Hey Everyone,
Let’s say you’re a newcomer to a beauty blog. You’re a little unsure who this person is, you don’t know if what they’re saying is true and perhaps you feel a little insecure that you’re trusting new media. What I want to argue for is why? In fact, The Straits Times recent Urban article published last Friday, “Beauty and the Blog” did spotlight Singapore’s top beauty blogs but subtly qualified them as unqualified for the beauty scene.
What do I think? It’s freakin’ ridiculous. Do you know why exactly they did that? Unless you have no background in media whatsoever, the media channels of today are in a big competition for funding and advertising. Blogs not so much but blogs yes so much are becoming threats to mainstream media – whether it be News, TV or even online media portals. Blogs are supposed to be special interest but publications like Urban and The Straits Times are making us look like liars. In their recent article, they spotlighted a 29 year old, not a credible survey source, just a random 29 year old for their main quote. This random 29 year old executive stated, “Magazines are more credible than random blogs because journalists do more research and provide objective opinons.” Apparently, she was quoted because she uses $1000 creams. Of course that woman who is able to afford that $1000 cream represents the whole of Singapore. Not.
Before I burst into flames, I just wanted to say how horrible that comment is. How horrible it is that the article was supposed to inform viewers of a new upcoming online trend but the fact that they bashed us is so immature and you know what, is so “press” of them. Look, I’m no stranger to hate. My last interview thanks to SPH Razor TV was called by the journalist, “I eat less to shop more”. I don’t. Look, you can go ahead and trust a media channel that manipulates sources and information to gain more views. You can go ahead and trust a beauty journalist who makes a claim that a product that they haven’t even tried before is great while when you flip the next page, an advertisement of the same product appears. Be my guest.
In fact, asking a person who has already worked in media whose name I won’t disclose, said that she was told by her editor to be more biased in her article to say more good things about them. When she said that she couldn’t because she didn’t even try the product, the editor just told her to “make it up.” We might be blogging about make-up, but we sure aren’t making anything up.
I’ve already highlighted how much time I spend bringing you the best and the truest content here. I’m always reading, reading blogs, doing my own tutorials, using my skin for you to try out a product. I don’t care where you got your information but for me, the credible source for a review is from someone who demonstrates that they have already tried the product. Once they have tried the product can they produce an accurate review. I don’t see that in Urban. Do you? What makes bloggers not be able to write objective reviews? I’m not going to lie, it depends on the blogger, but I’m protective of what goes up. In fact, I’m very protective. You can’t say that about bloggers. You just can’t. The whole thing is objective – we give the good and the bad.
Perhaps it’s other blogging genres that have given us a bad rep. Other blogging genres which show bloggers as unreliable, prissy, and unknowledgeable – I’m not going to lie – usually it’s in the lifestyle section. I want to tell you that not all blogging is the same. I’m Roseanne. I’m 20. I go to Uni. I’m a hopeless romantic with probably negative luck in love and I like to eat. I think I’m part dog sometimes, I don’t wear heels and I’m a normal everyday girl who takes the public bus, the mrt and I like bubble tea. So, you know me. I’m not prissy, I don’t put flowers in my hair and I really work hard for what I do. I’m just like you. It’s like you’re saying that you don’t have the authority to judge whether a product is good or bad. You’re insulting yourself. I really do care about this. I really do care about my blog. Most of all, I really care about you. I’m a person, a human being and this is my blog. These are my opinions and I don’t do lies, I don’t do biased stuff, I don’t do that.
So to say that beauty bloggers aren’t credible is something that hurts me because this is what I’ve created. You’re saying that 3 years and constant ongoing preparation and hard work isn’t credible? If you call me un-credible, I want to see Urban publish their editors wiping off their heavily powdered faces and showing me their bare faces and then with product on before they publish any review.
I want to see surveys and statistics. In fact, The Straits Times just published an article the prior week that included this specific research. “According to research BlogHer Inc and Devries Public Relations … beauty bloggers are twice more likely to drive beauty product purchases than magazines.” I don’t care what one random 29 year old said.
Look, it’s common knowledge that magazines and newspapers are run by advertisements. You choose who you want to follow.
What do you think about this?
Love,
Roseanne