2018 has been one of the most emotionally difficult years of my life. Torrential rains that threatened major work projects. An emotionally abusive freelance client. Overworking. Being cyber bullied to the point of panic attacks. The death of my grandmothers. Illness. Political and interpersonal turmoil. On a practical level, I can acknowledge that there have …
Blogging business
How personal style is affected by influencer culture
If you’ve been around StyleWise for awhile, you’ll recall that I humbly ask you to fill out my (brief!) reader survey each year. It really helps me decide how to prioritize content, what subjects to delve more deeply into, and get to know you (as an anonymous group) better. And if you look through previous …
Why there’s animosity and distrust between influencers and brands, and how to achieve a better relationship.
Simplify. Consider. Research. Shop with Intention. These are buzzwords in the ethical fashion niche. And they are said with authenticity and heart. But they are also crazy-making. People often use these words in tandem with an idea that removing things from their life and being more thoughtful in their purchasing will make them better friends …
The fair trade system was created to address the root causes of global poverty and income inequality by advocating on behalf of marginalized workers – mostly women – and creating economic infrastructure to aid in long term, sustainable employment. Because the fair trade system as we know it grew out of Western, mostly white, charity …
Why I Wish I Could Quit Instagram At the end of last year, I watched Ingrid Goes West. Starring Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, Ingrid Goes West is about an emotionally dysfunctional woman named Ingrid who upends her whole life to befriend an influencer named Taylor, who she “met” through Instagram. If you spend a …
The Package Free Shop in New York, taken on my July visit Hey! Remember when I asked you all to take my annual Reader Survey? Sorry for never updating you on the results of that. Know that I’ve been referring to your short answers regularly as I plan posts. I’ll get into the details of …
The Ethics of Blogging When I use the term ethical blogger, what do you think of? I use it to mean bloggers who write about ethics, and more specifically those who subscribe to and promote a conscientious consumer lifestyle. This, admittedly, reveals a specificity in meaning that isn’t apparent at all by the term itself. When …
FTC Disclosure Rules for Influencers Did you know it’s the law for bloggers and influencers to disclose, clearly and prominently, when they were paid or received free product in exchange for writing a blog post? Well, it is. That’s why I write “This post was sponsored by [company] and I received a free product for …