The other night a friend and I were talking about how my knowledge of the influencer industry has helped me excel at work. She told me, “I honestly can’t stand [influencers],” and I immediately got defensive. Between my 9-5 job and my own blog, I’d say I spent 75% of my day in the influencer space. I’m constantly brainstorming content, writing notes in my phone, planning outfits, and reading other’s blog posts. I make half of my favorite purchases from recommendations I see on Instagram and plan my trips based on saved photos.
Yet, I think there’s are two common misconceptions about influencers that give the industry a bad reputation. The first being that it’s too easy. “All they do is post their outfits on Instagram. It’s so easy I could do it.” The second is the idea that influencers are in it to make money. Yes, there are plenty who are, but I think these generalizations downplay what (largely,) women have been able to do.
We’ve created an industry out of nowhere. Whether it’s being a fashion blogger, a fitness blogger, a mommy blogger, or a blogger who tells other women how to be bloggers, women have created a space where they can share their opinions, be home with their children while bringing in an income, and pursue passions they weren’t able to with their 9-5. Not only that, but they’ve changed how businesses work. Every day at work our clients ask us about digital/social strategy and if they should be using influencers. Influencers can tell a brand narrative, they’ve created their own businesses and product lines, and they are continuously driving business by reaching women with purchasing power.
Everything influencers are capable of doing for business and for themselves is cool, but the biggest perk of the “influencer industry” for me is the inspiration. When I went into college I was studying business. I knew I wanted to be successful and set a good foundation for myself and business seemed like a safe bet. I ended up transferring because I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. I always had a creative side and I loved the communication field but I was afraid to pursue it. After a year and a half of accounting and math classes, I transferred to a new school to pursue a public relations degree. One year later I started my blog. I’ve upgraded my camera gear and tried to improve my photography, I’ve gone way out of my comfort zone, I’ve traveled more, I’ve been able to share my opinions on everything from where to get the best donuts in DC to how to prepare for your first job, and I would absolutely attribute it to bloggers. Being able to read about someone else’s journey and to see people find success doing what they love is amazing. In support of influencers, I wanted to share some of the most inspirational and helpful blog posts I’ve read from some inspiring ladies.
“Why I Don’t Wear the Most Flattering Clothes” – Allie is not only my go-to photographer, but the reason I bought this dress. She wrote this amazing post about bashing the idea of “flattering” because it implies that you should always be trying to look skinny. I have always been 100% guilty of this and always shopped for my body type. After reading this post I felt so inspired to say “f*** it I’m going to wear what I want.” I bought this dress on a total whim, and ended up loving it.
“My Favorite NYC Photography Locations” – Blair’s pictures will make you fall in love with New York. Her outfits are fun, her locations are dreamy, and the lack of tourists and commuters makes you forget about the hustle and bustle of the city. I’ve been absolutely loving her Instagram + blog lately.
“How to Make Product Collages for Your Blog” – Carly’s is one of the first blogs I started reading. Her posts like this made me believe I could be a blogger myself. I read her posts daily, but I refer back to this page ALL the time. It’s helped me with photoshop basics work and my own blog.
Gal Meets Glam – I couldn’t pick a specific blog post from Julia but she is one of my greatest inspirations. I listened to her interview with James Fohr and her whole philosophy was essentially, “this is something I’m interested, I’m going to go for it.” She went for it and she’s built up a following of over 1 million, created her own clothing line, and constantly creates the most beautiful content. Her travel posts are some of my favorites and I especially loved all of her Mallorca content. BRB, booking plane tickets to Spain.
Photos by Allie Provost
Shop the outfit: Dress, shoes, earrings are Kate Spade from Rocksbox, use code “fashionandfernwehxoxo” for your first month free.
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