Behind the Filter of Fashion Influencers
Growing up in the Western world, for my generation and my parents' generation Anna Wintour was the goddess of fashion, Vogue the holy book, and Fashion Week the Mecca.
The fashion industry seemed to be exclusively for a photogenic elite who could afford fancy clothes and haughty attitudes. We common people peeked into this world through celebrities and supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and Victoria Beckham.
Then came the internet!
Victoria Beckham. Image credit: InStyle.com
In a matter of ten years, the old fashion gatekeepers shifted from the unattainable fashion world in magazines and on catwalks to Instagram, blogs, and social media. And what a change it's been. The rise of social media ignited heightened self-awareness; all you needed was a smartphone camera, an internet connection, a few cool filters, and the confidence to become your own paparazzi.
The fashion blogger was born. They emerged from our world, frustrated at their inability to enter the exclusive world of fashion. Armed with the skills to navigate the digital world, they've built careers on their abilities and a third secret ingredient: envy.
Not only can we now project a certain image of ourselves, but we have an audience starving for more pictures and content. Having followers means having a certain power from behind a computer or a smartphone.
Image credit: www.cocorosa.com
Image credit: www.cocorosa.com
I once thought fashion blogging was another narcissistic form of self-validation, where bloggers displayed a pretend lifestyle to an audience of teenagers lacking in confidence and already succumbing to “me, myself and I” culture. All bloggers were the same to me. It turns out that I was wrong. Blogging culture has its own subculture.
Independent Fashion Bloggers identifies 6 different categories of bloggers :
- The Star: The cool girl. They share their perfect life and perfect outfits in perfect posts. She's the girl you wish you could be.
- The Visionary: This girl does not follow trends, she creates them.
- The Philosopher: Embodiment of the quote, “Fashion is a tool for finding your own identity.” – Beyoncé.
- The Fairy Blogmother: The girl with a happy-go-lucky personality who wants everyone to feel good through her posts.
- The Inspirational Guru: If we have questions, she's the girl with the answers.
- The Curator: This girl has an eye for beautiful things, whether finding them online, or creating them herself.
While we sometimes call them bloggers, a fancy new word has risen to better encompass them: influencers (individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their (real or perceived) authority, knowledge, position, or relationship). Today, it is not uncommon to see a business card, a LinkedIn profile or an Instagram bio that uses the term “influencer”.
This special class of girls have mastered the art of online presence by having not only a blog,but an Instagram account, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. They cleverly use all the methods of self promotion available to make themselves stand out in the web flood of wannabe influencers. They are followed, liked, and snapped daily. They are the modern day fashion celebrities but relatable. They are “us” with a unique point of view.
Image credit: www.foxtel.com
But what exactly is a blogger or an influencer? How do they start? Where? Why? How do they see themselves? Do they do it for glory, money, or a genuine love of fashion? What do they get from their articles, posts, likes and followers?
In order to understand this world, I first had to take a step back from my own naive ideas and sit down with a fashion blogger I consider a star and a curator in order to exchange point of views that might bring light to the phenomenon.
Image credit: VintageEva.co
In a world with no rules, no fashion police and no personal boundaries, I introduce to you Vintage Eva. Established in 2008 from her West London flat, she now lives in Luanda but is a globe trotter at heart. Over the years she's successfully accumulated more than 5,000 follower across her Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
Below, is my interview with Vintage Eva.
Image credit: VintageEva.co
INTERVIEW
Me: Good Evening Evalina, thank you for taking the time to do this Skype interview. I know you don't have much time so let's get right to it. What exactly made you want to start a fashion blog?
Eva: Basically, I moved to London in 2007. London is that big city, a big hub where Fashion is everything. The first time that I saw real fashion was in the streets of London; everyone in the street had some type of personality because of their outfit. I was so impressed by their creativity, lifestyle, even the way they walked with such confidence, it amazed me, especially coming from Angola, and having spent some time in Portugal. London had this singular vibe. I was so inspired on a daily basis that I decided to start a blog. Also, I used to read all types of magazines and had a bunch of fashion magazines stacked in my house. Then when social media came along and blogs started to bloom, I began to read magazines online. I found the editorials interesting. Oh my god I used to love editorials! One online magazine that I used to love was Fashion Gone Rogue. I would read the magazine and try to find out what the models were wearing and what the brands names were. Then I decided to start my own blog to help people find unique pieces, give tips and basically share my findings.
Why “Vintage Eva”?
Eva: In London, I don’t know if it is still like this, but kids of my generation were more into the 80’s and 90’s vibes. I used to go to Brick Lane and Shoreditch a lot; the vibe was completely different from the vibe in Mayfair or Central London. The hype was to wear a lot of vintage clothes: the 80’s vibe, the denim short, with the denim jacket and ripped tights. It was the ambiance when I started blogging. Then I was like “what should I name my blog?” and as simple as that I just came up with Vintage Eva.
I describe you as a star and a curator, how would you describe your style?
Eva: I just like to pull nice things up. Whenever I see something that looks nice aesthetically, I will put it up on my Instagram or Facebook. If I receive a nice looking meal, I will take a picture and put it on Instagram. Other stuff I put on Snapchat, irrelevant stuff.
What makes something irrelevant?
Eva: Instagram has a certain way of working, you put meals there, or the places that you went to, which are all different. If I see nice flowers for example, I will not put them up very often on Instagram because people will get tired of it. If I put it on snapchat people will not, because it is on a cycle, it will get deleted. And also, you do not want to be too repetitive on Instagram. You don’t want to put the same stuff over and over again, you need to bring something different every now and then.
Don’t you think that at the end of the day, they are all the same?
Eva: No!!!! Let me go on my Instagram. If I put my face on Instagram, I have to put some other pictures afterwards, an outfit, a shoe or landscape. I like to mix and match my posts. Unless I was a make-up artist, I do not see the necessity to put my face [up] all day long. And honestly, people only care about my outfit and places I go to, restaurants that I liked, etc. They do not want to see me. Another thing is that I can’t be posting the same dress over and over again; unless I am in a completely different scenario. Otherwise it would be like I am posting “just because”. Because we all as bloggers have different lifestyle, point of view or hobbies, I really do not believe that we are all the same. We might look the same from a superficial point of view, but if you analyze our posts, you will feel the different personalities.
Image credit: VintageEva.co
Would you have bought some of the outfits that you showcase or is it just for social media purposes?
Eva: Yes, definitely. 10 years ago not everyone would have been able to buy Gucci or Chanel, especially black people. They did not even know what it was. In the 90’s it was only for the stars and celebrities. Times changed, there was an economic boom, meaning more buying power. So yes, I would have enjoyed owning those brands and clothing just for myself because before I could not have access to that. Nevertheless, I have to admit that we are in this era of social media where society in itself, including me, are a bit molded in a way that we do things sometimes just because of social media. Before I would not take picture of my food or of my shoes. Now I do, I feel the urge to take a picture of my food, or shoe of the day. I would not necessarily not buy the things that I buy, but I would not have taken a picture of them before. Why would I have taken a picture of my food or a flower?!
Would you agree that you feed into the self-absorbed generation?
Eva: No, and I will tell you why. Well, you know that Kim Kardashian book, "Selfish," that kind of represents the society right now. It is true that If I take a selfie every day, it is a bit narcissistic, and it is also true that I find myself taking 300 selfies until I find a good one I can put on Instagram. That is kind of narcissistic in a way. But there are different bloggers out there. There are bloggers that do it because of monetary benefits, others just want the attention. I even know some bloggers who [construct] their entire life around of social media. For me, I just do what I feel like doing even if I take 3000 selfies. I try not to stress about it. I post when I feel like posting. It is not about how many likes I will have. If I like this or that, I will share it. If I have something interesting, I want everyone to see it. If I have a story to share, someone might get inspired. It is more the approach I have for social media.
Talking about likes, does it matter if you have 5 likes versus 100 likes?
Eva: For me it definitely does not matter. I just post what I want. Some posts I have likes, others not many, I just have to stay true to myself. I don’t even pay attention to it. When I post something I don’t go back and see how many likes I have, I just leave it there.
Do you ever interact with your followers? Do you know who is following you?
Eva: Yes. I have my loyal followers, we interact like we know each other, it is weird. I remember this girl who has been following me forever, who once came to London and wanted to meet with me, as if I was her role model. I understand that some bloggers might have fans but with me I interact with a few of them and it is like we are good friends.
Do you get negative comments or uplifting ones?
Eva: A few negative comments such as “you are imitating this blogger”, or “I didn’t like what you wore”. They see me wearing something and see it on another blogger with more followings than me and get upset. However, I have a lot of uplifting comments or direct messages. I do not even pay attention to negative comments, it is time consuming to do that.
Do you have any income from your blog? Or social media accounts? Do you work with brands?
Eva: No I do not have any income directly coming from my internet activities. But here in Angola I have been approached to wear certain brands or boutiques but I just can’t do it if I don’t like it. I don’t want to endorse anyone if I don’t believe in it. It is true that there is a mutual help between bloggers and brands, but I just want to wear what I want.
Image credit: VintageEva.co
Would you see your social media accounts as part of your personal branding?
Eva: Now that I have a store here in Angola, called Shiuu, a lot of people here in Angola know me from my social media. I try to use that to my advantage. A lot of people go to the store because they see me online. So I try to take advantage from having followers and uplifting my store. My blog is not my source of income; I just want do it as my passion. Bloggers nowadays feel like they have to post frenetically, or they will lose readers. I don’t cling on to my blog. My blog or my Instagram are hobbies and will always be for now; but I will always use what I get from blogging to do some good for my brand in the physical world.
Image credit: VintageEva.co
At the end of the interview, I have to admit that this sit down shifted my understanding: not all bloggers are the same. Blogging can indeed come from a very genuine point of view and create positive benefits in the real world.
