The Man Repeller vs The New York Times

I read The Man Repeller‘s blog post Blog Is A Dirty Word today, which then lead me to the post The Circus of Fashion by Suzy Menkes of the New York Times. I suggest you read the both of them for yourself but in a nutshell, Ms. Menkes accuses this new crop of fashion bloggers (of which, I am aware, I belong to) of simply dressing in these outrageous ways to a- get attention outside of different fashion week events and to be photographed by the paparazzi and b- succumbing to designers who give them items and then touting them as the best. Medine has her own criticism of Menkes’ piece, again in a nutshell stating there is some fact to what Menkes says (in regards to bloggers promoting items they are “gifted”) but at the same time- Menkes is being a bit of a snob.

For me, I see both points of view. But I take away something much bigger from this: are fashion bloggers really blogging and wearing items for “the art of it” or even “art for arts sake” or simply to grab attention? To this extent- Medine and Menkes are both correct. Even us bloggers must get back to the pure, journalistic approach of things. Otherwise we lose our credibility.

For me, when I am promoting a certain product it’s because I really do love it. And when I am doing a photo shoot, it’s for one of two reasons- a- I love the product and b- I am also using the products I love to play a certain role through photography. Photography, especially when paired with fashion, is also art. Each gives life to this amazing, organic form that frankly- anyone walking on the streets can and DO participate in. Each decision we make about what we put on our body says something about us- even if we do not intent for it to. As fashion bloggers, it is up to us to shed light on this- to be the journalistic beacons of this world.

Not only that but when we do showcase our “street style” let’s be real about it. The best example I can give is that of my acquaintance, Holly Hammonds, manager at fab’rik Macon. She and fellow fashion blogger, Tiffany Olson (of Tiffany Style Blog), went to New York Fashion week where Holly was subsequently photographed by plenty of paparazzi. I am proud of my fellow fashionista for keeping it real with her street style- she was gorgeous and trendy without resorting to the outrageous. (See these links: Nordstrom, Designer for the Frugal Soul)

I have my own bone to pick with The Man Repeller and her point of view, which I will explain in a later post, but for now I join with her in asking others of my trade- even if you are not a classically trained journalist- return to those roots and find your honesty again.