(Image from Styleclicker.net)
Yesterday the fabulous Bryanboy, delayed in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport at the mercy of the ash cloud (and I assume bored judging by the furious frequency of his updates) tweeted that he had been approached by two Swedish ‘fans’ who wanted a photo taken with him. ‘OH MY GOD I’M FAMOUS!!!!!!’ he exclaimed, and though this was probably meant in a playful tongue-in-cheek kinda way, there was an indisputable truth to the statement. In the five years since the launch of his site Bryanboy has become more than just a blogger. He is a personality, a brand, and even a celebrity of sorts. Just as we are beginning to tire of shows like Big Brother a new breed of reality star has been born – the Blogebrity.
It’s actually scary to think about how public some bloggers lives have become. I could tell you where all the major blogebrities have travelled in the last month, who they’ve had meetings with, which brands have gifted them, what they ate for dinner etc ,etc, etc. Like many of the reality stats we’ve known over the years most are entirely unguarded, and social media is facilitating exhaustive access to their daily lives. Fame is really the only way to describe that level of familiarity on a global scale.
Here’s a thought, perhaps blogebrities are placed front row at the most important fashion shows as a result of their fame as well as the validity of their opinions. Celebs get invites if they support a designer by being photographed wearing their creations – bloggers do exactly the same thing with the added bonus of perceived peer relatability. Their followers (potential consumers) trust their opinions, which can ultimately result in sales, or at the very least a huge amount of online coveting and positive PR. This makes the support of blogebrities a very useful asset for fashion companies.
Perhaps the rise of the blogebrities is indicative of a greater shift in the way we all view the fashion industry. Fashion reality shows are commonplace prime time viewing now – Running in Heels, Stylista, Project Catwalk, The City – and this intimate reveal of an industry which was once closed to all but an exclusive few has the public fixated. We all want a piece of it, and more often than not those who can afford it are willing to pay to get that piece. I’m sure many of you will have heard about the recent trend for auctioning off internships – Vogue US (who raised around $15,000 for charity with their action) and Burberry being just two of the companies advantageously utilising our willingness to pay for a slice of glamour. Fashion is slowly being gobbled up by the entertainment industry, and before long the two will probably be indistinguishable from one another. I’m not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad, but either way it seems to be a natural and unstoppable progression.
Whether the fame of the blogebrities has any real longevity remains to be seen. I suppose that boils down to the strength of their individual talents and gift for self publicising. We’ll have to wait and see…
