Being Black x A Blogger

Hey Everyone! I wanted to write a post about something that I’ve touched on on my Instagram page, but not directly on here: being a black blogger. When I first started blogging, this distinction wasn’t something that I paid attention to at all. I just wanted to showcase and document my outfits for people to see. As I have been blogging for 4 years now with some ups and downs along the way, I have realized that making this distinction is important to me. Why? Because there are not a lot of us out doing the blogging thing (in relation to how many bloggers there are). And those of us that are doing it have to really come with it full force; and by full force I mean that everything we have to do has to be at 110% because of the competition that is out there.

As a black blogger, we face the struggle of having to constantly prove ourselves to not only our followers, but also brands and potential business opportunities. The opportunities for us as black bloggers are so limited that I notice there’s a tendency to withhold support from others in fear that supporting that blogger means one less opportunity for us. I say this because I have been guilty of this. And I had to check myself because I realized that, what is meant for me, will come to me.

Supporting another melanated beauty does not diminish my own work. It doesn’t make me less of a blogger. It doesn’t mean that I’m not impacting someone, somewhere. Supporting means that I want ALL of us to succeed. I want to see black influencers having collections with major clothing brands, makeup companies, etc. I want to see us storming fashion week. I want to see us on tv and magazine ads. Their victory = my victory.

Why?

Because they have just opened a door for the rest of us and have proven that if they can do it, so can I. To me, being a black blogger is so much more than showcasing an outfit. It’s inspiring a group of people that have been told for so long how to look, act, feel, talk, etc. It’s proving that we can be a creative and be successful at it. It’s showing that we have the capability to influence and inspire those that follow us. I am apart of that movement and I embrace it fully.

Some days I honestly get discouraged. I get irritated, frustrated, annoyed. But then, I take a step back and write down what I need to do better, to be better. Yes, I have to go the extra mile, but this is something we, as black people, have always had to do. I believe that the extra mile will pay off in more ways than I can imagine in the future. But for now, I will sow my seed and watch the harvest reap in due time.