Friend Friday 1/21: Authenticity and Fashionable Academics

We decided to have a little bit of fun with this week's FBFF questions. Please forgive our snark, but "authenticity" is a very loaded term for academics, especially those of us in the Humanities. We hope you won't be offended that some of our answers are a bit tongue-in-cheek. And if you're not a fan of snark, perhaps you will be a fan of SFE's sparkly skirt. As always, thanks to Katy of Modly Chic for providing this awesome platform for bloggers to come together, and to the FBFF group for being such a wonderful community.


Most readers and fellow fashion bloggers value authenticity in the blogs they read. How would you describe blog/blogger authenticity?

AUH: I think it has to do with finding your own voice. When I first started blogging I thought I needed to sound authoritative somehow and felt a little uncomfortable talking about style. It's an ongoing process, but I'm feeling much more confident now about not turning on a "blog self" vs. a real self. Although I still chop my head off when I'm making a goofy face in pictures.


SFE: Authenticity, like authority, is a word that is loaded with a variety of values and it is established through meeting audience/reader/spectator expectations. Is Jessica Quirk an authentic blogger because she has always had an interest in fashion, seems really enthusiastic about it, and invests in it? Or, are we more authentic because our blog has a DIY look, you know a "blogspot.com" URL and no DSLR camera photos? That said, I don't really think "authenticity" comes into play with the blogs I read. My daily reads also include Broadsheet (recently defunct) and Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish. Of all the things I've questioned about those blogs authenticity has not been one of them.


LHdM: Ummm, SFE, my photos are shot with a DSLR.... :P I often ponder this issue of authenticity because I blog under a moniker instead of my real name. However, I feel like my real voice comes through even as I have crafted a sort of separate public persona "La Historiadora de Moda" for the purposes of semi-anonymity. I definitely curse less on this blog than I do in real life. I also eat far more cheese than you would ever know from just reading this blog.


When it comes to your blog how to you infuse it with that true/authentic feeling?

AUH: I don't overthink my writing and post some less than flattering pictures.


SFE: To be honest, I really hope I don't "infuse it with that true/authentic feeling." To do so, would mean I would publish the unattractive outfit photos that none of you want to see anyway.

SFE wears a new sweater 2 ways, here's #1
sweater - GAP
Twinkle dress - Girls from Savoy/Anthro (remixed)
tights - Simply Vera/Kohls (gifted)
earings - Corcoran Gallery, DC (remixed/gifted)
scarf - self made
shoes - faryl robin (remixed)

LHdM: I try to keep it real. I blog about how my sartorial choices intersect with my career and other aspects of my life. I don't try to offer didactic advice. And when something pisses me off, I post about it. Like AUH, I don't spend a lot of time overthinking most of my posts. That's what my research is for....

Have you stopped following a blog in the last three months? What made you lose interest?

AUH: N/A


SFE: I lose interest when the blogger doesn't post that often. I also tend not to read Andrew Sullivan when he's on vacation and a guest blogger takes over. There, that's authenticity: I'm interested in Sullivan as curator of information and not someone else.

#2: More authentic?
Sweater - Gap
Skirt - Gap
Scarf - London Street Vendor (remixed)
Green earrings - Anthro (remixed)
Leggings - Fylo (MIL-ed/remixed)
Wellies - Capelli via Marshalls (remixed)

LHdM: Like SFE, I tend to lose interest in blog that go weeks or months without posting new content. I also have to admit that I lose interest in blogs whose authors don't return comments. I know this is something people disagree on, but I'm a southerner and I have expectations about hospitality and reciprocity. So when I visit SFE sometime soon, I fully expect her to let me borrow that awesome GAP skirt she's wearing.


We can't communicate effectively on our blogs, something we don't live in real life... what are some ways you try to live an authentic life?

AUH: I've gotten better over the years about saying no to things I'd rather not do and I'm finally keeping a journal again, an honest one, so that I have a better understanding of what my priorities are. One of the things I love about being in my late twenties is that I either feel less pressure to "be" a certain way and/or feel more confident about not spending as much time around people who make me feel uncomfortable.


SFE: I obsess about being original and not being a poser. Therefore, when AUH or LHdM express interest in a skirt I already own from Anthro I throw flaming bags of poo on their front porches to teach them not to cramp my authenticity. I suppose snark is authentic.


LHdM: Please excuse me for a minute, I have to go deal with a flaming bag of dog shit on my porch.... Then I need to peer pressure AUH for a while.


Give a shout-out... Which bloggers do you think are truly genuine and why?

AUH: Many! I feel as though I could have fantastic conversations with many of the bloggers we follow--they all share parts of their days and have amazing senses of humor and style.


SFE: Stay-at-home-mom blogs.



LHdM: I'm going to go with those awesome headless bitches over at IPF. They keep it real. Seriously, though, I feel like it's hard to narrow this down because who am I to judge whether or not someone is authentic on her blog. I will instead avoid answering this question, and say that there are some style bloggers who I think are authentically amazingly nice and kind. Due to space, I will only list a few: Clare of Between Laundry Days, Tania of What Would a Nerd Wear, Terri of Rags Against the Machine, Jentine of My Edit, and Vahni of Grit and Glamour.


Happy Friday, everyone!