For me, the answer is an overwhelming yes. Before I started blogging, I never took pictures of my outfits, and the only photos I was present in were the standard ones that everyone takes, i.e. tourist/school/birthdays etc. I used to actively avoid cameras because I've always thought of myself as extremely unphotogenic (and I haven't changed my opinion now... the only pictures of myself that I like are the ones I take myself with the self-timer!). When I started taking full-length body shots of myself, I noticed which outfits worked on me and which didn't, and I was also made acutely aware of my figure.
Whenever I put on weight, it immediately shows in my pictures, and I can point out my 'problem areas' easily, whereas before I didn't even know that I had problem areas! Knowing that I have to take pictures of my outfits has made me gravitate towards shapes and styles that are more flattering, and in a way it motivates me to keep exercising and trying to make healthier food choices.
Of course, being body-conscious is a double-edged sword. While it can help you make healthier decisions and wiser shopping choices, it can also bring attention to the parts of your body that you aren't particularly fond of. I have seen so many fashion bloggers turn to extreme diets and sometimes eating disorders, trying to achieve a model-like thinness, and I can't help but think that blogging can contribute negatively towards that. For one thing, many of the most popular bloggers have rake-like figures (which is most probably genetic), so it might subconsciously seep into our collective minds that we have to look like them in order to be popular. For another, readers and commenters sometimes point out the perceived problems in our bodies, making us try to vie for a slimmer silhouette. And finally, many bloggers are avid readers of fashion magazines and followers of runway fashion, both of which are perpetuated by very thin models. The constant comparison of ourselves to those who are popular/famous can be detrimental to our self image.
That's not to say that there aren't plus-sized models and plus-sized bloggers, but for the most part, they are still in the minority.
The fashion (& blogging) world is dominated by young, slim, beautiful females. If you don't fit into this category (or even if you do!), it's possible that you feel you need to change yourself in order to conform. Have you ever felt the pressure to lose weight or change your body? Has fashion blogging made you more body-conscious?
P.S. It's my birthday today! So I'm off to enjoy the celebrations I have planned. I'll be back on Monday with a full birthday recap!
The fashion (& blogging) world is dominated by young, slim, beautiful females. If you don't fit into this category (or even if you do!), it's possible that you feel you need to change yourself in order to conform. Have you ever felt the pressure to lose weight or change your body? Has fashion blogging made you more body-conscious?
Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I can say it has made me more body conscious, but it has made me dress better for my body shape, and put more effort into how I present myself like you said!
Happy birthday Leia! I hop your day is wonderful and the coming year full of good things!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not a fashion blogger, I can certainly understand how taking photos of ones outfits could help to give a greater awareness of ones body, which styles work and which don't...I think it's actually a good idea even if the only person who sees the photos is you!:) I know there are are occasions where I think I look pretty great and later see a picture and just know I will never where that outfit again, it wasn't what I thought!:)
Happy Birthday gorgeous girl! I don't think blogging has made me more body conscious pertaining to weight but (and I think I've mentioned this to you before), it makes me feel abnormally short sometimes, haha!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Leia. Have a wonderful day..
ReplyDeleteBlogging has not made me more body conscious, but yes, now i realize my body changes earlier.
happy happy birthday! have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI guess blogging hasn't made me MORE body conscious as an ex ballet dancer, I have always been very very body conscious. I agree though that fashion blogging, people forget it's not fashion magazines and all try to emulate the skinnier girls. While they are beautiful there needs to be a space for everyone, that is what blogging is about. Thankfully, the majority of bloggers I have encountered are positive supporting people which I think is the best way to beat this :)
YOU look beautiful and don't have any problem areas, have a great birthday x
Happy Birthday Doll!!!! Have a good one!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite the opposite with you actually. Before blogging I was very conscious of my body and even hated it ... Blogging has actually made me more confident of my body. I take much more risks now and feel over all better about myself. Am I the ONLY one?!?!
♡ from © tanvii.com
Happy happy birthday! :)
ReplyDeleteI was always used to being in front of the camera :P (thanks to my dad who loves clicking my pics) but suddenly sharing all those pictures with the entire world made me extremely conscious! And believe it or not i was conscious because i was skinny!!! Quite the opposite eh? In fact I still feel sometimes that am a bit too thin... but thats who I am, so I guess with time it helps you accept and be happy with who you are!
A really interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI think I have become more conscious of which clothes suit me since I have begun blogging. It is quite clear to me when I look at outfit photos that some outfits just don't work whilst others do. Funnily enough it is never so clear when I look in the mirror. I think blogging is helping me to find looks that work for me in terms of both the shapes and colours of my clothes. I don't really ever diet but do keep fit regularly. This isn't really about blogging though more about how I feel.
I agree with what you say about the fashion industry being about young, slim and beautiful girls. The fact that blogs are about real people is what makes me love them though. I don't real tend to follow many of the really popular blogs because I can't identify with them.
It sure has, but not in a "self-conscious" way - I'm more aware of my body, what it actually looks like, what it looks like in different garments, how it changes when I do or eat different things..
ReplyDeleteBut I don't feel bad about myself. I just like knowing more about my body, because after all it is part of me, and I am interesting.
Happy birthday!!
Happy Birthday, Have a lovely day
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Leia!
ReplyDeleteI love the last photo and also appreciate your honesty with this issue. It takes courage to say, "Yes, this has changes me and not always for the better."
Since I don't blog about my outfits often, I don't really notice that my blog has changed the way I feel about my body. I make wiser clothing choices, but I don't think I feel any better or any worse about *me*.
--Courtney
Leia, Happy Birthday! You have an adorable figure! But you're right, taking pics everyday can be a good or bad thing. It's how you perceive it. I continually train my brain to be content with the body that I have. It's been good to me, so I want to be good to it! Hugs! ~Serene
ReplyDeleteSince I'm already body conscious, you will hardly ever find pictures of me on my blog. But that has also motivated me to improve my photography skills. I want everyone that's in front of my camera to feel beautiful, which means learning how to pose people in flattering ways and in flattering angles for their figure/face.
ReplyDeleteI don't take daily outfit pics but I'm sure if I did, I'd be very self-conscious. I commend you all!
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy Birthday!!!!! xoxo
First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Wow!!! What are you and your loved ones doing to celebrate????
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that blogging has made me pay more attention to my body. I know that I am a good 10 pounds heavier than a year ago and it makes me kind of uncomfortable to take outfit shots because I KNOW they are there, on my hips, belly and arms.
I think what concerns me most is the incredibly thin popular bloggers. Some of them are so extremely tiny. It may be natural, or it may be a challenge to their health.
Happy Birthday!!
ReplyDeleteTaking pictures for my blog has made me more face-concious (if that word exists). I knew before I started blogging that the proportions of my body aren't perfect. And by these standards it looks okay. But my face... on some pictures I take with the self timer it looks really distorted. I find it extremely hard to have a good facial expression on a photo. Sometimes I look at the camera from the wrong angle, sometimes the smile looks artificial (you know, when you don't smile with the eyes) sometimes the wind blows my hair in a way that makes the face look strange.
Blogging has actually made me more accepting of my body. Which sounds odd, but being able to look back has really put things in perspective.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday x
Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post. Great minds think alike - I'm actually planning on posting something on the same topic next week.
I think blogging has meant that I've really confronted any and all issues that I have with my body. Taking photos everyday and examining every inch of them before deciding what to put on the blog means I know my body pretty well. As you say it can be a double edged sword, but for the most part taking photos of myself and thinking 'ooh, I look pretty there' and the having others say 'ooh, you look pretty there' is a major confidence boost!
No.
ReplyDeleteMedia messages tell me I should be big and buff, but I actually don't want to be. All of the "body issues" I'm "supposed" to have, I actually don't have. So blogging hasn't changed that.
happy birthday Leia :)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Leia. The first and last photos are just gorgeous. I haven't really grown more body conscious, but I am aware of many tricks to make the photos better.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday sweety!!! I wish the best for the years to come! I think the last picture is one of the best ever!! I was always body-conscious, blogging didn't change that a lot! But I realized I'm hopeless when posing!
ReplyDeleteFirstly I think you have a lovely face, epsecially when you're smiling :) Just beautiful. And as an artist I study a lot of faces! :P
ReplyDeleteErm I didn't much like how I look before I started blogging and I don't now! Which is kind of sad, but the way I am. I am aware of those commenters who like to find fault, but I think they are similar to bullies at school so it's not something I wasn't used to. I'd say I was always very aware of things people could pick holes in since I was around 9 years old.
I guess outfit posts have made me more aware of how every bit of my body looks, whereas normally I'm left staring at my face for too long for self portraits.
I do worry about my weight more because of blogging, but it's health dependent so it's not like I can do more because of that.
Really interesting post!
Florrie x
happiest birthday! hope it was filled with laughs and love. that last photo of you is such a cute, flirty look. love that dress.
ReplyDeleteI know this totally wasn't your message, but now I'm wondering if I should become a fashion blogger again. The motivation to be thin for outfit posts might actually help me lose weight. Haha.
ReplyDeleteI've always been super picky about my photos. It takes at least a dozen shots of the same pose for me to find one that looks DECENT. Ugh.
I'm shocked you're so camera shy. I cannot IMAGINE a bad photo being taken of you. :)
I try to avoid having my picture taken as long as I can get away with it. You on the other hand always look fabulous.
ReplyDeleteHave a great birthday.
This was an absolute jewel of a post. I couldn't agree more. I have seen bloggers get thinner than from when they first started out. I would never point fingers, and you're right: it probably genetic.
ReplyDeleteHowever, sometimes I feel the pressure.
That last outfit is lovely!
And, Happy Birthday girl!!
Ambersmouthwash
Happy birthday!! The last photo is gorgeous! This post has really made me think and I definitely think blogging can make you body conscious when some bloggers have child like figures but of course being a blogger is about individuality and for me that is not conforming :)
ReplyDeletehttp://cupcakesandtreacle.blogspot.com/
Thanks for commenting on my blog, Leia! I like the wedges a little more too...they're more my style!
ReplyDeleteDo you have an email address I could reply to? I don't want you to think I'm not responding to your comments!
Happy Birthday! Great post, really thought provoking, I enjoyed reading your writing. I don't think blogging has made me any more body conscious, but taking outfit pictures has helped me learn how to pose in a more flattering way! Great blog, I am following, ,maybe you can have a look at mine and follow me back?? xx
ReplyDeletebelated best wishes! a dress from the last picture is a stunner! you look beautiful ♥
ReplyDeleteI especially like the first dress, it's very whimsical!
ReplyDelete+followed
Happy, happy birthday Leia!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everything you wrote here. Taking pictures of myself made me realize I dress like an old lady sometimes :D re: popular bloggers, it doesn't help that most of them are model like in figure
happy birthday again! i love the dress in the top pic!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday princess.. Looking fabulous as always..
ReplyDeleteDivine dresses..
Lee x
Happy birthday :)
ReplyDeleteI think it definitely made me more conscious. If I look at al those lookbookers who stand with hot, most of them have a wonderful figure, they even do look like a model. Tall, skinny, large legs. I though, blogging is about fashion in real live, but most of the people keep choosing for the model figures who dress well. I'm not very tall, and my legs are rather short. I keep looking up to those model figures.
Amazing post dear! Made me really think about it! ^-^
That last dress is beautiful! I find that I am more confident with my body no, I think I am just more aware of how I can improve the way I look :)
ReplyDeleteMaria xxx
Hope you had a lovely birthday too :)
Happy Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteBlogging didn't just make me more body conscious. It changed my style and broadened my horizons a lot. Also I experiment more. In short, blogging is good! :)
XoXo
Plami
http://fashion-thrill.blogspot.com/
Happy Birthday! You look gorgeous in all these pictures :) I think fashion blogging has made me grow more aware of how to flatter my body type.
ReplyDeleteI love all the outfits!! let's be friend and follow each other :)
ReplyDeletehappy belated birthday miss, nice blog !! beautiful dresses you have
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! I agree with everything you said. But I think overall it has been a good thing. I also like your blog because it always reminds me to eat healthy. :)
ReplyDeleteI do think it is quite funny however that if you gain even a little weight it shows in the pictures.
Happy belated Birthday!
ReplyDeleteFor the most part its made me more confident in my body but I find it works the opposite for me, whenever I lose weight and feel a bit scrawny it shows in my photos
Happy birthday! What a great blog topic, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks I'm unphotogenic. I think we tend to beat ourselves down about not taking a good picture, period. (You definitely can!) For me, posting pics of myself has always been a contentious issue. I look it as an honesty thing - I'm trying to be honest with my readers, and part of that is posting real pictures. Plus we are always our own biggest critic. It's helped me come out of my photo shell, so to speak, and really been a positive step for me and my self-confidence.
ReplyDeleteoh, Leia! i am so sorry i am late wishing you a happy birthday, im so behind on my blog reading. i hope you had a wonderful, amazing day!!!!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! I have to say, I do find it odd how blogging was supposed to be this democratizing thing where "real women" could be the fashion stars, yet like you said the most popular bloggers are model types! What does that say about us, the viewers??
ReplyDeleteSince I've been blogging I think it's helped me extend my style to new things, and made me better with posing for photos haha It does make you more critical of your body, but so far I haven't had anyone call me fat... yet.
I'm a ballerina which means I've always been "Body conscious" - I am happy with who I am and where I want to go. Belated birthday greetings to you, dear lady;-)
ReplyDeletelove the last outfit!!!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post - it is honest and thought-provoking. By the way, you look great!
ReplyDeleteBlogging has made things way worse for me, I deleted my blog actually because I know deep down it would never be good because I'm not skinny. The sucessful bloggers seem to be rail/model thin or plus size.
ReplyDeleteIt just really started to suck after awhile, taking pictures and then seeing how the outfit didn't look the same online due to curves, flab, fat thighs etc. I'm an average size (4) but blogging made me hyper aware of my bad parts. Models are thin for a reason clothes do look better when they aren't competing with the curves of the female form. That's why the industry won't get rid of super thin models no matter how hard people fight.
Blogging made me feel Really, really bad about myself so I stopped. For now I'll stick to reading the blogs I love but know into fashion blogging is not meant for me.
Blogging does make me a bit self-concisous, but I do have a very perfectionistic, self-conscious personality anyway. But in other ways blogging encourages me to eat well, exercise and be healthy. I think I'm also learning (slowly) to feel more comfortable in front of a camera.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I love about reading blogs is seeing the way that women with all different types of body shapes style their outfits. I think that this is a positive thing. While fashion magazines only show one type of beauty, we bloggers can demonstrate that women of all different body shapes can have unique and beautiful style.
I actually overcome an eating disorder which came out of nowhere in 2006 and swallowed up two years of my life. So, I don't think there's a lot that life could throw at me now that would make me go back there..
ReplyDeleteI've been life modelling for art classes on and off for ten years, and after I recovered from my eating disorder I took on quite a lot of paid nude photographic work, which helped me to feel a hell of a lot more comfortable in my own skin and realise my worth in body as well as mind. By the time I started doing outfit posts earlier this year I was well and truly over all the body issues, BUT it is still apparent to me that obviously fashion is dominated by the underweight and conventionally attractive female - I consider myself neither of those things but rather an odd looking girl with an average BMI. *shrug*
I notice fashion bloggers with thousands of followers who don't conform to the standard rail thin aesthetic but, like you, I also can't fail to notice that MOST popular bloggers ARE indeed either on the cusp of being underweight or are already there. If I let it affect me every time I clicked on a fashion blog, I'd be a headcase by now!
Happy birthday - I hope you have a good one :) And by the way - you look gorgeous and your outfits are exactly the kind of thing I like to see on a style blog. Bold, pretty and a cut above the same old stuff I see so often ;)
Happy belated birthday Leia! This is such a great post and really calls out how we're all body conscious, especially if we're fashion bloggers. I have often thought how thin and or model-like some of the most popular bloggers are and of course it can be daunting to be compared to them. I'm not necessarily an avid outfit poster anyway, but it is interesting how being a fashion blogger can change your perspective on yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt's been too long but I hope you're doing well dear!
xoxo,
Chic 'n Cheap Living
Posting photos of myself on line has definitely made me more body conscious! I just recently returned to weight watchers after seeing a few photos in my most flattering dress that were, well, not that flattering. It's probably a good thing for me though as my food habits were going down an unhealthy path.
ReplyDeleteGreat article! Congrats of making IFB - you really deserved it.
Heather