The Fashion Outsider: Wait, I was wrong – bloggers actually ARE entitled brats

“I witnessed two-year-old-tanty-level drama.”

Ok, brace yourselves, because this week’s column is going to be a re-hash of a topic we’ve all read about wayyyyyy too many times. But I have to say it. 

I was wrong.

During VAMFF’s #bloggergate last March, I went in to bat for bloggers in Melbourne after The Age published an article about entitled, bratty bloggers demanding to be seated front row. I defended my peeps vigorously, especially after the Daily Mail reported that print journalists had banded together to demand no blogger be seated in the frow.

I spoke out in two separate interviews, saying that as a music journalist this whole bloggers vs print media thing was foreign to me. Ain’t no Rolling Stone article waxing on about how irrelevant Hypebeast is or whatever. I weathered the storm – and I must say it, mostly alone – as the backlash ensued. I saw bloggers who I’d previously been friendly with, turn away when they saw me at the subsequent shows.

In my mind, I was calling it like I saw it.

So, now that MSFW has wrapped after a stunning week of gorgeous fashion, I have to call it like I see it again: I was wrong. Some bloggers actually ARE entitled brats.

Last week I witnessed two-year-old-tanty-level drama after (some) bloggers weren’t seated where they perceived they should be seated. I heard of rude emails being sent to the PRs running the event, demanding retribution. I saw (some) bloggers return tickets because they refused to sit second row. GASP.

I was joking in my column last week when I said we wouldn’t share photos of the runway if we weren’t seated front row… but then that actually happened.

And I have to say it: if bloggers don’t want to go the way of the dinosaur, they have to play by the rules. We have to understand what we offer, and subsequently, what the people who are seated ahead of us offer in comparison.

I WAS wrong, but I won’t go so far as to say The Age was right. Because, in the end, those print journalists ironically did exactly what they accused (some) bloggers of doing. 

Sure, it’s #notallbloggers – but unfortunately, if we don’t stand proud against this kind of behaviour, and tear it down from within, we’ll all be lumped in with the bad press. I, for one, don’t want to be associated with a movement that is becoming less about genuine connections with real people who wear real clothes, and more about how fucking cool we can look to a shitload of followers. We’ve never met in real life. I mean, how sad.

Ego is an ugly, embarrassing thing. And might I say it, very unfashionable.

Follow Bianca’s confusing fashion journey (from the second or third row) over at @alphabetponymag