Wordpress Update

FYI: I am going to attempt the switch to wordpress today or tomorrow, so the blog may go down at some point in time, or some links may appear broken.  Please don't panic - hopefully I can get this to work right (ha!) and you will barely notice.

At some point in time I will also have to temporarily go back to my old blogspot address here in order to import the blog into wordpress, but please leave your links, etc. pointing to www.beautifully-invisible.com and check back!

Thanks, and sorry for any disruption this may cause.

Friend Friday: Conspicuous Consumption (or keeping up with Joneses)

Conspicuous consumption: the lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth as a means of attaining or maintaining social status.

The term "conspicous consumption" was coined by economist Thorstein Veblen back in 1899 when he wrote the "Theory of the Leisure Class".  In that thesis, Veblen explains that the excessive spending habits of the leisure class were directly tied to their desire for social esteem. Living in a wealth-based status-system it wasn't enough to simply have money, you had to show it - be conspicuous about it.
 

Although Veblen was really the first to "name" the habit, it actually dates back much, much further.  Conspicuous consumption has been present for a millenia, but there are certain events that have spurred excessive conspicuous consumption throughout history.

Increased international trade during the Renaissance resulted in a massive jump in imported fashion, food and luxury goods. The increased availability of these goods, of course, led to excessive consumption.  By the 14th century many European governments had instituted sumptuary laws in an effort to curb this.  In theory, these laws were in place so encourage restraint in spending and to help boost the economy.  However, the laws also dictated how someone should dress based on their rank and status.  It was an effort to stop commoners who had made money from dressing "above their station" and jumping to a higher class.

Okay, not the same type of Sumptuary, but I liked the photo!

Over the years, increased advertising spending has also significantly impacted conspicuous consumption.  According to Richard Robbins' "Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism", the goal of the advertisers was to "aggressively shape consumer desires and create value in commodities by imbuing them with the power to transform the consumer into a more desirable person."  And advertise they did.

According to statistics, in 1880 only $30 million was invested in advertising in the United States.  By 1950, national spending on advertising had risen to $5.7 billion. The discovery of the advertising potential of television doubled annual spending to $12 million by 1960.  By the 1970's that figure reached $72 billion worldwide and $38 billion U.S.!

Would you buy from this shady group of people?

Ohhh yes. I'd buy whatever you're selling, sir.

Today, with the advent of internet advertsing, that figure has grown to astronomical figures.  In June, the Los Angeles Times reported that this year's advertising spending worldwide should reach $451 billion with U.S. spending estimated at $145 billion.  This means there are a lot of companies out there telling us what to buy in order to become a "more desirable person."  Is it any  wonder, then, that conspicuous consumption is a concern?

Now, on to today's questions: 

1. Do you think fashion blogs are often just conspicuous consumption? Are some?  Yes and no.  I believe that there are some fashion blogs out there, yes, that only promote conspicuous consumption.  Blogs that are essentially advertisments for certain products promote this.  Bloggers that encourage never wearing an item of clothing or shoes twice promote this.  Blogs that have no editorial content and exclusively feature the latest "it" items promote this.  Those blogs do exist, but, they are also few and far between. In my opinion they are also narcissistic and simply a walking advertisment. 
   
   I believe that the majority of fashion bloggers stay away from this type of behavior.  Sure, we are all (likely) guilty of promoting some consumption.  I know I am.  However, we are all consumers.  If you wear clothing you are a consumer.  But we can chose HOW we consume.  I believe conscious consumerisim is OK.  Excessive consumerisim is not.
   
   Fashion bloggers have responsibility to balance any consumerisim they promote with ways to offset their environmental impact.  Many do this by promoting vintage and thrift shopping.  Many promote DIYs.  Many promote repurposing or refashioning clothing.  Many challenge themselves to wear what they alraedy have in new and unique ways.  Many promote self-imposed buying bans.  Many promote cleaning out your closet and donating unused items to charity.  Many swap clothing.  Some promote green lines like Stella McCartney and edun. I think the majority of bloggers engage in some of these behaviors and stay away from promoting conspicuous consumption.
   
   
   Furthermore, I often wonder which blog is considered to be more conspicuous - the one promoting F21 items, or the one promoting Chanel, D&G, Marc Jacobs, etc.?  The items on the F21 blog will certainly cost less.  However, the items on the luxury blog will last much, much longer.  Which one is then promoting more conspicuous consumption in the eye of the critics?  The blogs promoting spending more by purchasing quality and staple wardrobe pieces, or those that promote spending less by buying more affordable items?
   
   
2. As bloggers do we have the obligation to explain our personal financial status, how we pay for the things we showcase, if we have debt, etc... I think your personal financial status is private.  It's no one's business except your own (and any family members who may be impacted by it).  I think bloggers have a responsibility to share if items they showcase are provided by retailers.  As a human being, they also have a responsibility to act responsibly.  This means don't bankrupt yourself because you are running a fashion blog!  That is about it, though.
   
   I don't understand the mentality that just because a blogger has A, B and C, that means a reader MUST buy A, B, and C.  Yes, bloggers introduce me to items I like.  They may become items I want to buy.  But that doesn't mean I have to own everything that blogger owns.  I am responsible for my own spending habits, not the fashion blogger whose page I may be reading.
   
   
3. Critics often say that fashion bloggers should use their money to support more worthwhile causes than clothing themselves in a different outfit daily. What's your reaction to this?  How do those critics know what these fashion bloggers support?  Being a fashion blogger doesn't exclude you from being charitable.  Being fashionable doesn't exclude someone from being charitable. 
   
   Critics can't dictate how much of someone's budget goes to spending versus bills versus charities.  That is all an individual choice.  I work for a non-profit.  I am on a Board of another.  I donate to a number of charities, including my own place of employment.  I also donate my time.  I - like many other fashion bloggers out there - also donate clothing back to charity a few times a year.
   
   Everyone needs to wear clothes.  Unless they are a nudist.
   
   Since we already have to spend on clothing, why can't it be clothing that is featured on a fashion blog? 
   
   
4. Since you started blogging, do you spend more money on fashion and beauty products?  Right now the answer to this is "no" but I am still new. :)  Honestly, I don't envision my spending changing because I am blogging.  If anything it may have increased slightly when I started to follow fashion blogs.  However, I also began going to vintage and thrift shops when I started to follow fashion blogs.  I began to dabble in some DIY projects.  And I really re-evaluated what was in my own closet.
   
   I may be spending slightly more, but I am now purchasing quality pieces that will last for years to come instead of the lastest fad that will come and go.  Being a conscious consumer means being aware of these types of things.  My own spending habits have become lest wasteful and more purposeful - albeit more pricey.  Isn't that a good thing?
   
5. Life is about more than what money can buy. What are the things that top your list of what life is all about?  Edited to say: Eeekkk... I just realized I neglected to answer the most important question!  This is fairly straightforward:
   
   First is the people I love - friends and family alike.  It doesn't matter how much money you have - the memories you create with and have of the people you love are what is priceless. 
   
   Second is being passionate about something.  I am passionate about a lot of things, and each of them makes my life more full. As Angel of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame said: Passion is the source of our finest moments. (yes, I am quoting vampire here)
   
   Finally: being true to yourself.  Never compromise who you are for the sake of others.

What are your thought's on this topic?  Do you think fashion bloggers are being unfairly targeted as conspicuous consumers?

To read more responses to ModlyChic's Friend Friday series, click here.

For information on how you can join, click here.

Friend Friday: Blogger Privacy (and a question of Anonymity)

Do you remember the last time you saw a high fashion shoot where the model's face was completely obscured?  No?  

It's an unusual approach, to say the least.  A faceless model and a faceless photographer. 

Yet this is exactly what you will find in Italian fashion brand Patrizia Pepe’s AW 2010/2011 Ad Campaign entitled “Who is Patrizia Pepe?”

The campaign captured my attention for a number of reasons.  It is unique.  It is whimsical.  It is curious.  It is beautiful.  And it is anonymous.  

It is the campaign's anonymity that truly resonates with me.  Most of you know that I have decided to keep this blog anonymous for a number of reasons (last discussed here).  I have decided to revisit the topic here because this week's edition of ModlyChic's "Friend Friday" is all about blogger privacy! 

1. Do you think privacy is something we should worry about as bloggers?  I think privacy is something everyone who is on the internet needs to worry about, not just bloggers.  People who use social networking sites like twitter and facebook, flickr, etc. should also be concerned with exactly how much information private information they may be making available to the general public.
   
   
   
2. Do you use your real name or a pen name? What was behind that decision? When I decided to start my own blog I knew that I did not want to use my real name.  Why?  Have you ever googled yourself?  I have.  I have an extremely unique name, so if someone google's it - they find me. Right away.  The search doesn't yield a ton of info. about me.  However, it includes where I work and other details.  Details I don't want to share with everyone who might come across my blog. 
   
   Instead, I thought long and hard until I was able to come up with a blog name that I felt would describe not only the blog - but me as well.  That is how "Beautifully Invisible" was born.
   
   
3. How much personal information do you reveal about your life beyond the blog?  The internet is a funny thing. It's very nature encourages us to reveal and to feel safe doing so. But we have to be responsible about what we reveal.  I reveal what I consider to be non-descript things about my personal life.  I've revealed that I recently went through a breakup.  I reveal the way that made me feel.  I've revealed places I shop and the city I live in.  I've revealed that I am a fundraiser and I've revealed a number of my interests.  I probably reveal even more random facts via twitter, and I know I'll reveal more as the blog grows. 
   
   However, as I said, I try to keep these "reveals" non-descript.  When I think about my favorite blogs I realize that i feel like I "know" each of the authors, even though we have never met.  I hope that my readers get a sense of who I am through the way that I write and through the things I DO reveal, but they don't have to know every last fact about me. 
   
   I think that people who DO know me in "the real world" could easily figure out who I am from reading my blog.  There are enough clues to my identity that are spread throughout various posts.  However, at this point I hope I can still be interesting enough to my readers without revealing all.
   
   
   
4. What will you never reveal?  Right now I don't think I would ever reveal my real name and where I live/work. Everything else can be revealed in snippets, within reason.  Perhaps if my name was a bit more common I wouldn't be as hesitant to reveal my identity one day, but as of now its extremely unlikely!  That being said - I don't plan to keep it hidden from friends that I make via the blog.  I just don't plan to share it ON the blog.
   
   
   
5. As bloggers, we have to an extent made ourselves 'public' figures. But still there are things that are intimate to each of us that does not need to be known by anyone that stumbles across our blog. How do you determine what is appropriate for public consumption and what is private to you?  This goes back to what I was saying above about posting non-descript things.  I think it is important that your readers have a sense of who you are as a person.  It makes you more real to them, and it helps you connect.  Some people may not care that I am sad because of a break-up, or that I may not be feeling well, or that Jon Bon Jovi is one of my long-standing crushes.  Yet each of those things gives you some insight into ME.  Yet, they could just as easily be about someone else.  An example of what is private to me is WHY my ex and I broke up.  That is something private that is between us.  If it's something that impacts another individual in my life - it won't be posted here. 
   
   Ultimately it's all just a judgement call, isn't it?  Some people are more comfortable sharing than others, and there is nothing wrong with that.  Each person - be it a blogger, facebook-er, or tweeter - has to decide for themselves what they are comfortable sharing.  What is "personal and private" to one person may be "public domain" to another.  Every person has to decide for themselves.
   
   

I think that I am in a different position than a LOT of the other fashion bloggers out there in that, since this isn't a personal fashion blog, I don't have to reveal my face.  Blogs like mine that tend to focus on editorials and photography lend themselves to being a bit more private.  No one is going to recognize me as "Beautifully Invisible" when I walk down the street in Cleveland.  The same can't be said for personal fashion blogs, and I would imagine that in itself adds a whole other layer to the question of blogger privacy.

What about you - what are your thoughts on blogger privacy?  How much do you share?

Note: This is my first contribution to ModlyChic's Friend Friday series.  If you are interested in joining, or for more information about how it works, click here.

Photoshoot Details:

Patrizia Pepe AW10/11 Ad Campaign

Model and Photographer: Unknown

Why Blog? Why Fashion? Why Not?

This afternoon I came across a post on Confessions of a Fashion Editor entitled “Why, 'Fashion Bloggers, Why?'” which focused on a blog whose sole purpose – essentially – is to bash fashion bloggers. 

Well isn’t that pleasant.

So what did I do?  I went straight to Fashion Bloggers, Why? to check out what they had to say.

It was kind of like watching a train wreck – I couldn’t stop myself from reading the blog, and I found myself getting more and more irritated the more I read.

Then I began thinking - why do I blog?

Why did I pick a “fashion” blog?

It’s simple.  I love to write.  I love fashion.

Why not?

My love of writing was sparked by Mr. McMullen, an 8^th grade English teacher who would prove to be unlike any other.  It was simple really – he assigned weekly vocabulary words we were to use in a sentence.  He told us to be creative.  He told us to make it fun and enjoyable for ourselves.  So I did.

I began writing a story.  Each week I submitted my newest chapter to Mr. McMullen, and each week I waited anxiously for his remarks. 

Each week he commented – not just on my use of the vocabulary words, but on what was unfolding in my characters lives.  He became invested in my story and I developed a passion for writing.   This passion extended into college where I became an English major.  There were times were I planned to become a writer or teacher, but ultimately I was led down a different path.  I became a non-profit fundraiser, and although I still use my writing skills, it is in a different capacity.

In November I’ll be 35 years old.  Before starting this blog, I couldn’t remember the last time I did any creative writing.  I couldn’t remember the last time I wrote something for me.  That is how this blog was born.

I know this blog will evolve as I get back into my writing.  I know that the subject matter will vary considerably, although I plan to keep the focus fashion-oriented.  There will be comments on relationships and movies and music and life in general.   There will always be lots of photography.  But it will all be in my voice.  They will all be posts that mean something to me personally. 

Do I want readers?  Yes.  Of course I do.  It’s nice to have followers and readers.  It’s nice to read comments.  It’s nice to feel like other people out there understand where you are coming from.  It’s nice to think someone else actually might care what you have to say.  It's nice to be part of a community.  I know the content of this blog will never be for everyone.  I know readers will come and go.  Heck, I may bore everyone to death.  Sorry if I do bore you.  But ultimately I am writing for me.   

It's easy to get lost in the blog world.  As a new blogger, it's also really easy to think "why should I bother with this?" when you know you will never make any sort of dent in the world of fashion bloggers.  But it comes down to a question of "why?"  Why are you blogging?  Is it because you think that one day you will have thousands of followers and thousands of people reading your blog?  Ha.  Good luck with that.  

I'm not saying it can't happen.  It can - if the content in your blog drives that many people to it.  If it's unique enough.  If people really want to hear what you have to say.  But for most of us, very few people will read our blogs.  Very few people will decide to follow.  Hopefully we'll become friendly with those that do - because something you wrote resonated with them.  Hopefully you'll read their blogs and contribute to the blogging community as a whole.

My acquaintances don’t know I love fashion. They don’t know I like to follow trends.  That a great photography spread or a great pair of shoes can make my day.  That finding that perfect size 14 dress can make me smile for a week.  Some of my closest friends don’t even know, because they don’t “get it.”  It all seems so materialistic to them.  They don’t realize it doesn’t have to be materialistic – it can be about something else.

Fashion, as much as writing, is a way of expressing ourselves.  It’s a “voice” you can see, not just hear.

The writer of “Why, Fashion Bloggers, Why?” doesn’t understand that.  I am not saying she doesn’t make some valid points in her comments – there are some.  However, in my opinion, she loses any credibility she may have because of the way she is attacking the community of fashion bloggers.  It’s one thing to be critical.  If you can be critical AND witty, kudos to you.  I’d probably love to read your blog.  But her remarks aren’t critical – they are mean.  And they aren’t witty – they are childish.

I am all for freedom of speech, but I am sickened that someone out there is doing this.  Calling out individuals in the way she does just seems wrong to me.  Am I over-reacting?



All images courtesy of Google images.

Get It Today: N.Y.L.A. Bande Caged Sandals

Each day I set aside some time to check out some of my favorite blogs from around the blogosphere.

One of my favorites is I am Style-ish.  Tiffany has impecible taste, is a great photographer, and she has a shoe collection that Carrie Bradshaw would kill for.

Back in March Tiffany posted a blog entitled “The same but different” where she posted a few budget alternatives to some of the fabulous shoes she owns.

Although I loved just about everything she listed in that post, my absolute favorites were these black N.Y.L.A. Bande Caged Sandals:

The N.Y.L.A.'s were listed as an alternative to the L.A.M.B. sandals she is wearing here:

 

Image property of I am Style-ish

Almost identical, right?

Unfortunately, as is too often the case with me, I waited a bit too long to spring for these and they sold out at Nordstroms.   I was not happy.

Fast forward to this morning.  

I was checking out today's email from RowNine (another one of those sample sale sites) when I saw that they have a NYLA boutique featured until 11PM ET tonight!

And better yet, the Bande sandal is one of the styles included.  For $64.95 (50% off retail)!  SOLD!

If you have been looking for these sandals check out the sale at RowNine today!  It closes at 11PM ET.

If you need an invite click here (full disclosure, if you sign up through me I'll get a credit to my account)

Happy shopping!