News, Rants
Three’s A Trend: Boys Are Contributing To Their Girlfriends’ Personal Style Blogs
By Leah Chernikoff
Personal style blogging is just that–personal. The UK’s Observer commented on the phenomenon of personal style blogs yesterday, noting that there is “something oddly compelling about the album of images–you’d be surprised how quickly you can start to care about a complete stranger’s wardrobe.” The article references Rumi Neely’s Fashion Toast, Katie Mackay’s What Katie Wore, and Susie Lau’s Style Bubble as examples. Of course there’s also Jessica Schroeder’s What I Wore, Camille’s Childhood Flames, and, duh, Tavi. The list could go on.
It’s true: Personal style blogs can be black holes. The voyeurism sucks you in and all of a sudden you’ve lost 40 minutes of your life looking at what someone you don’t know wore five weeks ago. But what struck me about a few of the blogs that the Observer mentioned (and one they didn’t), is that despite the deeply personal and individual nature of these blogs–the self-portraiture, the divulging of personal details–boyfriends are helping their blogger girlfriends out. Rumi Neely‘s boyfriend takes her photos. Jessica Schroeder’s fiancé takes most of her photos. Katie Mackay’s boyfriend writes the copy for her blog, and she only started taking photos of her outfits and posting them on the internet after he challenged her to wear a different outfit everyday of the year.
Knowing that Fashion Toast, What I Wore, and What Katie Wore, are couple endeavors, I can’t help but feel like I’m peeking in on their relationships as well. It feels a bit unsettling, so I asked What I Wore’s Jessica Schroeder how the relationship works.
“I started doing the daily outfit photo thing in 2007 long before Adam and I became a couple. When we first started dating I still relied on my tripod and timer but eventually it became more of a combined routine (photos on the way to and from meetings or dinners or just running to the subway station),” says Schroeder. “He’s the only guy in my life who I’ve really let in on What I Wore and he helps me run a lot of the business behind it as well.”
They are invisible (they let their girls shine), but present none the less.
“Adam [Schroeder's fiancé] is a very private person, but by taking the photos he’s a huge part of my professional (and public) life, in a quiet way,” says Schroeder. “Readers will tell me that whenever he’s the one taking my picture I look ridiculously happy (which is totally true).”
Aww. OK, that is pretty adorable. But do the blogs then lose their confessional “diary” aspect?
What’s your take?
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Jacqueline’s boyfriend takes her pictures for fashionsnag.blogspot.com too. And so does Emily’s from Cupcakes & cashmere. Since they’re behind the scenes, I don’t feel like they are compromising the blogs in any way. It’s very sweet. :)
I think a blog is a creative outlet for yourself, You have to be the judge to seperate the real from the fake.
Whether you want the world to read it or just your mates… If you dont have a tripod or a remote for your cam you’re kinda screwed… Nobody wants that myspace/facebook mirror shot on a fashion blog, I’m more comfortable jumping around in a park with my boyfriend rather than jumping around by myself in front of a tripod.
I definitely disagree, when I first started blogging my boyfriend didn’t want to know, now he’s assisting me with my camera at Fashion Shows and our upcoming Fashion Festivals and he loves to hear about the blog, he even offers to help me find new locations to capture a couple of outfit posts! I don’t think we are ever comprimising our blogs.. we are just making them better!
Sure would be nice to have someone take my pictures!! (My hubby is sweet about the whole blogging thing, but I think that’s a little more involved than he wants to be…) I don’t think it really affects the vibe of the blog, but when it’s a “boyfriend” I can’t help but cringe a little and wonder what happens if they break up? Are we going to loose this awesome content if someone gets in a fight?!
http://www.JsEverydayFashion.com
the untold story-who takes the picture who helps out and now who contributes! great angle great piece!
thanks lady!
I agree. I don’t think it necessarily takes away from the blog or its individuality–in some cases, as Leah noted, without the encouragement and support of a significant other, some bloggers might not have even started. I know the primary reason I started my little piece of the internet was because my bf noticed that a lot of my colleagues asked for advice. I guess it really depends how much of a voice the significant other has. If he/she is in the background/ taking pictures/providing logistical support/serving as a sounding board, it can really strengthen the blog to have a different (albeit silent) perspective and not degrade it at all. And it’s totally sweet. :)theworkinggirlesq.blogspot.com
i think it’s super sweet. if anything i’m sure this inspires them! the way any partner should! way to go lucky ladies! cynthia of http://onesownsweetway.blogspot.com/
Yes, what a cute angle! There’s a personal style blog which I love to look at – I think she got her boyfriend to help her take photos, and he would pop in a photo every now and then but not at all often, and she would mention him in passing. Then suddenly she had a new boyfriend, and it’s funny how it does make you wonder what happened (and who took her photos during the in-between phase?) even though you only really consider them as personal style blogs.
I only read fashiontoast sometimes, but when I do get sucked in, I always scroll to find pictures of that terrifying boyfriend of hers. He looks like a mixture between zoolander, a soldier at caesar’s palace, and hell.
Interesting point of view and comments given. I think, blogs are no longer personal diary things, it is more than that and who cares who is taken the picture. Frankly spoken, the high quality of images and reports are more than snap shots.
http://www.fashionlifecoach.com
I think in personal style blogs people really put themselves out into the ether to an unknown audience. That takes a fair bit of courage and self confidence. In a couple of the blogs that I have followed that make use of a male partner (like Emily’s Cupcakes etc) you would hardly know it from the posts which are very female focussed. A collaborator may help increase the professionalism and number of postings and supports the blogger’s view of things.
I think that if you have a live-in boyfriend/girlfriend, husband, etc., they inevitably become integrated into your grooming, nighttime and dressing rituals. My husband knows more about shoes, cuts of dresses, night time creams and SPF than he did before we met. Now I go to him to get second opinions if I’m trying to mix-up basics, etc. I think the fact that the bloggers have their significant others take photos for them is a natural progression – they see them select and put on the clothes, why not take the picture?
My blog doesn’t feature me very often, but when it does, I’m usually taking the photos (in a mirror). I enlisted my husband’s help once and I drove him crazy. No picture was good enough for me and I kept making him re-take them. Poor guy. So I really have to give credit to these guys who are helping out behind the scenes. It takes a lot of patience. I hope their girlfriends/wives aren’t crazy like I am. :)
Love this post, Leah! My blog isn’t a personal style blog, but the photos of me that appear on the site are always taken by my husband Joe. Fortunately, he is awesome and incredibly helpful and has developed a nice photography hobby as a result. When he quietly complained that he wasn’t getting proper credit for his photos on Here Comes Gina, I created the tag “photos by joco” to get him off my back :)
GraysonMae – I fully identify with your experience of having your husband help out. I usually get frustrated and see flaws in most photos (i.e., my leg looks weird or my eye looks wonky), and my husband looks at me like I’m crazy (which I definitely am). Each of these photos took an insane amount of shots to get right: http://bit.ly/c2LCri and http://bit.ly/bW0dgq
Ah yes, because marriages never break up…
haha so true! Before i came along, my boyfriend barely knew the difference between black and white and now he proudly points out Karl Lagerfeld and Daria in magazines! He still can’t get past the “fashionable” shoes though… lol
That’s sweet. My boy just loves to research about Karl Lagerfeld’s extreme diets and laughs for hours about them ;).
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