Sunday Musings: Why Outfit Posts?

Why do bloggers share their outfits?

It occured to me that bloggers probably have different reasons for posting pictures of their outfits online. When I started blogging and subsequently reading blogs, I realised that my favorite blogs were (and still are) the ones that feature regular outfit posts. I started doing the same because I thought it was the 'norm.'

At first, I wasn't comfortable with taking pictures of myself and putting them on my blog. I used to blur out my face, telling myself it was for 'privacy' but really it was because I thought that my face didn't look nice in photographs. In fact, I've never been happy to be in front of the camera! I could conceivably have stopped sharing outfits when I discovered that you can have a successful fashion blog without posting your outfits, but ... I didn't.

I mentioned earlier that most of the blogs that I follow post outfits on a regular basis. I asked myself why this is. I'm not a fashionista and I don't look at blogs to find inspiration or read fashion news. I don't read blogs where the blogger dresses like me or dresses in a way that I aspire to dress. In fact, some of my favorite bloggers wear outfits that I would never DREAM of wearing (either because they're not my style or I just plain don't like them). I read blogs because I like the blogger. She's interesting to me - she writes about her life, what she's been doing - and I find that fascinating. She illustrates this through her outfits. Whether or not it's an outfit that I personally like, her pictures allow me to get to know her better: her personality shines through her photographs, her poses, her expressions, and, of course, her ensembles. I'm also a very visual person: when I look at a blog post, I want to see lots of pretty pictures! That's why I follow very few blogs where outfit posts are not a regular feature.

Essentially, I read blogs because I'm interested in the lives of these individuals, and seeing pictures of them serves as a perfect illustration. 

I hope to do the same via my outfit posts: show readers a slice of my life through my pictures. Also, let's not sell short the fact that it's fun to share my latest fashion/beauty finds, and I like to read about these on other blogs as well!

Unexpected benefits of outfit posts:
- I've become more comfortable in front of the camera. I still shy away from cameras when other people are taking pictures, because I look anemic/sick and downright ugly in most pictures that I haven't taken myself, but I have at least begun to learn the art of self-photography and hopefully one day this will lead me to being confident in front of the lens.
- I've become more aware of my body shape. This has both pros and cons, because it means that I can nitpick at my flaws, but it also means I can tell which outfits are figure-flattering and which are not.
- My blog has become a sort of virtual closet: if I can't decide what to wear and need some ideas, I can just look at some previous outfits and I'll know exactly which pieces and combinations I liked! It also stops me from wearing the same outfit to an event where I know I'll be seeing the same people - I just look up what I wore to ___ occasion and make sure I find something different.
- And finally, it pushes me to try new things or to break out of a rut. If I feel as though I'm posting the same type of outfit again and again, I force myself to wear something different and be a bit more creative.

So, that's why I share my outfits with my readers. It's not because I'm vain, or because I think I'm incredibly well-dressed, or even because I'm passionate about fashion (I'm not, really, I just like pretty clothes! I've learned that there's definitely a difference between 'dressing up' and being a 'fashionista'). It's because I observed something that I liked on other blogs, and decided to recreate it myself, hoping to generate the same interest that piques me when I read blogs.

If you post outfits or pictures of yourself online, why do you do it? I'd love to know!