Why I’ll Never Be a Fashion Blogger

I will never be a fashion blogger.

Mostly, because compared to most people, I reckon I’m actually pretty unfashionable.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE seeing other people’s styles, and get suckered into an online sale faster than you can say 50% off, but the truth is, since university, I just haven’t been that into fashion.

At college, I was about as preppy as they come. Think stripy shirts, my beloved gilet, little mini skirts and ugg boots. Yes now they may have slightly different connotations, but we’ll all remember just how cool they were a decade ago. I’d spend a minimum of half an hour doing my makeup every day, and never leave the house without at least eyeliner and mascara on.

Then things changed when I went to live in Falmouth.

Somehow the Cornish life, especially university life, left me bare faced and more likely to be seen in flip flops and leggings or a swimsuit than anything else.

Now that I work, be it, in a smart-casual office where I can get away without a stitch of makeup all week, I do enjoy the opportunity to dress up a bit on occasions. When I’ve taken the time to actually use every product in my makeup bag, I think you can see a huge difference, but mostly because you’d often not see any!

Saving for a house meant I barely spent any money on clothes for over a year, and embarrassingly as my best friend Rach will remind me, a lot of my favourite wardrobe pieces are over 5 years old!

Then there are the other, somewhat underlying reasons I don’t think I’d ever consider myself a fashion blogger.

The world has moved into a preference for online shopping over trying things on, and I’m 100% the girl that even with free returns, ends up keeping a whole bunch of things I don’t like, purely because I never quite get around to sending them back! The online service is improving, and I’m ever grateful to wonderful influencers who provide fashion inspo on instagram stories with tips when to “size up on this jumper”, or “as a size 16, the large was a comfortable fit”.

Shops online have cottoned onto this exact hunger for other’s opinions, and provide review platforms such as Feefo* that rate and discuss each item – just like you would with a friend in the changing room (you can research the company here).

As a girl who verges on the edge of plus size, knowing what has come up small on other people (i.e. am I going to look like a stuffed sausage in this dress or not?) before I add to the basket is so valuable.

Yet I think teetering on that verge of plus size is probably what also puts me off being a fashion blogger.

I’m just not practised or confident in front of a camera.

Recently, I was with two wonderful friends, Emily and Nicole, as we met up before a Plymouth Bloggers Brunch for a quick shoot. I felt good in my new Hannah-Gale-Inspired dress, mad lion hair and a slick of red lippy.

Yet put me in front of that camera and I nervously flapped about, chatting away (pulling some top-rated faces) and holding my limbs as awkwardly as a baby giraffe.

There were some lovely shots that came out of it, but this post is testament to the fact that a lot of them were hilariously bad. #queenofawkwardposing

Do any of you gorgeous and well-practised fashion bloggers have any tips for what to do with your arms/legs/face, I’m in need of steering in the right direction!

***This post was in collaboration with a brand, but all opinions are my own***