Is it just me, or are many “fashion” blogs turning into “shopping” blogs? I’m not talking about sites that primarily discuss new finds, but general style blogs. It seems that for many people, just about every post has something new in it, and these are bloggers who post at least on a weekly basis. How on earth do they have the money to shop or even have the time (yes, I know, shopping doesn’t have to take place in a brick and mortar store, but still)? Not every new piece they write about could have come from a PR company, whether swag, sponsorship or whatever. And to be honest, I feel that this kind of behaviour can lead to over-consumption.
I have to admit that I, like many style/lifestyle bloggers, like shopping and keep a wish list (which ranges from “affordable” to “way out of reach”). However, I try to be very careful about what and when I buy. I really don’t want to have an over-stuffed closet – I tend to keep things longer than I should. Recently, I gave away several bags of clothes and shoes with items dating back to the late 1990s (I still have some pieces from that period, including a J.Crew a-line that I bought back in 1996) and there are still some items that I probably should get rid of. In fact, I’d love to streamline my wardrobe to the point that it is more “European” than “North American.” Based on photos alone, it really seems like a good number of bloggers subscribe to the latter rather than the former and really, it not only creates more clutter, but can be perceived as tacky.
Why do I think many people (both bloggers and non-bloggers) do this? It’s just society. And it’s increased with the popularity of reality shows featuring loud, wealthy women. I really can’t, for the life of me, understand why anyone would want to be like a Kardashian or one of the women on one of the Real Housewives shows, but maybe I’m just different in that sense. I know that for many people, having the brand name whatever or having an “x” amount of certain products or items are ways to show off and to let people know that they “can” – and if they can’t afford it, they find the closest thing at some fast fashion store like H&M, and sometimes even buy several versions of the same thing. Don’t you think it’s just a little over the top these days? As bloggers, I think we should cool it down just a bit. I’m not saying that we need to stop all together – that just can’t work for us fashion/style-loving people – but we also need to start appreciating a simpler lifestyle and go for quality over quantity.
Image credit: LuminaStock /iStockphoto
