Rebecca Parker final dissertation

Rebecca Parker-BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism-Level 6-2014-15-Dissertation
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Introduction and review of existing research
Journalismpracticeswithinthe fashionindustryare beingchallenged bythe growthof the fashion
bloggingcommunity.The advancementof technologyhasallowed‘everyday’peopletoaccessthe
toolsto participate inanonline dialogue.Predominantly,youngfemalesare utilisingthe internetby
meansof sharingtheirthoughtsandopinionsonstyle andfashion,whetheritbe catwalkorhigh
street.Thishasmeantthat bloggershave takenonthe role of citizenjournalistsandhave become a
source of information.Withthisinmind,fashionbrandsandcompaniesare beginningtocollaborate
withbloggersasa meansof disseminatingtheirproductstoa massaudience.Brandsare noticing
the influence of bloggersandthe networkstheyconnectwith,sharingtheirpersonalopinionsand
reachingoutto a likemindedcommunity.Brandsare now realisingthe mutual benefitof using
bloggersasadvertising- beingable tocreate more awareness,andbloggers tobe able to buildtheir
ownonline presence.The increasingpopularityinblogreadershipoverthe pastseveral yearsmeans
that bloggersare nowactingas a collective force thathasthe powertoinfluence consumers.
From thisitcan be argued that fashionbloggersare alteringthe stereotypical notionsof fashion
journalismand opposingthe ideathatitisonlyaccessible viamagazines. Thisdissertationwill seek
to investigatethe waythatfashionbloggershave startedtoutiliseonline mediumsasa wayof
presenting‘news’andthe waytheyact as citizenjournalists. The keytopicishow fashionbloggers
have contributedtothe change intraditional fashionjournalismpractices.
There are several researchquestions thatwill emergefromexistingresearchtohelpfocusonkey
topicareas.They are as follows:
How do fashion bloggersact as citizenjournalists?
Fashionbloggershave joinedthe ever increasingamountof people creatingcontentforonline with
the purpose of creatinginteractivity. Posner(2011,p.18) statesthat “blogsare one of the fastest-
growingareasof whathas become knownasconsumer-generatedmedia.Bloggersare sharing

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opinionsandbrand experiences.”Theirseeminglycommentpiecesappearlikeareview,butfashion
bloggersare startingto be seenas membersof the fashionpress,oftencreatingarticlesfromfashion
showsthey’ve beeninvitedtoorpresslaunchesof new and upcomingbrands. Analysisof research
will lookatthe difference between bothnew andestablished bloggersandtheirrole as citizen
journalists withinthe fashionindustry. Myresearchshows thatestablishedbloggersadhere tomore
newsworthycriteriaandthusensure ahigherlevelof credibility.
Accordingto Posner,(2011, p.30) fashionbloggingactsasa “social processwhere individualsor
groupscan exchange products or informationwitheachother.” Writersof blogsofferfirsthand
experiencesand are able topresenttheirfindingsassoonastheyare written,providingreadersand
potential consumerswithfast pacednews. Howeveritisalsoimportantto considerthe validityof
fashionblogging.The growthof the numberof postspublishedeachday isincreasingatan
exponential rate.Itispossible thatnotall of these canbe consideredtoadhere toestablished
notionsof newsvalues.Thisrelatestothe previouspointaboutbloggercredibility. Thisdissertation
will lookatthe credibilityand validityof bloggersactingascitizenjournalistssimultaneously.
From initial researchitcanbe saidthat fashionbloggersused tobe seenaslessimportantthan high
endfashionmagazinesbecause“the fashionindustrywasawalled-off community of designers,
editorsandretailers.Informationwasembargoed.Showswere notlive-streamed.Accesswasgiven
grudgingly.”(Givhan,2014) Howeverthisdissertationwill lookatthe waybloggersare startingto
transformtraditional journalismpractices. Theyare fullyaware of the fluctuatingprocessof
journalism,fromconventional printedmediumstoonline,andfindthemselvesinthe generationof
technicallysophisticateddigital users.
How do fashion bloggersdifferfrom fashion journalists?
My initial researchshowsthatfashionbloggersandfashionjournalistsdifferintermsof style.
Fashionbloggers,accordingtoGivhan,(2014) are able to“initiate areal-time conversation…In their

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wordsand images,there wasanearnestand raw truth that doesnottraditional outlets.” Itappears
to be that fashionbloggersintendtoconveypersonal opinionwhereasfashionjournalistsaimtoact
as an authoritative source of factual information.Bradford,(2015) statesthat “integrity, expertise,
and havinga consistentvoice orpointof view thataudiencesrecognise”meansthatfashion
journalistshave establishedthemselvesascredible source of information.
Fashionbloggersalsofreelycollaboratewithbrandsanddesigners,byprovidingsponsoredpostsor
reviewsof items thathave beengiftedtothem“tobuildstrongrelationshipsandhelpgain
exposure.”(Phelps,2014) Researchdemonstrateshow brandsare workingcloselywithbloggersas
theyhelptoprovide consumersapreview of trendsandstylesaswell asclothingtheyhave tooffer.
Researchalsoshowshowbrandsand magazinesharbour relationshipbasedonmutual gain,with
magazinesfeaturing“advertisementsforapparel,cosmeticsandaccessories.”(Stone,2004) Fashion
bloggersare exposingthisrelationshipandinsteadare alteringtraditional practicesbypromoting
objectivity.
How have fashionjournalism practices changed?
“In the past fewyears,the fashionindustryhasbeenseriouslyshakenupbya new generation
of influencers:the bloggers.We’ve brokenthe hierarchyrules,takenfrontrow seatsat
runwayshowsand are poisedtotake a large piece of the majormarketingandadvertising
budgetsfromindustry-leadingbrands.”
(Ziv,2011)
Bloggershave brokendownbarriersestablishedbyrecognisablefashionmagazinesandhave started
to create a new,digital mode of distributing information. Althoughmagazineshave alsostartedto
transfersome of theirnewsonto websites,bloggershave the advantage of beingable togive real
and humanexpression.“The distance betweenthe establishmentandfashion’sonce-dazzling
revolutionarieshasnarrowed,andthere isminimal distinction betweenthem,”(Givhan,2014)
meaningthatfashionbloggersare alsobeingviewedascredible sourcesof information. However

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Phelps (see appendices1) saysthatbrands still use traditional advertisementplacementin
magazinesasa primarysource of productplacement:
“We are currentlyrunningcampaignadvertsinLookmagazine.We feltthese magazineswerea
goodstepfor us and to see if salesworkwhenadvertisinginaphysical magazine.Sofarthe adverts
have givenusverygoodfeedback.”
(Phelps,2014)
Thiscan depicthowbrandand bloggercollaborationisstill arelativelynewphenomenon,muchthe
same as publishingnewsonline isinitsentiretyandissomethingthatisstill being studied.Through
analysingresearchfrombothbrands,bloggersandfashionmagazinesitwill be possible toexplore
whetherbloggers areshapingtraditional journalismandadvertisingpractices.
Despite the positivesof bloggergrowth,
“as social mediacontinuestoevolve,the linesbetweenPRandadvertisingcontinuetoblur.PRand
marketingagenciesoftensee bloggersasfree manpower,creatingnew typesof user-generated,
and content-drivenmarketingcampaigns.”
(Ziv,2011)
PR and marketingcompaniesthatworkforbrandsoftenmanipulate somebloggersdesirefor
‘freebies’.Theywill giveoutsamplesof clothesforfree inreturnforareview.Whilstthiscreates
instantaneouscontent,itcanmeanthat bloggersopinionsmaynotbe entirelyunbiased.Conversely
thiscan also be appliedtorecognisable fashionmagazines.Tosome extenttheiraccesstoshows
and collectionsisdependentonpreservingamutuallyadvantageousrapportbetweenthe two.This
dissertationwill explore thisissueinmore depthandanalyse the use of fashionbloggersasa PR tool
or whetherbloggersdoactas journalistsinthe sense of providingunbiasedreviewsandcomment.

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Research methods
There are numerousmethodswhichcanbe usedto collect research;howeverthe primarymethod
will be a qualitativeapproachinthe formof interviews.
Interviewswillbe conductedwithvaryingdifferentpeople togainaninsightintoeachof the
researchquestions.Thiswill include interviewingbloggerstolearnhow they definebothfashion
bloggingandfashionjournalismandhow theyare similarorhow theydiffer.
In relationtothisinterviewswill alsobe conductedwithfashionjournalistsandeditorsinorderto
provide anequal balance of traditional journalismpracticesandemergingjournalismpractices.The
same questionswillbe askedtojournalistsandeditorsinordertodetermine the differencesin
opinion,incontrasttofashionbloggers,orwhethertheyshare the same ideas.
Editorsand journalistsfromfashionmagazineswillalsobe beneficial tosee how they view the
controversial topicof magazine decline andwhethertheyfeel thatitisan issue of concern.Itwill
alsohelpto see whethertheyviewbloggersasa threat,or if theyare advantageoustotheir
journalismpractices.
Social networkinggroups,suchasThe BloggersLounge,whichactsas hub forgroupsof bloggers
wouldalsobe a good ideaastheyoftenhelptolinkbrandsand bloggerstogethertoworkon
content. It maybe possible todetermine whatsortof contentispromotedonthe groupand
whetherthisadherestotraditional journalismpractices,orif itfeaturesmore personal content.
Secondlycontentanalysisof several differentblogs (bothestablishedandnew bloggers)willalso
helptoanalyse howbloggerstargettheirreadership andif theyinclude journalismconventions.
The analysis will lookatthe followingaspects:
 Clearheadlines
 Links

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 The use of chunking
 Appropriate image use
 Textdrivencontent
 Sub-sections
 Interviewees/quotations
 Terminology
 Promotions/collaborations
 Conversational language
 Statistics
 Objective/subjective view
 Contemporaneous
 News/feature style articles
 Word count
 Pressreleases
These are importantfactorsto consideras theywill helptoestablishthe differencesbetween
bloggersandjournalists. Printedfashionjournalismarticlescanalsobe analysedinconjunctionwith
blogpoststo lookat the similaritiesanddifferencesandhow,if atall,fashionbloggersuse
journalismpracticesin theirownwritingtechniques. Furthermoreitisalsoimportanttolookat how
magazinesarticleshave beentransferredtoonline.The areastoanalyse canbe brokendowninto
similarcategoriesaswhenlookingatblogpoststo create a directcomparison.
Fashionblogs,fashionsectionsof online newspapers,onlinefashionmagazinesandprinted
magazineswill be analysedwithfive publicationsineachsection.Eachpublicationwillfeaturetwo
examples.
The contentanalysiswill be completedbefore the interviewprocessinordertoprovide the basisfor
questions.

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Findings and analysis
Findingssuggesthowfashionbloggersare alteringtraditional journalismpracticesbychangingthe
wayfashionjournalists andpublications disseminate theircontent.Healthycompetitioniscreated
betweenthe personalvoice of the bloggingcommunity(thepublic) andthe traditional practice of
fashionjournalists(editors/magazine writers).Bloggersstimulate the evolutionof new digital media
throughthe use of websites, whereasotherpublicationssuchasmagazinesandnewspapersuse a
combinationof bothnewdigital media,aswell asconventional journalisticprintedpublications,asa
methodof reachingtheirdesiredreadership. Accordingto aninterviewwith Lawson(seeappendices
2), a fashionandpop culture writerandcontributingwriterforTwinmagazine,online hasredefined
the face of fashionstating:
“Thisis mainlybecause itsmainadvantagesare speed,permanence, searchability,the ability
to update instantly,targeting,interactionwithaudiences,marketingvialinksanddata
feedbackonreadership.”
(Lawson,2015)
These findingsindicate howstereotypical fashionjournalismpracticesare beingalteredbybloggers
as theycreate a greatersense of immediacyand initiate acloserinteraction withreaders. Bloggers
acknowledge the importance of sharingtheirarticles ascontemporaneously aspossible.According
to an interview with Milner(seeappendices3),aLondon basedjournalistandbloggerof ‘Fashion
Slave’,readerswanttheirarticlestobe fast,digestibleandeasytoread because manyare viewing
websitesontheirphonesanddonotwantto read longarticles. (Milner, 2015) NavazBatliwalla’s
blog,DisneyRollerGirl (see appendices 11/12),portraysevidence of shortarticle lengthinthe form
of condensednewsfeatures.Thishighlightsthe propositionthatblogger’s respondtoreader’sdesire
for newstobe publishedswiftly.Itcanalso be deducedthatfashionjournalists recognise the
importance of producingarticlesinasummarisedversionquickly.Publicationssuchas Elle
(appendices 21/22) have adoptedashorterarticle style thantheirprintedpublications(appendices
45/46). Articlesthatappearon the website are presentedinanewsreportstyle format,however

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articlesthatappearin the magazine are presentedinavarietyof formatsincludinginterviews,
extendedfeature articlesandphotoeditorials.
Findingsindicatehowfashionjournalistsandthe publicationstheywritefordifferfromfashion
bloggersastheyendeavourtocreate tangible contentinthe formof printedcontent.Nonetheless
theyalsohave identifiedthe needtoadaptto theirreadershipandhave mimickedfashionbloggers
to the extentof producingonline content.Fashionbloggershave alteredthe wayfashionjournalists
presenttheirresearchfindings.Ratherthanconstructingfull lengthfeature articlesthatare purely
featuredinthe publication’sphysical printmagazine,theyare alsoproducingabbreviatedversions
of articlesthatare more suitedtotheironline presence.Thisissimilartohow fashionbloggers
provide abrief overviewof aneventorreport,rather thana full lengtharticle.Ratherthanthe
influenceof bloggersdictatingthe onlinechange byfashionjournalists,bothbloggersand
professionalsare respondingtothe mediumitself byproducingcontentthatcan be viewedon
mobile devices.
Findingsalsosuggesthow fashionbloggersare influencingthe wayfashionjournalistspresenttheir
researchintermsof tone.Insteadof optingforformal language andan informedtone,fashion
journalistsare optingtouse conversational language aswell asoccasionallypresentingpersonal
anecdotesasfact ratherthan opinion. “Elle doesa‘lookwhatElle iswearing”sectionfeaturing
imagesof theirteam…These techniquesare thingsbloggersweredoingfirst.” (Milner,2015)
An example of a‘whatElle wears’sectiononElle.comincomparisontoan ‘outfitof the daypost on
amyvalentine.co.uk(see appendices51)

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These findingsalsoproposethe ideathattraditional journalistsrecognise the importance of
interactivityandcommunicationin modernjournalismpractices. Itcanbe deducedthatjournalistic
practice is nolongersolelythe processof conveyinginformationtoamass audience;itisthe
attemptto generate adialogue betweenthe journalist,actingasa source of information,andthose
whoconsume news.Furthermore researchexpressesthe factthatfashionbloggersare altering
traditional fashionjournalismpracticesastheyare provokingfashionjournaliststoadjustas
necessaryinorderto create engagingandrelatable content. Inaninterviewwith Pinnock (see
appendices4),afreelance fashionandlifestyle blogger, she states:
“Bloggersare a part of the phenomenonof democratisingthe fashionindustryandgiving
everydaypeopleaccesstothe industry.Journalistsare notthe sole communicationchannel
and theyhave hadto thinkaboutwhat theycan do to have a unique voice inthe industry.”
(Pinnock,2015)
Research demonstratesthe wayinwhichbloggerssuchasSusannaLau of Style Bubble (see
appendices 13/14) combine a personal viewpointwithauthorityandintegrity.Herblogcanbe
viewedasa personal documentationof events,yetalsomanagestomaintainformalitythroughthe
use of keystatisticsandfactual information,including‘rootedinanoriginal 1967 design’
(appendices13).Cosmopolitan(appendices 24) highlights how fashionjournalistsare adoptingthe
same techniquesasfashionbloggersbymergingstatistics‘76% of usare still wearingthe wrong
sizedbra’withpersonal language suchas‘we’ve alreadybeenthrough…’ The mixture of these
differingtechniquesportrayshowfashionjournalistsstill aimtopresenttheirorganisationasan
authoritative figure,butonthe otherhand,are keentoimplementpersonallanguage tocreate a
sense of engagementandinvolvementof the reader.Indoingsotheyexpressthe waytraditional
fashionjournalismpracticesare evolvinginthe modernage of technologyandadaptingtotheir
readership.There islessemphasisonthe formalityandelitism of fashionjournalism, butratherthe
communicationandengagementbetweenjournalistandreader. Researchputsforwardthe idea
that bloggersandjournalistsalike are applyingsocial mediastrategiesasa wayof generating

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interactivitybetweentheirblog/website andthose whoconsume the informationtheyprovide,thus
conveyingthe ideathatbothbloggersandjournalistsinfluenceone another. Social mediawebsites
such as FacebookandTwitterprovide bloggersandjournalistsafree tool tonotonlypromote their
contentbutalso connectwithotheruserswhofollow theirblogorwebsite.
“It’simportantto note that timeshave changedandwhere once bloggerswoulddistinguish
themselvesfromindustryfiguresasdeliveringapersonalisedlookattheirfashionworld,
editorsandwritersare nowmore social mediasavvyandare rivallingbloggersforaninsider
intimate view of fashion.”
(Lawson,2015)
In relationtothisbloggersare alsoalteringtraditionaljournalismpracticesbyfocusingonthe power
of the visual element of story-telling rather than the effect of written content. Bloggers utilise the
internetinordertopresentfashionnewsindiverse and aesthetically pleasing ways such as sharing
video content via streaming of live content. Visual content helps engage the chosen audience.
Magazines have begun to simultaneously increase their online presence, as well as adapting their
traditional practices, to focus on the aesthetic quality of presenting their research and findings,
rather than merely crafting written content. Interviews, features and reviews are enhanced by
relatedvideocontent,developing magazines as a multifaceted brand. Lewis (see appendices 5), a
fashion blogger and fashion marketing and management graduate, states in an interview that
fashionbloggingandfashionjournalismbothwishto portray the same outcome but stereotypically
use differentmethodstodepictstories:“Fashionblogging…istypically photo heavy and attention is
paidto details.Fashionjournalism focuses more in depth on the way the text or article is written.”
(Lewis, 2015) Research conveys how fashion journalists and the publications they work for
understandthe needforaestheticallypleasingarticlesandare adoptingthe fashionbloggerethos of
displaying their articles in contemporary artistic ways.
Analysis of the blog, Song of style, (see appendices 15/16) shows that it appears like a photo
journalist’s work in terms of content, however it does still adhere to the traditional journalistic

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practice of includinginformative headlines, relevant interviewees and links throughout. The blog is
visually appealing; using photo galleries to generate interest. Each article’s content can be
summarised succinctly purely through the use of images.
Grazia’sonline presence alsousesimagesinasimilarwaytoencapsulate the essence of the article’s
content. Again, traditional journalism practices still apply in the form of headlines and relevant
intervieweesforthe topicthatis covered, regardless research suggests that fashion journalists and
publicationsare looking to fashion blogs as a not only a source of information as to how to present
theirownarticles,butto learnhowto participate withinthe communityof technologically advanced
fashionadvocates. Sirus(see appendices 6), a fashion journalist of Eveningz magazine, states in an
interview thatmodernfashionjournalismpracticeshave advancedtounify with the current fashion
landscape:“It’saboutthe complete package…Research, words, creativity all in one place. It takes a
whole processtobridge downthe relationshipbetween seller and consumer.” (Sirus, 2015) In turn
thisnewprocessalsobridgesthe gapbetween fashion journalists and consumers as they act as the
vital connection between the two.
Researchdenoteshowfashionbloggersappeal to a younger audience, those of whom are the next
generationof fashionconsumers. Ratherthanwritingcontentintendedforthose already associated
An example of aphotojournaliststyle blogonSongof Style (see appendices15)

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with the fashion industry such as clothing labels, traders or designers, such as Elle writing about
clothing label H&M, (see appendices 21) a blogger’s main goal is to produce content aimed at a
younger age group, for example highlighted on the blog Song of Style (see appendices 15) which
looks at a contemporary phenomenon such as Instagram.
Regardlessof fashion blogger’s influence research implies that fashion journalism is seen as more
credible and authentic. In an interview with Larrea (see appendices 7) he states:
“When respected bloggers work for magazines…it’s a fresh approach but with the magazine
limits.Printismore special,more unique.Digital ismore the day to day events or news, more
light content.”
(Larrea,2015)
Despite fashionbloggersseeminglycontributingtothe currentprocessof fashionnewsbeing
disseminatedviaonline sources,includingblogs,websitesandsocial media,researchsuggeststhat
fashionjournalistsare the sourcesthatare seenasmore reliableandproduce better content. Buosi
(see appendices8) statedinan interview that“ fashionjournalists…didn’tenterthistoughindustry,
settle downforadvertisingandsell hisimage…butprovedhimself asa valuable legacyafterstudying
and hard work.”(Buosi,2015) Fashionjournalistsare seenasthe authenticvoice of presenting
fashionnewsdue totheirpre-existingnetworkof contactsandthe worktheydo foralready
establishedorganisations.Conversely,fashionbloggershave andcontinue topromptchange in
traditional journalismpractices,buttheirpersonal slantisseenaslessauthoritative andlesscredible
inthe eyesof fashionindustryinsidersandthose lookingtoreadnewsarticlesandfeaturesthat
have beenthoroughlyresearchedandtailoredtoreaders.
Coincidentlyresearchsignifieshowfashionbloggersare “reportinganddevelopingacritical opinion
to be respected.”(Buosi,2015) This showshow bloggersrecognisethattheyare the new cohort of
fashionreporters,neverthelessthatinordertoaltertraditional journalismetiquette theyneedtobe
aware of societyandinvestigateideasfullybefore placingthemonline.

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“The positive aspecttoblogging,if done properlyandbeingtrue toone’sself,isthe chance to
be one hundredpercent honestaboutwhattheysee andexperience,aluxurythatjournalists
tendto have onlywhenachievingcertaincareergoalstobe able towrite abouttheyown
opinioninsteadof representingthe publicationthey workfor.”
(Buosi,2015)
From thisresearchputsforwardthe ideathat overall fashionbloggingandfashionjournalismare not
simplytwoseparate entities,thattheyare mergingandinfluencingone anothertoadaptto the
technical age of readerswhowishto view articlesonline due toease of accessandits immediacy.
Researchdoesnotexplicitlyexpresswhetherthe valuesof eachwill merge overtime,howeverthe
prominence of the ‘digital era’unifiesbothbloggersandjournalistsintheirportrayal of “a wide
range of topicsthat mustbe true,objective andreportedforthe basisof educatingthe
audience…andprovidingtransparency.” (Mthimunye,2015) (see appendices9) Fashionbloggers
have influencedtraditional journalismpracticesbyencouragingfashionjournaliststoevolveand
interactwiththeirreadershipratherthansimplypassivelyreportingtheirfindings.Fashionblogging
and fashionjournalismare anamalgamationof professionally writtencontent,creative flairanda
personal orengagedvoice.

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Conclusion
Throughthe researchconducteditisnoticeable thatfashionbloggersultimatelyactascitizen
journalists andhave “helpedtobroadenthe marketplace of ideasandallowedmore people’svoices
to enterthe fashiondiscourse”.(Lawson,2015) Preliminaryresearch initiallyproposed the ideathat
“blogsare one of the fastestgrowingareasof whathas become knownasconsumer-generated
media.Bloggersare sharingopinions.”(Posner,2011) Fromfurtherresearchthisisultimatelytrue,
howeverbloggingencompassesmore thanthis.Whilstblogslike 5inch and up(appendices 19/20)
projectan individual’spointof viewratherthanthatof a specificorganisation,bloggersactas citizen
journaliststoexpandonasocial process. (Posner,2011) Thissocial processisthe act of
communicatinganauthenticindividual’spointof view andinteractingwithreaders.Bloggers initiate
engagementwiththeirreadersratherthanmerelyreportingonfacts,anduse humourand
conversational styletoestablishacommunityof fashionnewsconsumers.
Preliminaryresearch highlightedthe differencesbetweenfashionbloggersandfashionjournalists,
mostimportantlythat“in theirwordsand images, [there is] anearnestandraw truth that doesnot
existintraditional outlets.”(Givhan,2014) Fashionbloggersare stereotypicallyseenasindividuals
commentingonfashionnews,unlikefashionjournalistswhoanalyse andreportof newsasa
methodof educatingandinforming.
“Bloggingtendstocentre aroundthe bloggerand discusstheirview onthe fashionindustry.
Journalismisusuallywrittenwithasense of authorityasthe firsttobreak newsorproviding
expertanalysis.”
(Pinnock,2015)
Intervieweesexpressedthe opinionthatfashionjournalistsare more impartial andreportonwider
and controversial issueswithinthe fashionindustry. Fashionjournalistsare trainedandexperienced
and write forwell-establishedpublications.Theyare able tosustainstrongrelationshipswithother
companiesassociatedwiththe fashionindustry,includingbrands,advertisersandinvestors. Fashion

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bloggers;onthe contrary tendto commentontopicsthat are lighterintheme,andare oftenseenas
entrepreneurialplatformstoprovide inspirationratherthanresearchandinvestigate topicsas
thoroughlyasfashionjournalists. Buisstatesinaninterview (seeappendices10) that:
“Journalistsdoa lotof research,findmultiple sources,collectandcheckfacts,findtheirangle
and come up withtheirowndecisions.Theyare alsoverynewsfocusedandwanttobe
objective.Bloggers…don’tapplytoclassicjournalismrules.Theywrite fromtheirown
perspective…alsotheychoose theircontentonpersonal interestsandstyle.”
(Buis,2015)
Despite the factthat intervieweesrecognisedthisopinionasonce beingtrue, theyalsonotedthat
thisisnot as prominentinmodernfashionjournalism.Intervieweessignalledthe change inpractices
and the pointthat itis importantthata fashionjournalistisapersonal brandlike ablogger. (Milner,
2015) The ideologiesof fashion journalists are inastate of modificationandratherthanexclusively
writingina tone that issuitedtothe publicationtheyworkfortheyare identifyingthemselvesasa
separate voice.Thisistakingplace inorderto adapt to the changingmarket. SusannaLau,writerof
the blogStyle Bubble (see appendices 13/14),successfullyshowcasesthis.Whilstherblogcontent
focusesonpersonal events,she alsoaccomplishesajournalisttone, throughthe use of elements
such as the use of linksthroughoutarticles;chunkingtextandimagestomake contenteasierto
visuallydigest;andthe appropriate use of imagerywhichsupportshertextdrivencontent.By
combiningbothapersonal stance as well asjournalisticfeatures,Lauensuresthatshe isa brand
image,ratherthana commentator,andearnsthe benefitof beingarespectedbloggerand
journalist. The decline intraditional printedmediumshasmeantthatfashionjournalistsneedto
projecta unique image of themselvesinordertobe noticedinthe spectrumof online fashion
influencers.
Initial researchsuggestedthatbloggers lackedthe integrityof fashionjournalists.PRagencies“often
see bloggersasfree manpower,creatingnew typesof user-generatedandcontentdrivenmarketing
campaigns.” (Ziv,2011) Howeverfurtherresearchhasconcludedthatthisisnottrue and “if a

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bloggerhasthe initiative anddesiretobecome acredible commentatoronthe fashionindustrythen
there isno reasonwhytheycan’t become that.The insightful andtrustworthywill standout.”
(Pinnock,2015) Fashionbloggersare able tolearnfromthe valuesof insightful andtrustworthy
professionaljournalistsinordertosurvive.
Fashionbloggershave ignitedthe advancementof fashionjournalismpractices,establishingthe
conceptthat newsdisseminationneedstobe more easilyaccessible.A fashionblogcanbe
manufacturedeffortlesslyviaavarietyof differentbloghostsitessuchasBlogspotandWordpress.
Withthe ease of accessibilitytocreate blogs,sharinginformationwithothershasbecome asimpler
process.Fashionjournalismpracticeshave becomeoutdatedanditisevidentthatfashionbloggers
have promptedmagazine andnewspaperjournaliststoutilise the internetin ordertoremain
currentand relatable. Withregardstothe previous pointthatbloggersneedtolearnfrom
journalists,the same canbe saidto be true inreverse.Fashionmagazinesneedtolearnfromthe
bloggers’ideologythatnewsshouldbe easilyobtained,inordertosurvive inmoderndigital
transition.
Most importantlyfashionbloggershave alteredtraditional fashionjournalismpracticessothatthe
fashionindustryisademocraticestablishmentratherthanonlybeingaccessedbythose deemed
prestigiousenough. Preliminaryresearcheludedtothe ideathatfashionbloggershave “brokenthe
hierarchy rules…poisedtotake alarge piece of the major marketingandadvertisingbudgetsfrom
industryleadingbrands.”(Ziv,2011) Thiscan be arguedto be a cynical view,neverthelessadditional
researchhas determinedthatbloggersare notjustinterestedinengineeringadvertisingcontacts
but howthe “digital worldhascreatedtransparency…fashionbloggershave fuelled.” (Milner,2015)
By validatingthe importance of transparency,fashionbloggershave managedtoalterjournalism
practicesby allowingthe fashionindustrytobe accessible toall,regardlessof status. Fashion
bloggersappreciate the value of fashionasa social entity,diminishingpreviouslymisconceptions
that fashionissomethingthatshouldbe reserved.LeandraMedine portrays thisonherblog,Man

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Repeller(see appendices 17/18).Her contentfocusesontopicsthattraditionallywouldhave been
reservedforeditorsandotherindustryelite.She hasencouragedparticipationandinthe process
has allowedthere tobe greaterpublicinterest.
Ultimatelyfashionbloggershave brokendownthe barrierstoentrywithinfashionwritingand are
steadilygainingthe respectfromfashionjournalists,whointurnare observingthe waybloggers
write,andencompassingtheirtechniquesintotheirownarticles.While fashionjournalismmaystill
be seenbythe majorityof people asmore authentic andworthyof greaterrespect,fashionbloggers
have an undeniablepresence withinthe industry.Fashionbloggingisstill perceivedasanew
practice,yetregardlessof thisitillustratesafresherapproachtofashionwriting,somethingthat
fashionjournalistshave beenmade aware of andare aimingtoreplicate.Fashionbloggingissteadily
mergingwithfashionjournalism,generatinganew eraof fashionwritingthatiscomplimentaryto
today’smodernreadership,whichtheycanengage withandcommenton withan informedopinion.
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Works Cited
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Bradford,J.,2015. Fashion Journalism.Oxon:Routledge.
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