The Golden Age of Fashion Bloggers Is Behind Us

The Blonde Salad’s Chiara Ferragni is now a footwear designer. Photo: Getty

Bryanboy’s getting disinvited from Moschino, The Blonde Salad’s now officially known in the biz as a “designer,” and WeWoreWhat’s been accused time and time again of doctoring her own photos. Has the blogging bubble reached its bursting point?

A new article in The Atlantic seems to say that, if it hasn’t yet, it soon will. What was once a pastime for people who were having trouble finding work otherwise has now become an industry penetrable by only those with the most ruthless of ambitions and marketability. As the popularity of certain bloggers (and their incomes—some are making seven figures) soared, so did the profession’s desirability factor. But getting there—and staying—isn’t easy.

The Atlantic spoke with several bloggers who said that the over-saturation of the blogging industry has made it a lot harder for those recently considered A-listers to make a living off their “brand.”

Said Rachel Lynch of the blog I Hate Blonde, “now [brands are] so overpopulated with floods of emails from wannabe bloggers that they’re … reevaluating all [their] relationships.” She witnessed the unfortunate phenomenon first-hand recently, when a company that had frequently employed her asked her to appear in its holiday-themed promotion—minus the pay. Ouch.

Even when they’re not competing with others for attention and funding, bloggers often struggle with their work-life balance. That is to say, they don’t have any. A blogger’s day more often than not consists of putting together posts for their website, taking painstakingly curated Instagrams, coordinating and networking with PRs and potential collaborators, conversing with followers, and attending one–or three–industry events.

The Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine is still a blogger at the core. Photo: Getty

Never mind their attempts at purveying a level of Kate Middleton-like perfection during work hours (and after). Explains The Atlantic, “Bloggers look like they have fulfilling careers, financial success, flexible schedules, and fun lives. But these creative mavens are ostensibly also regular women. As such their digital images of perfection make it seem accessible to everyone: just a lot of passion and a few social media accounts away.”

In order to stay afloat, many bloggers work 80-100 hours per week—vacations included—which frequently takes a toll on their personal lives. One blogger, speaking anonymously, tells The Atlantic that, on a recent trip away, she “’was ignoring [her] husband,’ aside from asking him to take her picture.”

Then again, for every revoked fashion show invitation, there’s a Leandra Medine: The longtime Man Repeller blogger—who’s managed to author a best-selling book, sustain a marriage, and grow her personal style blog into a bona fide media company at age 26—without showing any signs of stopping. “I never go to events,” she told Cosmopolitan in February, adding that “the currency of [her] success is still not measured in dollars.”

Of course, only someone who’s making dollars can make a statement like that—and Medine’s net worth is currently valued at around $5 million. Maybe her next career move—if she ever quits blogging, that is—should involve teaching at a business school.

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