Not too long ago, as I was scrolling through my blog roll, I came across a post that was featuring an article written about a person and her blog along with quotes and opinions from the author. One quote that really stood out to me was something along the lines of "this is a great 'what I wore today' blog." That really grabbed my attention and I didn't know exactly how to feel about it. Now that I am revisiting the idea of the possibility of a separate genre from fashion blogs in general, I am left wondering why the distinction was made in the first place and if it should continue to be made in the future.
{"Fashion: The prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior."}
So to organize my thoughts, first I want to review the definition of Fashion. Which I know sounds silly, obviously we all know what fashion is but we have trouble articulating it. So here it is, "Fashion: The prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior."
Fashion doesn't mean an elitist community of stylish innovators that make a lot of money and are invited to fashion shows... it is just the way people dress themselves physically and socially... which could be further explained by defining dress, but I won't get into that now because it isn't important to this rant.
So now that that's out of the way, do you think it is necessary to distinguish a difference between outfit posters and trend reporters? Is one above another?
I, myself, have a blog (obviously, because you are reading this) in which I post outfits that I wear throughout my week or to special occasions.(Another obvious Does that make me a 'what I wore today' blogger or a 'fashion blogger' or both?
Initially, I felt like making the distinction between the two was very elitist when used in a pejorative manor. But if I were ever put in the situation where I was talking about my fashion blog to another person and they corrected me by suggesting that it was, rather, a 'what I wore today' blog, I wouldn't be the slightest bit upset, although I would be aware of some ulterior motives beneath the surface, which could range from jealousy to the need to assign themselves as being 'above' me. That's fine, because I am, in fact, a fashion blogger. I actually do blog about the prevailing styles and customs in my life through the means of dress, in hopes of speaking to a specific demographic with similar interests to mine.
{...who would you be making this distinction for? Yourself or your critics?}
So thing brings me back to the question of 'is it necessary to distinguish a difference between outfit bloggers and trend reporters/forecasters? The argument could go both ways. On one hand, you may argue that yes, they should be distinguished because it is important to stick to one thing, what you know and what you are good at. But on the other hand, who would you be making this distinction for? Yourself or your critics? Would slapping the title of one or the other limit your creativity and freedom as and independent blogger, or would it help you stick to your goal in subject matter? Basically what I'm asking is, is niche blogging necessary? If I don't have a niche, should I just give up?
