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| Marie Claire Belgium - March 2016 |
As a blogger, it can be difficult to determine what your blog is going to be. You might chose a niche to work in, like Beauty and Lifestyle. But after a while of doing the textbook thing, you want to start putting more of yourself in what you do. It might be nice for people to know whether you like a product or not, but what keeps your readers coming back is personality and a different take on the usual stuff. This is how I combine my interests into original content.
This post was not only inspired by my, to some annoying,
feminist train of thought, but also by this month’s Marie Claire Belgium. Ever since
I started my studies in journalism, I have been looking for a medium which
combines my interests. Before I started my studies, I bought the ELLE or Vogue for
my lifestyle and fashion needs and a regular newspaper or magazine for the more
“serious” stuff. Now however, I actually have to start looking for an outlet I see
myself working for. And I didn’t really have that before picking up this month’s
Marie Claire. In this month’s (Belgian) issue, they are talking about females
as a sex object, ‘love in times of Tinder’ and so on. It’s the perfect blend of
sensation, fashion, beauty and discussing important issues.
Getting lost...
When I then apply all of this on my own interests
and the way I write my blog, I see a lot of similarities. Before Frivolous Affairs,
I had another blog. On this blog, I posted mostly literature related stuff and a
lot everyday rants tbh. However when my previous studies started to go into a
downwards spiral, I didn’t want to write about the more serious stuff anymore.
I was so frustrated with everything going on around me that I couldn’t find a
positive in any subject I tried to write about.
... and finding yourself again
Luckily, I found refuge in beauty and lifestyle. You know, the more frivolous stuff. (Get it? :p) Doing my makeup was always something that made me feel calm. By spending hours
pampering myself, I learned to enjoy and love myself again. I also started
putting more thought into my clothes again. In high school, I was always the
girl who shocked her classmates with the way she dressed. I was continuously
seeking for a way to bend the school rules on what you could wear and tried to
break stereotypes on who was supposed to wear what.
For example, one day I would wear panties with
the shortest shorts I could find with buttons running up to right under my
breasts. This outfit was, of course, in all black and burgundy. Some very
narrow minded people were convinced that I was blasting Panic! at the Disco in
my spare time whilst hurting myself. (To be honest, I still have a cheeky
listen every once in a while.) So, the next day I wore a beautiful conservative
maxi dress, my hair braided and fresh faced makeup. Identity swap!
You are your content
Anyway, I’ve kind off gone off topic there…
What I’m trying to say is that: in finding my love for fashion and how it
enables me to express myself, I also have put myself in a teeny tiny box. I’m
not saying that it isn’t a lovely box to be in. I just would like to branch out
every once in a while. And this month’s Marie Claire has shown me that it is
possible to do so within my little box. I just have to be more innovative in
bringing my content.
