Belle’s Weekly Reading: Insomnia Edition
Jun 20, 2014
It’s late, and I’m wired. Helpful. Let’s blog!
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1) The fine folks at Mattel have released the “Career of the Year” Barbie for 2014: Entrepeneur Barbie. In addition to the doll, the brand is launching a campaign to encourage young girls to be #unapologetic about having big dreams.
2) Zara has great shoes. I love these pink flats with straps. These red, high-heel sandals are the definition of “hot.” I also like these magenta d’Orsay heels.
3) It’s June, that means it’s time for the Supreme Court to wrap up its business for the year. There are several important cases that have yet to be decided, Gawker has the list.
4) The Beauty Department has a tutorial on how to apply blush (which I guess I have been doing wrong, ruh roh). I loved their tips on applying cream brush. I’d never seen anyone apply it with a brush before, so I rushed out to pick up a new cream blush and the right kind of brush.
5) Last week, we talked about the salaries of the top fashion and lifestyle bloggers. One of the bloggers discussed in the article, Erin Gates from Elements of Style, has gone on record regarding her real earnings and the reaction to the article.
I also liked this post from The REWM discussing blog earnings and ethics. While I don’t agree with all of her points, I do agree that if you see a piece of clothing or jewelry on a blog, and you like that piece enough to buy it, does it really matter if the blogger got it for free or discounted?
6) I needed a pair of earrings to wear to a wedding reception, so I went immediately to Nordstrom’s under-$50 section. I found these sleek linear drop earrings, and these long drop earrings with semi-precious stones (lots of great colors).
7) Medium.com has a story about Worldreader, a program that supplies Ghanaian children with e-readers. It’s fascinating to read about the benefits and challenges of using technology in the developing world.
8) How much did you love the Lanvin dress from yesterday? Don’t miss this Adam Lippes crepe gown. Sometimes, simpler is better.
I really don’t understand why people are so upset over the issue of affiliate links. I’ve lost count of the number of things I’ve bought upon your recommendation (I picked up Newman’s Own pineapple salsa at the grocery store last weekend and you were right, it’s delicious!) and I continue to do so because 9 times out of 10 I love whatever it is you recommended or simply mentioned. You’re basically doing all the work for me, finding products and items I love that I might never have discovered on my own. So why shouldn’t you (and all fashion bloggers) get compensated for that?
That salsa is so good. I ran out of chips a few days ago and made tacos just so I could keep eating it. Addict?
Just keep rinsing yourself that pineapple is fruit and tomatoes are chockfull of lycopene. Therefore, it’s a healthy addiction!
Agreed. I think the points Belle and others have made in defense of blogs’ business models have been really sound. I’m convinced.
I also totally believe it that the million dollar estimates critics have associated to individual bloggers are based on some bad math, as Erin over there was saying.
What’s more, let’s say all these women *were* suddenly millionares. If a bajillion dollars in new sales are being generated for companies when they blog, who but the bloggers should more be benefiting from that windfall? It’s a bit like saying professional athletes make too much. As long as the team earns bajillions of dollars every year, who’s more directly worthy than the athletes to benefit from that? The owners?
(Not a perfect analogy because I don’t know much about the sports business.)
Anyway, power to ’em.
Thanks for the link to the post from Elements of Style. I definitely had raised eyebrows after reading that same article on bloggers making millions. Makes you wonder how much everyone really does make…
Style by Joules
As long as everything is disclosed, I have no ethical problem. I do want it disclosed though. Because who’s to say you wouldn’t have recommended something else I’d like even more, and/or that cost less? The reader trusts you to do the legwork, rather than to simply recommend what catches your eye (because it’s being sent to you by the manufacturer).
Even if it is disclosed, however, you lose cred with some readers. Why do you think I read you instead of Corporette? Sometimes it seems she has more sponsors per post than products!
Wouldn’t it be awesome if fashion magazines also disclosed when they’ve been gifted a product?
…But yes, I like when it’s mentioned, and I think you do it in a very genuine way. And personally, I don’t read Corporette, because it feels so impersonal.
The problem with affiliate links can be:
When the blogger raves on and on about something that is complete and utter crap purely to generate revenue.