Blogger Backlash

I’m writing this as a part response and part, here’s what I have to say.

If you were online yesterday, specifically within the blogging community, you may (or may not) have noticed a form of backlash, as most bloggers responded to a post which caused a lot of upset, particularly to beauty bloggers.

This isn’t an attack on the author of the post, rather simply a response to the subject-matter itself.

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Let me start by saying that I agreed with some of the post. I think the concept was valid, but the delivery of his notions was wrong/inappropriate.

(Note that I didn’t say I agreed with all that was included in the post).

I personally like to encourage/engage in vital discussions, raise important topics and address matters which need addressing/recognition; like racism, political affairs, education, diversity etc.

Whilst it’s important/necessary/good to address them, it’s also essential to do so at a time, place and pace we feel comfortable doing so. It’s important to note – not everyone has something to say. Not everyone wants to have a say. Not everyone wants to share their say. They have every right to do (or not to do) so.

See, blogging is personal. It’s as intimate or as formal as one makes it. It’s someone’s voice. Their passions. Interests. Hobbies. Ideas. Conversations. And Stories. There is always someone working on something different, for someone different. Blogging has no rules. There are no guidelines, nor a right or wrong way of doing it. It’s platform to write what you want, as you want. In the same way that social media is.

I do understand/resonate with the author’s overriding point (in terms of how we could address issues more – this is excluding the waffle about beauty bloggers) but issues need be spoken about, recognised and addressed as a society as a whole. Realistically, when you’ve got fu-king Nazis on the streets and trump as president essentially encouraging hateful behaviour, us bloggers aren’t the main problem, nor can we solve a societal issue. It’s the society in which we feed into.

You can talk about important topics, but not at the expense of belittling the work of others.

You also can’t sit around reading trumps sh-t all day. We need light. Humour. Inspiration. And sometimes a distraction. We need both the ugly, very ugly and the good. And then the great. To keep us balanced. To keep us sane.

I’ll end this post by saying, do you. In whatever way that finds itself. Whether it’s taking flat-lays for your beauty post, sharing a trip overseas, reviewing a book you enjoyed, addressing the hard facts about racism. Or maybe it’s some of everything. Your work is needed/valued/appreciated and someone is waiting to read it.

Keep writing. Keep being true to your passions.

Faye x