähän intohimoa ja mulla on päämääriä!

Täytyy kyllä myöntää, että blogissani viljelen kehuja, ja käytän sanoja ‘rakastan, ihana, upea’ puhuessani vaatteista (joista osa on ilmaiseksi saatuja). Tämä EI ole brändien nuoleskelua, vaan ihan vaan minä kertomassa rehellisiä mielipiteitäni. Mä oikeasti TARKOITAN niitä. En puhu paljon negatiivisia juttuja täällä, sillä miksi bloggaisin vaatteista tms. joista en oikeasti edes tykkää?!? Mutta olen kyllä AINA rehellinen jos vaatteessa on jotain ‘vikaa’, tai vaikka on koot hassuja, aina sanon, että kannattaa ostaa normaalia isompi tai pienempi.

En tiedä onko kateellisuus syynä niihin tweetteihin, mutta epäilisin kyllä. Jotkut bloggaajat saavat paljon ilmaista tavaraa, ja jotkut eivät. Se tavaran saanti ei ole kylläkään helppoa, bloggaaminen käy työstä. Ilmainen tavara on kivaa, tietenkin, mutta sen eteen pitää työskennellä, varsinkin jos haluaa bloginsa olevan laadukas! Itse kirjoitan postaukseni kahdella kielellä, ja otan suurimman osan kuvistani yksin kolmijalan avulla. Se ei aina ole ihan kivaa, mutta tahdon käyttää aikaa ja nähdä vaivaa, jotta blogini olisi mahdollisimman ammattimaisen ja kivan näköinen. Ja itseasiassa uskon, että monet yhteistyöt ja mahdollisuudet joita olen saanut ovat tapahtuneet tämän takia. Blogistani näkee, että mulla on intohimoa, taiteellisuutta ja päämääriä. (Todellakin tiedän ettei blogini ole täydellinen, ja voisin tehdä monta asiaa paljon paremmin. Esimerkiksi uusi ulkoasu on työn alla parhaillaan.) Loppujen lopuksi se ilmainen tavara ei kuitenkaan maksa vuokraa ja laskuja kenellekkään.. Tiedän tämän itse raskaasti, sillä olen edelleen olkapääni takia työttömänä ja saan sairaustukea.

Mutta ovat ne tweetit jossain oikeassakin, sillä olen itsekin nähnyt joitain bloggaajia jotka selkeästi vaan haluavat sitä ilmaista tavaraa. Joskus heidän käytöksensä sosiaalisessa mediassa on niin läpinäkyvää, että toivottavasti myös ne brändit näkevät heidän lävitsensä ja heidän bloginsa hiipuvat pois. TAI ehkä miettivät kauan ja hartaasti, ja aloittavat uudelleen oikealla tavalla.

Kateellisuus plussa-bloggaajien kesken on ainakin täällä Britanniassa selkeästi nähtävissä, varsinkin jos on kyse ‘mallihommista’ brändeille tai näkyvyydestä medioissa. Jos et voi olla onnellinen kollegoidesi puolesta ja onnitella heitä, niin sitten marise kavereillesi salassa. Miksi se kateellinen iniseminen pitää tuoda sosiaaliseen mediaan missä kaikki näkevät? Moinen marina myös saa ne jotain ihanaa saavuttaneet tytöt tuntemaan olonsa aika paskaksi. Joku roti tähän, kiitos!

Okei, nyt sitten siihen boohoo-aiheeseen. Tiedättekös mitä? Moni bloggaaja on kehunut mallistoa hulluna KOSKA SE ON OIKEASTI TOSI TRENDIKÄS! En tajua miksi siinä pitäisi olla joku taka-ajatus?! Eikö me saada olla onnessamme siitä, että VIHDOIN on olemassa plussa-mallisto joka on sekä trendikäs, että sopii lähes joka lompakolle?!?

Hmm ja anteeksi vain, kaikki me kyllä kritisoitiin sitä, että mallistoon pitäisi tehdä isompia kokoja.

Olen myös nähnyt joitain kommentteja viime aikoina, että plussa-bloggaajat ovat unohtaneet ‘yhteisönsä’ ja ‘läski-politiikan’.. MIKSI se on niin kamalaa, että jotkut meistä bloggaavat MUODIN ja oman tyyli-kehityksen takia, ei poliittisista syistä?! Tietysti ymmärrän, että nykypäivän maailmassa *valitettavasti* kaikki näyttävät ja trendikkäästi pukeutuvat lihavat ovat jonkinlaisia aktivisteja, sillä eihän lihavat saisi pukeutua kuin mustiin säkkeihin. Joka tapauksessa tämä on AINOA tapa jolla haluan olla aktivisti, näyttämällä, että plussa-naiset voivat näyttää hyvältä ja pukeutua trendikkäästi. Mä EN halua puhua politiikasta ja aktivismista, se ei ole ollenkaan mun juttu. Ja mä haluan että se olisi IHAN OKEI (niinkuin mun mielestä on okei, jos joku haluaa olla vain poliittinen).

  1. Liz says: April 8, 2014 7:57 PM

    This post is so on point with things I’ve been seeing and thinking about lately. I’ve wondered if I have some sort of obligation to address body politics on my blog in a more explicit way since I’m implicitly addressing body positivity by being plus size. But, like you, my interests and reasons for blogging just don’t align with that. I got into blogging because I needed a creative, fun outlet outside of teaching. At first, I wrote a lot more about cooking, and teaching web tools, and other misc topics, but I came to love the fashion side more and more, and that’s what’s come to populate my blog. I do it for fun, for the friendships I’ve made with amazing women from all over the world, and to talk about shopping and fashion, which are my favorite hobbies. I like documenting my style journey and trying new things, and sometimes it gets overwhelming thinking about what I could be doing differently to reach a wider audience, or to build relationships with brands, or to more directly tackle body politics. But then I have to step back and remember why I started all this in the first place. For an outlet, for fun, for friendship, and to do something for myself when I so desperately needed “me time.”

    I think your words here are going to speak to a lot of bloggers, and I so appreciate you taking the time to express your frustrations and reflections with us. I love following your style because it varies so far from my own and gives me inspiration for building more black into my wardrobe and putting together looks that are more edgy and contemporary. You’ve also introduced me to brands I’ve never heard of, and my shopping options have broadened so much because of these new discoveries. I think as long as you’re “fine with it”, as you said, then you’ll have a community of readers happy to follow your style journey and hear what you have to say on all things fashion.

    <3 Liz
    http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com

  2. Leah says: April 8, 2014 9:13 PM

    Excuse my language but FUCKING WELL SAID!

    There’s some serious tension in plus size blogger land at the moment and every now and then it seems as if someone comes along and pokes it with a big stick then it all kicks off again. (I’m not suggesting that’s what you’re doing here AT ALL, by the way.)

    I think part of the reason plus size blogging is so great is because we’re all very welcoming (well, mostly) and there is a great community. But on the other hand this expectation for us all to live in each other’s pockets and somehow everything will be rosy is – quite frankly – bollocks. We’re all women after all, there’s going to be tension sometimes.

    I think the tighter-than-tight-knit community is a double-edged sword – a blessing AND a curse. A few wannabe bloggers might read a couple of blogs and think ‘That’s easy, I can do that!’ and we will welcome them to the collective bosom, and everything is public so they see all the ‘freebies’, yet none of the hard work behind them. I think when a person is offered all the perks of blogging without doing the hard work to build a great blog it does bring out some seriously ugly ambition, and the kind of grasping attitudes where people are greedy and grasping enough to be asking for wishlist shit on the #PRrequest tag on Twitter.

    The truth is most bloggers who are getting a lot of ‘freebies’ have had to work hard for months or years to build up their blog and the sooner people realise that the better. Most of us blog to share things, for the love of it, and not for the occasional dress or event invite. x x

  3. Mayah Thomas says: April 8, 2014 11:00 PM

    Hanna I have to say I LOVE this post! You have hit the nail on the head here. Way to many people think that blogging is all about freebies which to me I find really irritating. Very few bloggers get freebies and they are often few and far between. Blogging takes a lot of time, money, effort and interest.

    Many of us are embracing the fact that we too can be trendy, sexy and are owning our personal image.

    Yes there are a lot of bloggers talking about similar things but surely that goes with any type of blogging not just plus size fashion. I know that when I started blogging it was because I had embraced myself and thought that while I build on my personal style and try to expand my confidence I can do it in a way that will push me, open me up to try new things and hopefully help me meet like minded people. Blogging gives us a voice and a chance to put our opinions out there in a way that the media unfortunately doesn’t want us to.

    I have read your blog for a very long time now, way before we actually met and I have to say I find your passion and drive so inspiring. You have your own personal style that I find fun and edgy and I hope your blog continues to go from strength to strength!

    There are way too many hatters out there and I wish they would exercise their ability to keep it shut as often as they chose to troll online pages spouting their BS!

  4. Sarah Doyle says: April 8, 2014 11:15 PM

    I agree completely with all the comments above and applaud you! I blog because I enjoy it, because it’s part of my personal journey and the fact I’ve found an amazing community makes it even better. I’m pretty new to it all, but it is clear to me there is an element of jealousy and competition out there, but I just ignore it and carry on with my own thing…. Being a fat shopaholic who likes fatfashion and fat style! Thank you ladies for all being there and just carry on doing what you do so well! xxx

  5. Vicky Frankland says: April 9, 2014 10:01 AM

    Very well said, completely agree! I got told the other day that my smile always looked fake and my poses were too “samey” !! Also that I had too many opinion pieces. I don’t understand these people who read your blog and then complain that it isn’t what they want. Move on to the next one then!

    I’ve been lucky with the opportunities given on my blog but it certainly isn’t something that I take for granted and I absolutely do not blog purely to get “freebies”. My blog is an extensive of myself, part of which my love for fashion and I don’t give two hoots if someone doesn’t like it or me. THey can do one!

  6. Linz M says: April 9, 2014 10:18 AM

    I totally hear you on this. I blog, but I rarely get comments, let alone free stuff, so I definitely do it for myself and to show others that you can be big and wear fashionable clothes.

    I suspect there is a lot of jealousy around. I mean, yeah, I’d love some free stuff, but then I’d need to be putting a heck of a lot more effort into my blog posts and get some proper photos arranged for a start. I know from the odd post I do, how much effort it takes, so I totally salute all of you ladies who do it so well.

    Sod the haters, there will always be some, no matter what you do. I love your blog and think you always showcase so many different looks, it totally inspires me!

    xx

  7. Linnea says: April 9, 2014 11:41 AM

    Hear, hear Hanna! It seems that blogger rage is getting very common nowadays, because in Finland it seems that all non-journalist book bloggers are just wanting free books and are making super secret deals with different companies..

    Haters gonna hate, but I really lift my hat to you and hope you keep bloggin’! Hugs!

  8. Karina says: April 9, 2014 8:08 PM

    Well said Hanna!
    This “discussion” comes up once in a while and I am SO over it! A lot of us do not blog for the free stuff, but because we actually have something we want to share with the world! There are always people who are going to be jealous of the free stuff, but I don’t even care anymore! I know what kind of work goes in to having a blog…

    But it is actually the last part that really hit me and I have really thought about it for a long time! WHY can’t a plus size fashion blog just be about FASHION! Why MUST we all be fat-activists. Don’t get me wrong, I have a deep respect for the fat-activists out there, they are doing a great job, but I am not one. I am a fashion blogger that just happens to be fat… I hate that plus size fashion blogs constantly needs to deal with size. It is irrelevant, style has no size…

  9. Margot Meanie says: April 9, 2014 10:45 PM

    BRAVO!!

    I could not applaud this post more!

    I know that being fat & stylish is often political, but I don’t always want to be talking about it.

    I really just love fashion and want to showcase good style & good clothing finds or new shops. I know that it can be hard to find those things since we’re often forced to go online as plus size shoppers.

    I want to share and be helpful to other stylish ladies that happen to be plus size and are looking for the right places to go shopping.

    <3
    margotmeanie.com

  10. divadellecurve says: April 11, 2014 1:18 AM

    Hi Hanna, I am an Italian blogger and I must admit I’m glad you posted this rant. I thought these tension in the community was typical only in my community but it seems like it’s not. I had lots of negativity especially at the start as i was ont of the firts plus size bloggers here and as a few brands approached me first more I noticed networking with other bloggers was harder. At the moment I go my own way and only keep in touch with people whom I really like.

  11. Hannah says: April 11, 2014 9:53 PM

    Loved your writing and honesty, Hanna!!

    There is a lot of the same sort of bloggers at the top but it’s not so much the bloggers are trying to do that and be the same, I think it’s the publicity and sponsorships they are being given that push them there. And typically the sponsors are scouting a certain “look” and then suddenly all the famous bloggers have the same looks coincidentally because that was what’s popular.

    For the most part, I would hope the readers can see through the lies of a fake blogger and thus quit giving that blog attention and fluffing up their ego to potential sponsors.

    Regarding body politics and stuff… that’s totally not my area because I never touched the stuff when I was plus size and I rarely bring it up now. haha I just stick with what I know and that’s fashion & creativity.

    Just keep doing what you’re doing and stay true to yourself [Insert other cheesy words of inspiration here]! :)

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