I would love to know how that crazy industry affected your sense of body image / if you experienced any sort of hyper fixation on how your body looked? Maybe this didn’t affect you at all but anyways.. I would be curious to know !
Is there any hope for small brands like mine to get noticed? I launched a luxury throw pillow line (www.fairhavencircle.com) for the sole purpose of preserving dying textile traditions in India. I’ve gotten a ton of feedback that my pillows are stunning and the quality in line with top brands like Schumacher and Kravet. And yet, cutting through the noise is so hard. What do we do? How can we get noticed? Is there any hope? How do we compete with the ad budgets of big brands when influencers are asking $5K for blog posts and an also staggering number for instagram content? Is there a platform to find influencers who want to “do good” and support brands with a mission? Mine is small batch, artisan made, with an emphasis on the provenance of the craft. So much of what we do is environmentally conscious. We have zero waste. The water we use is recycled into the construction industry. Our printing processes don’t pollute drinking water. Our cotton is sourced via the Better Cotton Initiative. All amazing things that are hard to do as a small company on a shoestring, self-funded budget, but nobody is hearing about us. Would love your thoughts!
In line with another question that was asked, how much stuff did you actually accumulate vs. return? Did you have a massive closet? Is there any way to do it without constantly buying new new new?
I watch very few influencers now and I'm mostly curious about the cognitive dissonance (how do you grapple with your contribution to overconsumption?) though clearly that thought process is what led to you getting out of influencing, so not sure there's any value in a question like that...if they're still influencing, unlikely that it's something they're interrogating very deeply?
I’d love to know about the bulk of influencing: the sheer amount of clothes and products you felt compelled to buy, try-on, potentially return? What about things you were sent that you knew you would receive? What about random items you got sent? What did you do with leftovers? How did you manage all the physical STUFF that I imagine adds up overtime. How much would we not even see that just sits unused?
I’d love thoughts on the influencing space and feminism. Does it feel like being an influencer helps promote or limit feminism? On one hand to me it has always felt like it gives many women many voices that are heard, mostly to audiences of other women. On the other hand, the monetary side of it, while profitable for the individual influencer, always feels like it is more profitable for men running retail corporations.
Are all influencers supportive of each other or is there a lot of hierarchy and cutthroat behavior behind the scenes? Or is it more isolated and not a lot of interaction with each other?
I would love to know about the entire phenomenon of being a style influencer. Back in the day when it first began I thought it was so random and enjoyed the links to styles I liked. Now I look at it as a scam. Are there any honest influencers? I'd love to know the WHOLE story.
I'm so happy I found you on Substack! I love reading about your no buy journey; I deleted Instagram and am amazed at how much less I am tempted to consume now. Anyway, I would love to know how deals are negotiated with brands and how much of the stuff shared is actually "LOVED"! Are there things you actually did love? What is the line for sharing something with your followers that you might not recommend to a friend?
I would love to know how that crazy industry affected your sense of body image / if you experienced any sort of hyper fixation on how your body looked? Maybe this didn’t affect you at all but anyways.. I would be curious to know !
Is there any hope for small brands like mine to get noticed? I launched a luxury throw pillow line (www.fairhavencircle.com) for the sole purpose of preserving dying textile traditions in India. I’ve gotten a ton of feedback that my pillows are stunning and the quality in line with top brands like Schumacher and Kravet. And yet, cutting through the noise is so hard. What do we do? How can we get noticed? Is there any hope? How do we compete with the ad budgets of big brands when influencers are asking $5K for blog posts and an also staggering number for instagram content? Is there a platform to find influencers who want to “do good” and support brands with a mission? Mine is small batch, artisan made, with an emphasis on the provenance of the craft. So much of what we do is environmentally conscious. We have zero waste. The water we use is recycled into the construction industry. Our printing processes don’t pollute drinking water. Our cotton is sourced via the Better Cotton Initiative. All amazing things that are hard to do as a small company on a shoestring, self-funded budget, but nobody is hearing about us. Would love your thoughts!
In line with another question that was asked, how much stuff did you actually accumulate vs. return? Did you have a massive closet? Is there any way to do it without constantly buying new new new?
I watch very few influencers now and I'm mostly curious about the cognitive dissonance (how do you grapple with your contribution to overconsumption?) though clearly that thought process is what led to you getting out of influencing, so not sure there's any value in a question like that...if they're still influencing, unlikely that it's something they're interrogating very deeply?
I’d love to know about the bulk of influencing: the sheer amount of clothes and products you felt compelled to buy, try-on, potentially return? What about things you were sent that you knew you would receive? What about random items you got sent? What did you do with leftovers? How did you manage all the physical STUFF that I imagine adds up overtime. How much would we not even see that just sits unused?
I’d love thoughts on the influencing space and feminism. Does it feel like being an influencer helps promote or limit feminism? On one hand to me it has always felt like it gives many women many voices that are heard, mostly to audiences of other women. On the other hand, the monetary side of it, while profitable for the individual influencer, always feels like it is more profitable for men running retail corporations.
In regards to non disclosed ads, are there known punishments for this? What are the consequences? Are they being implemented?
Are all influencers supportive of each other or is there a lot of hierarchy and cutthroat behavior behind the scenes? Or is it more isolated and not a lot of interaction with each other?
I would love to know about the entire phenomenon of being a style influencer. Back in the day when it first began I thought it was so random and enjoyed the links to styles I liked. Now I look at it as a scam. Are there any honest influencers? I'd love to know the WHOLE story.
I'm so happy I found you on Substack! I love reading about your no buy journey; I deleted Instagram and am amazed at how much less I am tempted to consume now. Anyway, I would love to know how deals are negotiated with brands and how much of the stuff shared is actually "LOVED"! Are there things you actually did love? What is the line for sharing something with your followers that you might not recommend to a friend?
So interested in all of it! For myself and a mother to a fifteen yr old girl who is directly affected by social media.