7 misconceptions about Style Bloggers

Happy Friday, guys! Hope your first full week of 2016 has been good, it certainly went fast. 

Today’s post is a little bit different than the usual style post, but a little change is good, right? So I’ve been blogging for a while, like 4 years, and I probably have been taking it more seriously the past year and a half. While I enjoy blogging, the pesky misconceptions that comes along with it, can be annoying. At times. But that comes with the territory, right? If you’re a blogger, you can probably relate.  Let’s dig in:

1) Bloggers get freebies all the time. While this is true at times, it’s not the case 100 percent of the time. Truth is, I was blogging for three years before I even knew anything about brand partnerships. It wasn’t until a PR firm approached me and my response to myself was “WHY?” because I didn’t know that was possible. Being a Natural Hair Blogger, I do get approached by brands to try products. However, most of my products I purchase with hard earned cash, so when people say “was this free too?” makes me slightly upset. SLIGHTLY. Most of the times, these “FREE” products come along with a review blog post or video, which is work and time consuming. So essentially it’s not really FREE.

2)   Bloggers are materialistic and narcissistic. This one is probably if not the most irked misconception out there. I’m very careful about whom I share my blog with. Especially church folks, and work colleagues. To many who don’t understand blogging, to them blogging is a hobby where you wear clothes, take pictures of yourself, talk about shopping and what not. I mean, there are shallow and materialistic people in every profession. You don’t have to be a blogger to be materialistic, and self centered. Trust. Bloggers cover a wide variety of topics, meaningful topics like health and beauty, travel, style, art, and so much more. I have specific sites I visit when I want insights on beauty products which I rely on. 

3) Blogging is easy. Believe you me; nothing about blogging is easy. Fun, but not easy.  It is TIME CONSUMING, so if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll burn out REAL fast. Faster than a cheaply made candle. I don’t even want to think about how many hours I’ve spent writing blog posts, taking photos, editing said photos, linking to posts, hiring photographers, web designers etc. These things do not simply just happen. It takes time; much more than you’d think. Like the time I spent writing this post for example. lol

4) Bloggers are always perfectly dressed. Trust me on this one. What you see on blogs and social media is most certainly not what you see in real life. Not to say social media and my blog aren’t my real life, because it very much is. However, I am not dressed up all the time, nor do I wear makeup everyday or have my curls perfectly curled/coiled. As an in home therapist, I am very casually dressed because at any given time, I could be sitting on the floor and playing UNO with kiddos or playing foursquare in the summer months. So on the days, I do “dress up” it throws my clients for a loop because, they’ve never seen me “dressed up”.

5) Bloggers have some following them to take all their pictures. So not the case; for some maybe, but definitely not this gal. While, my outfit pictures remote taking days are behind me, I do take my own pictures of beauty and lifestyle posts at home with my camera which by the way, I’m still learning how to use. Someone asked on my personal Facebook whether I have a photographer taking all my pictures. Let’s just say she was shocked to know it was courtesy of my ring-light,professional camera and a remote at home.

6) Bloggers are Rich or don’t wear the same clothes repeatedly. Again, so not true, at least not for me. I have a few, actually more than a few favorites that have been on the blog one too many times to count. Some bloggers are rich in money, which isn’t a bad thing, but for bloggers such as myself, my splurge items and what not are items that I more than saved for. 

7) This goes hand in hand with number two, where people think all bloggers lack substance, talk about fashion and all we do is shop. I’ve had a guy ask me “so what else do you do besides shop”. LOL, I laugh now, but trust, I wasn’t laughing then. My work is private, and just because I choose not to talk about my client’s with depression, ADHD or whatever else struggle they have going on does not mean, all I do is talk fashion or shop. There’s just a thing called HIPPA and I started this blog as an outlet from my professional life, so I most definitely don’t want to talk about it in detail here.

There’s a ton more, I’m sure. Let me know in the comments of other misconceptions you face that I may have missed.