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!
Nikki says
hi PB!!! You know what? I think I know who the readers are talking about! She/He/IT includes me in it! Why am I so happy that I’m still part of a circle (even ugly circle)? hahahaha
I’m glad I don’t have the “onion” skin but a “chicken” skin! *laughs*
Anyway, back to the topic, hats off to you for this blog post, blogging really is for everyone, there’s always an “X” mark on the upper right hand side of your computer screen if you dislike seeing the face of this certain “blogger” and I’ll stick to what I believe in…just like you, Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder, as long as we know our tiny li’l posts help people OUT there, I don’t care plastering my dark undereye circles or dry, cracked lips just to share to the world which products work for me and MAY work for them 🙂
Ahhh so many things to talk about, we have to meet again! LOL!!!!
jen says
yes ms. nikki! i read it on ms. liz’ post that somebody on twitter tweeted that u together w/ ms. liz & ms. shen(?) and few more bloggers too? don’t have the right to blog about beauty bcoz u’re not beautiful..:)
kahani says
Okay, I now totally want that link because I’m a curious miss.
Paris B says
Ahhh what a good quick catch up gossip session we had! I can’t believe there are nasty people like that – you’re young and beautiful 😀 And you are right. There is that X button for people who don’t want to read something. I employ it a lot. Just X it if you don’t Get it! 😉
JackieA says
I am neither young nor beautiful (my husband will strongly disagree, of course!!) and I have not once read a blog post and gone digging for a photo of the blogger behind the blog to verify her beauty and age……if THAT is a person’s standards by which a blog is judged, then he or she must be quite immature.
Paris B says
I’d disagree too because we are more harsh on ourselves than we should be 😉 And yes, I don’t bother finding out how a blogger looks like unless I’m really curious or am a big fan 😀
Yuki says
That’s nonsense… Beauty bloggers should come frm all walks of life! If all beauty bloggers were young, where would the older readers go to for reviews?
Paris B says
Haha good point! Us older bloggers will have to go hide in a forum somewhere? 😛
lynne says
Absolutely not. I read beauty blogs (and lots of them) for product reviews and other beauty-related information / discussions; if I wanted to see pictures of pretty girls I’d just buy a magazine! In fact, I’d actually prefer beauty / fashion blogs written by ladies who are usually considered only ‘average’ or ‘less-than-average’ looking, or ladies with supposedly ‘imperfect’ bodies (i.e. people who are not super model thin, with looong legs and/or tiny waists), because they reflect who I am, they share my ‘flaws’ and my same concerns! Similarly, I also prefer blogs written by ladies who share my skin type / body type / around my age range, especially those written by ‘non-professionals’ (i.e., people who are not full-time bloggers) because they typically have a lifestyle that I can relate to better (e.g. testing how products fare after long days in the office / budgetary concerns etc). All in all, I want to read a blog by someone I can relate to, not a beautiful ideal that I can only strive (but fail) to attain.
Paris B says
I fully agree with you on the criteria by which I pick the beauty blogs or any blog that I follow. Its easier to relate to someone who has the same concerns I do and how they surmount those concerns in the hope it’ll work for me too 🙂
jen says
i find it strange this blog allows same name/id to be registered.
i’m definitely not that ‘jen’ that wrote the remark.
but since i’m here..i would like to say..beauty is not compulsory but effort is.
before i go on, i will say this much, i’m probably your oldest subscriber here, maybe older than most of yr subscribers’ mothers!!
reason i sub to quite a few beauty blogs is it’s an easy way to be kept updated on new beauty products. unlike those days, relying only on printed promo in mags and such. i may be old but i still enjoy reading about it.
now back to topic..i’ve come across blogs ,unfortunately. mostly locals, where not much effort and thoughts have been put in the writeup and the pic.
mostly simple thing like running a comb thru yr hair before taking yr pic , ensure finger nails look decent before showing off the nail polish or skin is touch up before showing off lipstick or blusher or whatever.
things like ‘ pardon my hair/skin/me, am too lazy’ just don’t cut it.
i have since unsub from those blogs.
Paris B says
Hi Jen, why there are same/similar names is because I don’t “register” anyone’s name/ID 🙂 Its an open comment box unlike that in a forum where IDs are registered. That said, if indeed you are a more matured person reading my blog, I am truly truly honored! I’d say there’s never an age limit to beauty and that’s what makes it so much fun, unlike say fashion where even I am having trouble finding proper clothes in the market that do not make me look like a K-pop fan, a young teen or just trying too hard. With beauty, we can all wear the same lipstick regardless of age. Thanks for raising the point about taking the trouble to just make sure things look decent before posting up online. It reflects a lot on a person and how much attention they pay to their own appearance, or how they are perceived (or whether they care at all). I too can’t relate to them 🙂
VelvetP says
Absolutely detest the idea that beauty bloggers should be beautiful/young. Well, I guess the notion of ‘beauty’ extends beyond just looking good. Take Chizu Saeki for example, she’s very well-respected even though she’s definitely not classified under ‘youth’ anymore. Her skin looks 10 yrs younger than her biological age- (now, that’s a valuable secret all women wanna know!)
As a reader, I like to read honest, unbiased and ‘smart’ reviews of a product. I also think a beauty blogger would gain my respect if she recommends or knows ways of making one look like herself, but only better. 🙂
So keep on going with whatever you’re doing, Paris ! Plus, I think you fall under the category of ‘young and beautiful’.
Paris B says
Thank you for your thoughts, VelvetP 🙂 I didn’t know who Chizu Saeki is and had to look it up but boy! You are right! She looks so young and I’d definitely love to learn her secrets. No young ‘un could ever teach me that 😀 Thank you for the encouragement – I’m no longer “young” but I’d like to think I’m beautiful – let someone else disagree hehe… 😉
synical says
I don’t agree personally, but on the other hand, everyone is entitled to their opinion especially on the Internet.
There’s a saying that involves a certain part of the human anatomy, but I won’t go there 😛
Paris B says
Ok here I am cracking my head thinking about the anatomy but all I can think of is nothing I’d like to print here LOL 😛
synical says
If you can’t print it, then it’s probably the same thing, haha.
Paris B says
Too true 😛
beetrice says
If every blogger was a beauty queen, I wouldn’t bother – it’s about making the best of what you have, and if they’re all already flawless to begin with, there’s nothing I can learn from them except beat down the green-eyed monster (which is why I don’t read certain blogs to begin with!).
Besides, life is a lot more fun with variety right? 😀
Paris B says
Definitely! Variety is the spice of life right? When I was a kid, I asked my dentist if I should wear braces because I had one crooked tooth and everyone else wore braces. He told me that I didn’t have to because “Why do you want to look like everyone else?” And its stuck in my mind ever since!
Lily says
I think anonymity gives these people courage to leave hideous comments. Don’t they know we can see their IP addresses? A blogger friend closed down her blog because her haters diss her left right and centre. That is not only wrong. That is downright low. As a blogger myself, I do find it daunting to put my face out there. I am fortunate that I get lovely readers who leave motivating comments.
As a reader, the first thing I look for is quality of photos. I need to see the swatches clearly, or the product in question. Next will be style of writing. Then, it will be whether or not I can relate to her: similar taste in makeup or similar skin condition. The last thing I see is if she’s pretty enough. The blogs that I avoid like a plague are those that are super frilly, little girls with huge fake lenses and falsies that are thick enough to sweep the floor. I won’t diss those, to each her own.
Paris B says
The closing down of that blogger’s blog due to what is essentially cyber bullying, is very upsetting. And yes, putting one’s face out there, really inviting criticism, is a daunting task, which you do well 😉 I’m really picky about the blogs I read too but its is across all genres not just beauty where for me, content is key and the primary thing I focus on. There are blogs I read that have no pictures at all, but which I return to over and over, because I enjoy what they dish out 🙂
Stacie says
I am an older video maker and blogger. I think that women of all ages have good information to share. I enjoy many styles of blogs from women of all ages. I don’t care what the woman looks like as long as the information shared is what interests me and is reliable.
Thanks for doing a post on this topic!
Stacie
Paris B says
Hi Stacie, you’re absolutely right. So long as someone has information to share the we can all benefit from, there’s no need to have superficiality blur all that. Keep on blogging and vlogging!
Sue says
That’s such a nasty and immature comment! I agree when you say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Honestly, I started taking care of my skin because I want to look presentable and I read and follow blogs that I can relate too rather than following a blog because the blogger is pretty. Really! Why do people make such immature comment?!
Paris B says
I think the person who made the comment was just trying to stir up trouble. Taking care of our skin is a good first step and I think the wealth of information out there on the Internet is very helpful no matter how old the person sharing is or how she looks. Whats important is how helpful the information is to us. 🙂
Honey says
Oh Paris, looks like you hit the nail on this topic! I’m probably in the same category as Jen “older than most of your subscriber’s mother” but heck I’m still as interested in make up and skin care products as I was when I was a teenager.
I follow beauty blogs for its contents, and like someone said it must resonate with me. Of course it doesn’t hurt if the blogger is pretty as well, however if the contents are crap, it is not going to hold anyone’s interest for long.
I like that bloggers are normal people and I truly applaud them for their passion and effort to post reviews, tutorials and what nots, and salute them for showing their “bare face before make up” look. For product reviews I tend to trust bloggers (the ones whose opinions I value) rather than adverts, as you well know Paris! In that sense, sponsored bloggers are also not up my alley. On the age issue, a too young blogger can’t resonate with me!
Paris B says
Aww Honey, as I told Jen, I’m very honored to have more matured readers reading and contributing because there is no age limit to beauty! We can wear the sAme lipstick as a 20 year old and still rock the look which isn’t quite the same with fashion, urgh! I too go for content more than just looks. I read some blogs by some young girls and their content is so engaging and matured that it doesn’t matter how old they are. In this day and age, there will be a lot of sponsored content out there. The trick is to sift through it and pick out what you may find useful, but I have to admit its getting harder and harder to do that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! 🙂
Phoenix says
IMHO, the reason i started following beauty blogs was purely based on my interest in finding out more about beauty products, by reading reviews & viewing swatches on beauty blogs.
And i accept that everyone has their own unique kind of beauty & i haf no interest to judge whether they are beautiful or not bcoz everyone has a different standard on what is beautiful. That said, i read quite a lot of beauty blogs nowadays & yes, i do admit that i also enjoy admiring some ‘young & beautiful’ blogger’s FOTDs but that is not a prerequisite for me to enjoy reading the blog.
But the beauty blogs which attract me the most are the ones with detailed & honest reviews, great quality product pictures, & an enjoyable read overall. The look of the blogger doesn’t make a blog more attractive to me. It’s the personality of the blogger that matters to me, & of coz, if they happen to be young & beautiful, that’s a bonus & i’m happy for them.
And…i seriously think blogging is not the same as magazines or TV commercials. We the normal consumer just want someone who looks like us, thinks like us & relate more to us to give their opinions on a particular product. That’s the real reason why i refer to beauty blogs rather than magazines on whether a product is worthy to enter my lemming list or not. Real people with real looks are more credible!
Great topics to ponder upon again Paris! =) That’s why you’re one of my FAVE beauty blogs. And btw, i never considered u as an ‘older blogger’…it’s all in the mind, you are as young as u think u are. 😉 Sorry for the long essay here, just my 2 cents worth…=P
Paris B says
I love getting long comments from readers hehe, so thank you Phoenix! 🙂 like you, I read beauty blogs for information Or to learn something and thats more important to me – that I take away something or at least enjoy my visit and many vood bloggers, young and old are successful at that. I think beauty transcends age because we can all be beautiful at any age and still love taking care of ourselves at any age and that’s the point that clearly the person in the comment doesn’t understand. Pity isn’t it? Oh and thank you, I don’t think I’m old either – forever young!! 😉
Jyoan says
Of course not! I have older ladies in my list of readings! As in really mature bloggers. And I don’t think there is anything wrong. I read them because what they write is truthful, and insightful. Truthful is always one of those things I look out for because I guess one of big reasons we turn to online is to get away from advertisements that tell a bunch of beautiful lies.
If the content is helpful to me, in the sense, they write things that I can use/add on to my life, I read. I am pretty sure everyone is capable of writing useful things as long as they make the effort. Truth and insightful content are not look-dependent results.
Paris B says
I think we have something to learn from anyone no matter their age. Of course, if they are older, it would also mean they’ve even around longer and have more to teach us. That said there are also immature older women and mature young ones. As you said, if the content is good, why care about age or looks 🙂
Ling says
Young and beautiful? Dayum! I gotta stop blogging then, haven’t I?! *mucho sarcasm intended*
To be honest, I like all kinds of beauty blogs from young (teenagers) to younger (40-onwards) 😛
As for being beautiful, I believe beauty comes from within and like you said, we are all beautiful – in our own special individual unique ways!
Paris B says
Haha you’re a young ‘un Ling 😛 I like reading any blog that is a good entertaining read or informative. That’s got nothing to do with age or looks right? 😉
sharon says
the person who commented that beauty bloggers who arent pretty enough are not qualified to blog, is definitely an ugly toad himself or herself. Beauty comes from within and that beauty is priceless. Grace is also part of beauty which many people seem to be lacking in….I think this person should reflect in his or her own pee since all mirrors would be smashed by the ugliness of this being..
Paris B says
You’re right, Sharon. We see less and less of grace these days. People think they can say anything, never mind that it hurts the feelings of others, because they are protected by anonymity or because they feel they are entitled. There are nice ways of saying something and that is a dying art!
Rahainah says
I mainly go to beauty blogs when I want to read reviews on products I’m interested in getting. So basically I’m aiming for informative kinda beauty blog with the product’s pictures/swatch/etc of course. And to me I’m more interested in the product, not the wearer which the product is applied on. So saying this, beauty is secondary to my when subscribing to beauty blogs. As long as the picture qualities are excellent with good information on the product then it’s enough.
To me it’s mean when judging a beauty blog, the blogger must be a beauty. Like you said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there are many aspects to beauty”—I really agree with this. To me women with confident, is much more beautiful than any beauty queens compiled together.
Paris B says
I have to agree with you! Most of us who read blogs go to blogs because we want information. We don’t have to know if the blogger is beautiful or young for if so, where would those seeking info on aging creams and wrinkle creams go eh? 😉 perhaps the person thought a beauty blogger meant a beautiful blogger and if so, she probably isn’t in a position to comment heh
Hanny says
What is this nonsense? Whoever who judges a “beauty blog” in this manner should just go hang themselves, really. Perhaps their comprehension of the term is wrong, as in a blog of a person’s “beauty”?
I’ve known several of such blogs of girls just… buying stuff and posing “cutely” with their products because they are young, svelte and pretty. In fact, there are some who just do it and get so many PR packages. It is just sickening. Whatever happened to the pure joy of trying everything and sharing anything that you come across?
We all need to know that the beauty of the person does not reflect on the products they use or whatever makeup techniques they utilize, but how they were BORN with. I was never born fair and thin, does that mean that this new cleanser for oily skin won’t work for me?
The load of logic in the minds of people nowadays just… baffles me.
Paris B says
Ah these days it’s a matter of how many freebies can my blog get me, not how can my trial process help another person. Sad but that’s how it is. A lot of beauty comes from self confidence and sometimes, just knowing your best angle when taking photos. The latter is the hardest. Sigh
Elaine says
Q: Are beauty bloggers supposed to be all be young and/or beautiful?
A: Absolutely not. Beauty-blogging is for ANYONE out there who has the passion for it.
Paris B says
Amen, sister! 😉
Issa says
Awww, this is crap… I know who these bloggers they were referring to because I’m an avid reader of those blogs. But why am I reading their beauty blogs if according to that someone they are not beautiful? Because I am not after the looks of the blogger, I am after the content of what they are writing. Besides, these bloggers are there to help us on our skin concerns so how can they address this if they are perfectly beautiful and young? Everyone has the right to become a beauty blogger if they want to.
Paris B says
I got the low down Issa 😉 All the bloggers in question Re undoubtedly beautiful ladies who are very generous in sharing their knowledge and I do think the comment SA sun called for. Besides, I think the world would be a really boring place if all our beauty information was restricted to just the young and gorgeous. I’d probably feel terribly insecure as I age!