This is a spin off post from a comment left by reader Jen on my previous post about beginner blogging tips. I felt quite upset when I read it, and felt for the blogger in question although I don’t know who she is. Here’s Jen’s comment:-
I’ve read from a blogger that I’ve been following that someone told them that they don’t have the right to have a beauty blog because they’re not beautiful.. And I thought, what the heck? Do you blog about beauty just bcoz u’re beautiful and u wanna flaunt u’re pretty face? And do you think that if u’re beautiful somebody will read ur blog even if its not worth reading and you’re talking nonsense?
You see why I get riled when I read things like this? It is so wrong! 🙁
I’d like to know what you think. Should beauty bloggers all be young and/or beautiful? Does not being young and/or beautiful preclude you from blogging about beauty? When you read a beauty blog, do you have it in your mind that the blogger should be young and/or beautiful?
I’m going to step up the plate and tell you that I think this pure and utter nonsense. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there are many aspects to beauty, not just the superficial common place perception of photoshopped beauty that is being doled out by the bucketloads by magazines, tv and the like. Every single one of us is beautiful even if we do not fit into the cookie cutter ideal of beauty. The key here is to look groomed. If you’re putting your face out there, looking groomed is already the first step to looking beautiful.
As for youth, it comes with it the attendant beautiful glowing skin, less hang ups, more imagination and perhaps courage to just get out there and do it without fearing repercussions. The more visible beauty bloggers are the younger ones who aren’t afraid to put themselves out there. Once you hit your 30s, and have more commitments, more social interactions in your life and just more responsibilities, you becomes less willing to be more “out there”. Speaking for myself of course 🙂 Please feel free to disagree.
Some of the best beauty blogs I’ve come across are written by “older” women who have an elegant beauty and who show us a more wearable, polished look which is how most of us would wear our makeup. They have more to share than just the conventional notion of a pretty face. And when they tell me about skincare products for older skin, I pay a little more attention because they would have been round the block longer, and lets face it, in your 20s you don’t need anti-aging skincare no matter what the brands say, so when a blogger in her 20s claims an anti-aging cream or serum works wonders, I just take it with a pinch of salt.
From the point of view of a “reader” and not a “skimmer” I prefer reading these blogs. I do not deny however, that in the main, many bloggers who focus on beauty fall into the “young and beautiful” category and to be honest, its sometimes daunting from an “older blogger” perspective. There will always be comparisons drawn in terms of looks, talent and courage; but I’d like to think that readers, as well as bloggers grow older and grow up and the older we get, the wiser we get and the less tolerance of giddiness we have. And perhaps then, that’s where the “older bloggers” like me fit into 🙂
Its not to say that young bloggers have no place in the beauty blogging world. There are matured young bloggers out there too as well as giddy “older” bloggers. There is a space for all of us because there are different niches that we fill. I just do not think that beauty blogging is the domain of the young and/or beautiful only to the exclusion of everyone else.
I remember that Sesame of Vivawoman asked this question on her blog a while ago. In light of Jen’s comment, I thought it would be interesting to get your views.
Your Say: Are beauty bloggers supposed to be all be young and/or beautiful? Is that your first thought/impression when you come across a beauty blog or blog primarily about beauty? Be honest. But be nice whichever side of the fence you sit on.
Paris B
p/s I’m not feeling insecure or upset that I’m not young and supermodel material (very happy with my age & how I look at this point of my life 🙂 ) but just upset that there are stereotypes like this persisting and infiltrating the blogging scene. Enjoying reading all your thoughts!
If all beauty bloggers were beauty queens, I won’t bother reading them anymore. How are you supposed to know how good something really is if the base (read: blogger) is already so perfect?
That’s so true! I completely agree.
That’s what I was gonna say! Beauty products are about solving problems most of the time. If you haven’t any then well… you’re not much good to oily, acne-prone me are you? Of course there are gorgeous bloggers out there who have rad makeup skills and have that value to share.
The key here I think is value.
The only bloggers I feel are pretty pointless are the ones who don’t give you anything back for the time you’re spending reading their blog. Those who, for example, say “I like this lipstick. It’s great!” and then post 20 pics of themselves pouting at the camera. No thanks and no revisit.
I would also like to add that bloggers who are less than attractive (and even those who are!) need to be self aware and conscious of what they’re putting out there. That they will be exposing themselves to negative comments and if they’re already rather fragile or insecure it may be better not to go down that route at all.
hey there! here’s the link 🙂
http://www.projectvanity.com/projectvanity/2012/2/16/too-ugly-to-have-a-beauty-blog.html
I like that bit about value, Kahani. It is terribly frustrating sometimes to come across a blog that you think might be helpful but after scrolling own the page you still haven’t found the information you need barring, as you have said 20 large photos of themselves making fish faces at the camera. What a waste of bandwidth 😛 And you’re right too about bloggers having to be self confident. Once you put yourself out there, you will likely attract the good and the bad, for what it’s worth!
Well said! I would still look at their pictures for makeup but for skincare, how would you be able to tell if anything works, if everything does eh? 🙂
Many of the most well-read blogs are written by “older” women, since they both have the wisdom to cover a wide range of topics and the means to actually run a beauty blog (and perhaps, the time). I don’t think being pretty or not has anything to do with being a beauty blogger. In the same vein, must magazine editors be pretty? We’re delivering opinions, not selling/marketing products!
In many ways, I have to agree with you Xiao especially re: means to run a beauty blog. Heaven knows, you and I know it doesn’t come cheap especially when we are out there emptying our wallets every time a new product/collection hits 😉 That said, you are a very pretty (and OMG young) beauty blogger with her head properly screwed on so you’re alright 😉
This messed up world of being overly-harsh and judgemental on how a woman should look, weigh and dress. What happens to brains and intelligence?
Because I’m a feminist, I say, NO. Be who you want to be, dress how you want to dress, weigh a healthy weight and for crying out loud, blog about anything you want to because it’s your passion and you want to have a voice. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do because it does not fit with society’s expectations. And that includes beauty blogging because everyone’s got at least ONE physical trait about themselves that they’re proud of. That’s how you’re beautiful.
(PS-If I ever chance upon anyone who tells anyone else they’re not beautiful enough, I’m putting on the sarkiest hat and starting with the comment: You very beautiful meh? Who died and made you God to judge?)
Sekian.
PPS-made my blood boil too
LOL Yes yes! I wanted to say the same thing you did – you very pretty meh? Very young meh? 😛 Some people just want to rock the boat, I’m aware but it sure made an interesting discussion topic 😉
I don’t blame you feeling upset about it. To say that only young and beautiful girls are allowed to run beauty blog is the biggest load of crap I’ve heard in awhile. If so, I won’t be running mine. Heh.
Plus, at the risk of being totally cliche, beauty is at the eye of the beholder, just because somebody isn’t cookie cutter beautiful, does that mean they aren’t beautiful to somebody else? What makes people so ready to judge whether or not you have the right to be a blogger based on something so subjective?
Ah bollocks. I’m so shocked I’m tongue tied.
LOL I’m sure you are both young and beautiful – we all are 😉 I think beauty is the worst thing to put a value on, because there are just so many aspects to beauty instead of just the one taken at face value, and even then, everyone will disagree if someone is actually considered beautiful or not. Why even go there?
I think beauty bloggers should enjoy what they’re doing and have a passion about any beauty related thing. Age and physical appearance is irrelevant. I love reading beauty blogs that are informative, have good quality pictures/swatches and most importantly, HONEST. Those are the 3 criterias that I look for in a beauty blog. Like I mentioned before, age and physical appearance is irrelevant.
People should “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Ohh I like your quote – People should “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” I think it very apt and beauty bloggers should be saluted for the time and effort they put into their passion and not condemed for not being young or pretty enough!
Aww that stinks. That really stinks. It annoys me to no end when I see comments like that. Who are you to define what beautiful is? It’s such a subjective adjective, beautiful.
A person’s appearance should not be the deciding factor on whether that person’s a beauty blogger or not. Okay, so I may not look good enough to do certain things. But what if I’m really good at doing manicures? Does that mean I shouldn’t blog about nails just because I don’t look on top to you?
I think with so many new and YOUNG bloggers coming up, the criteria for being a beauty/fashion blogger is now according to their rules. You’ve got to be young. You’ve got to be thin. Experience and intelligence be damned.
Ugh. This truly stinks >.<
Yep! As I just mentioned to another commentator, you can put a beautiful woman in a room with 10 people and have all 10 disagree on whether she is truly beautiful or not. Who are we to judge and why should we, right? And besides, we all have our passions and not everything needs a pretty youthful face. As you have mentioned, nails. I think most nail bloggers hardly ever show their faces at all but their nail art and nail polish application blow me away. I don’t even care what they look like! And I fully agree with you too about the new crop of young bloggers coming up. Its scary how everyone is struggling to fit into that “Look at me, I’m so cute with my coloured lenses and pouty lips and aren’t my eyes HUGE?” sigh…
oh god you make me laugh, Paris <3
😀 <3
I read beauty blogs mainly for product reviews so I don’t think how ‘beautiful’ the bloggers themselves are is going to affect me much. I have a problem discerning ‘beautiful’ people in real life anyways because everyone looks equal to me. With make up, everyone can appear ‘beautiful’, but there’s nothing like ‘make up’ for what’s inside 😉
I can resonate with “everyone looks equal”. I think i realized this as i became older and perhaps a bit wiser *i hope*. As i got older, i realized that everyone have weakness and strength and that everyone can be beautiful and that beauty is definitely not on the surface but goes deeper than that. Beauty comes from from the heart, beauty comes also in the way how a person express herself, carries herself, cares for others around her etc. It’s multi-faceted and definitely not limited to ‘young’ and ‘beautiful’. Showing act of kindness to oneself and others is an instant beauty boost that no makeup/youth/looks can be on par with . What era is this anyway. Sharing of information has never become easier than now with the internet and everyone has his/her choice and rights to share what comes from their heart.
Amen! I think though this acceptance and understanding is something that comes with age and a little wisdom. When we’re young, we’re idealistic. As I grew older, I became more realistic. I still have my ideals but at least I’m realistic enough to know some may never be achieved 😛
Aww I like your last statement – “With make up, everyone can appear ‘beautiful’, but there’s nothing like ‘make up’ for what’s inside” 😀 Also I stick to “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” 😛
Noooo definitely not. but a beauty blogger has to be presentable and carries herself well to a certain extent coz’ the readers look up to her sense and tips on style, beauty and health products. no one has the right to judge on who should or should not be a beauty blogger. at the end of the day is how popular the blog is… :))
I think you’re right about looking presentable at least, Jesslyn. Unless its to demonstrate how effective a hair straightening tool or product is, its best that we at least take the trouble to comb our hair and take some decent photos if we plan to put ourselves out there 🙂 Can’t trust someone who gives beauty tips if they look scruffy now, can we? 😉
I’m with you on that it’s purely utterly nonsense that beauty bloggers should be young, and pretty. When I read a beauty blog, the idea is to get some info on the products they’ve tried. How it would look and feel on their skin and if it’s worth trying them out. How or what they look like is of no importance to me at all. If that’s what I wanted, I would be reading those glossy magazines and looking at models. Having said that, I also feel that you need not be an expert to write a beauty blog. It’s all from the perspective of an average everyday person – which is what most of us are.
I think you nailed it, Norlin 🙂 Unless the blogger is an industry expert, we are all just average janes, trying to make sense of the big mad world of cosmetics out there and how we look or our age shouldn’t matter because there is a space for everyone 😀
I KNOW! it stinks and i had those moments before. like someone gave me a weird face when they heard ‘beauty blogger’. i wouldn’t say it’s embarrassing but i was really disgusted. just because i don’t look like a model then i cant blog about beauty????
It sucks to get that sort of reaction right? Its like they expect us all to be super models or something, when all we are, are your girl next door who enjoys talking about beauty!
No one is perfect I should say. Anyone can blog as long as they remain their integrity making their blogs to be worthy to READ. Although many are attracted by the looks of a person but if their personally is smelly? tsk…tsk…tsk…
I believe no one could run from critics including me, they see things differently like how we would. People could be harsh in criticizing but we also learn from imperfections which I’m thankful for because if its not so, I would learn as much too.
Not every bloggers write for their passion, they are getting extinct!
Oh yes sadly you are right. There are few bloggers out there who blog because they are passionate about their subject matter. For the most part, many are out to gain something. We will all have our critics and sometimes although words maybe harsh, there is some truth to it so I try to sift out that truth, not over react to the harshness and hopefully just try to improve 🙂
I value your blog posts and would like to share my views and opinions as well =)
Personally I appreciate the views and opinions of beauty bloggers, as they spend both time and energy (and money) giving us honest reviews and opinions, and try to help us with our never-ending beauty quest. It is not right for people to make such outrageous statements, and I am appalled that they have the audacity to say such things. Paris, please keep up the spirit, and do know that there are avid readers like me, who are truly grateful for your advice <3
Aww thank you Aryanne – I appreciate your kind words 🙂 I do think people who leave nasty comments that do not add value are truly nasty people at heart and should not be given the time of day. After all, if they truly feel that beauty bloggers have to be all young and beautiful, they can just ignore all those they deem unworthy! 😀
LOL. I really laughed at that comment. These things got me in the early days of my blogging but not anymore. Good if you’re young and beautiful but bravo if you’re old and not so beautiful and you’re blogging. Ha!
Truly beauty blogs should not be define by looks…it’s an insult to those who read the blogs too. Did whoever who left the comment meant older and not so beautiful women have no right to things of beauty??? Then can I say younger and beautiful bloggers have no right to blog about things about life? Some of them do blog about life inspirations on their beauty blogs but are they too young to be taken seriously?
I may not be so rational if it were directed at me but in many ways, I think we all blog on any topic, according to our interests and our experiences. A young one may have gone through life harder than we realize which does not preclude them from blogging about the harsh realities of life, just as an older woman is just as justified to talk about beauty and beautiful things. But you’re right. Its an insult to readers, as it is to every blogger out there – that was perhaps her intention LOL!
I don’t read a beauty blogger’s blog just because she is beautiful, i read it because i find it useful or because the blogger resonated with me and i like her writing style. It doesn’t matter if the blogger is 25 or 52, or if she has flawless skin or not, as long as she writes honestly, coherently and takes extra effort to produce high quality photos, count me a fan. I must stress that the aforementioned “high quality photos” includes a healthy mix of both product and the relevant how-does-it-look-on-me shots, not just photos of herself! A major pet peeve of mine is reading a blog full of that deer-in-the-headlights huge-eyed, thin-pouty-lipped pictures of themselves that has no relevance whatsoever to the post. One or two such photos once in a blue moon is fine, but littering every blogpost with those is abit too much. Their eyes not dry one meh? 😛 )
Like you say, there are no ugly women, only lazy ones. That’s what beauty blogging is all about, isnt it? 😉
I wholeheartedly agree! It’s the content that counts, not the looks!
Hear hear! 🙂
HAHA! OMG those “that deer-in-the-headlights huge-eyed, thin-pouty-lipped pictures” are mind boggling. Many of which are photoshopped within an inch of their lives. If that’s young and pretty, I’ll take my age and imperfections thank you 😀 As a reader, I read beauty blogs because I want to know about something or want to know what a person thinks. How they look like or how old/young they are doesn’t matter to me so long as they make sense 😛
In all honesty, I’m more inclined to read & be interested in a blog whose author looks something like a supermodel. If they’re dishing out beauty tips, I want to look like them! BUT I’m more inclined to trust an older or less attractive blogger. However, at the end of the day I like to read from someone in the same age bracket as me so looks really don’t have much to do with it.
It probably makes most sense to read/follow the blog of someone of the same/similar age or similar skin type because their experiences would be helpful and in this regard, I think youth and/or beauty would be quite irrelevant 🙂
it is sooooo sad how people can have this sick thinking on other people. no matter how they look, beauty bloggers should be honoured for time, work & knowledge & for actually willing to share theirs with us.
its like when a doctor falls ill, suddenly they cant give any health advice coz they r sick.
everyone is a human being, has their own uniqueness & traits, and i believe these are what making us all beautiful in our own ways.
Hear hear! 😀 I thought it sad too that people would make these sorts of generalization about beauty blogs. Maybe they thought “beauty” bloggers meant “beautiful” bloggers? LOL!
Wow! What an absurd comment that was! I read blogs (beauty and otherwise) written by bloggers of various ages but I do pay attention to those to blog about stuff that is relevant to me e.g. my skin type, skins concerns, favourite make up, etc. And I would honestly rather read a blogger who posts “real” photos of how something works on the skin rather than those who photoshop themselves to death. That’s not beauty blogging, that’s being a cam*****.
There will always be shallow people out there. Let’s not give them time of the day. There are far more important things in life!
Photoshop is such a touchy subject. Some people do it so well and most of us aren’t above brightening and adjusting colours in photos but I’ve also heard of bloggers who refuse to allow their faces to be put online unless they have first applied Photoshop to it. That’s sad right? To be that insecure. I would take the position to not put my face online at all, if that’s the case 😛 But you’re right. Too many shallow people, brought about by too many reality tv programmes perhaps 😉
I go for beauty blogger that is more experienced with her purchase (read: usually older and wise) and not just blog about beauty because everything looks “nice” and “cute” and “glam”. I love a blog with tips and honest opinion. That is the most important IMHO. 🙂
I think I like blogs that are a little more varied. I actually get bored reading post after post about beauty or new products or reviews whether from older or younger bloggers – its just more fun isn’t it? 🙂
I wish you have like button for comments! I love Hasegawa Ayane comment. Nothing can change beauty in the inside 🙂