The Not So Glamorous Life of A Fashion Blogger

As you scroll through your Instagram feed or read through your favorite blogs, you probably think about how glamorous the life of a fashion blogger must be. After all, they get paid to shop and travel the world, and every day is a fashion show! What could be better than that?! It’s not quite that simple though.

So many bloggers perfectly curate their websites and social media to only show the best parts of their lives, which is totally reasonable when you think about it. After all, these bloggers are making themselves vulnerable and opening themselves up to judgment by posting on the internet. Of course you only want to share the best moments! But that means the rest of us “ordinary” folk can get caught up in the comparison game, thinking that “her life is so great” and “she doesn’t ever have any problems.”

Today I wanted to make a list for you to prove why being a fashion blogger isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Now I can’t attest to all those big name and wildly successful bloggers, but I’m sure they’ve experienced some of these things at some point in their blogging careers. The goal of today’s post is to show you that fashion bloggers are real people too, and their lives aren’t as picture-perfect as they appear. So don’t feel bad about yourself when you see all the awesome events they go to or their pretty photoshoots! I have to remind myself this all the time. 🙂

And without further ado, here’s my list of items that make fashion blogging not so glamorous:

• You don’t have photos for tomorrow’s blog post, so you have to leave the comfort of your pajamas and couch on a snowy day to pose in the freezing cold instead. This was me yesterday. I did not want to go outside, but it was necessary for the blog.
• Countless trips to the dry-cleaners. Personally, I try very hard not to buy clothes that require dry-cleaning because I know I’ll never get them cleaned. But what about big name fashion bloggers with fancy, designer clothing? Those suckers certainly can’t be washed on Machine Wash Cold.
• Spending minutes—or hours—on getting the perfect shot. I have spent probably 10 minutes trying to get the perfect photo for Instagram before, and I’m embarrassed to say that. But when it comes to the blogging world, that’s nothing! I’m lucky if I can bug someone enough just to take a few photos of me (good or bad), but a lot of bloggers spend their time making sure each picture is insanely flattering with the perfect hair. It’s not that bloggers are always photogenic or don’t have bad angles; they’ve just gotten really good at making sure they don’t show up on camera. It actually does take practice!
• Quick car changes. This is one of my least favorite parts about blogging…I go out for a photoshoot at a pretty location and bring lots of outfits, which I awkwardly change in the tight space of the car. Half the time I end up buttoning the wrong buttons or breaking into a full on sweat (especially in the heat of the summer!). Not to mention, there have been many a times where I’m changing in the car, only to look outside and find there are people walking by…TAKE COVER!
• All this SEO and tech crap. Besides all the pretty photos, clothes, and events, there’s also all the difficult stuff that actually makes your website run. I have spent countless frustrating hours trying to fix glitches and get my website just so, only to be disappointed. As an amateur, this stuff is really frustrating. I imagine running into tech issues as a big name blogger is even more upsetting!
• Doing weird things for photos. You guys know me, I naturally put in ridiculous photos because I think it’s funny. But I know I, and many other bloggers, have done some strange things for getting the perfect shot. Like getting in trouble on property we weren’t supposed to be on! Or all those flatlay or food shots you see on Instagram—I tried to do flatlays once, and it is hard work. It takes way too much time to set up all the props AND then stand on a ladder to get the perfect angle from above, while still keeping your shadow out of the shot. It’s hard to believe how much work can go into a seemingly simple picture.
• Realizing your favorite shirt doesn’t look good on you. As a blogger, you look and sort through countless photos of yourself. As I’ve mentioned before, photos can help you better understand if a clothing item fits you or looks good on you. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that some of my favorite pieces aren’t as flattering as I thought. It sucks to see that that dress you love so much actually doesn’t look that great on!
• In the same line of thinking, looking at all these photos of yourself can make you see all your insecurities and the things you wish you could change. Ugh, my face has so many pimples, or ugh, my legs look short and squatty. It’s hard not to get down on yourself when you spend hours looking at photos of your body.
• And of course, trying to get the perfect snowy picture with you cutely throwing up flakes, but instead the snow just comes down in one giant clump (see below, last two pictures). 😉

I could add quite a few more items to this list, but this girl gotta get to school! And y’all probably want to get on with your lives. I hope you enjoyed this post and that it shared some helpful insight about the lives of fashion bloggers. This post is in no way meant to judge bloggers or their methods—I mean, I am one, and I do a lot of this stuff too! And it’s only natural to want to share the best parts of your life, I get that. I just hope you can realize there’s more behind the lens. 🙂

Have a wonderful start to your week!

Miles of smiles,

Grace

Cableknit Sweater: Nordstrom Rack, $18 // Brown Patterned Tights: hand-me-down // Orange Dress Worn as Skirt: JCPenney, $28 // Leopard Rain Boots: Ralph Lauren via Macy’s, $60 // Brown Pearl Beanie: Charming Charlie, $10 // Pendant Necklace: JCrew