When I asked everyone for feedback on my content last week, one of the big requests was more outfit posts, especially those who responded on Snap or Insta. The other big theme, which was the most requested, was more personal posts…so let’s get personal about outfit posts!
Honestly, they can stress me the f*** out!
The bar is set really high when it comes to outfit posts, especially on Instagram. When I scroll through my feed all the “outfit” girls I follow are sooooo dressed up in the latest and greatest and every picture is wildly perfect. I constantly feel like what I’m wearing isn’t generally good enough to post, but don’t get me wrong, what I’m wearing is perfectly good enough for me in my real life. I spend just about everyday going to my full-time job at the LEAF office wearing jeans or little dresses and flats. I’m comfortable and casual, and it works for me. For Insta though? Not so sure.
On top of that, I feel the pressure to have high-quality photos, or at the very least, pretty backdrops. But at LEAF, we work in an area of orange brick office buildings which do not lend themselves well to a clean shot. The good walls are at closest a 10-minute walk which leads me to the last restraint: asking my friends and co-workers to take photos of me. This doesn’t feel good either. They work for me on LEAF, not my personal musings, and the amount of photos it takes to get “the one” can take time, time that I’m not willing to ask of them out of respect.
Instead of allowing the above limitations to be excuses, I’ve found a way to work around my constraints. I shoot most outfits on weekends (sometimes with a professional photographer) and try to snap as many as I can (daytime outfits, night time outfits, workout gear if I make it to the gym, etc.). I shoot what I genuinely wear, but I’ll be honest, I often feel pressure to go out and buy things that are current/link-able/trendy/Insta gold to shoot…which doesn’t always feel right. It can feel forced and sometimes like a waste of money.
If/when some weekends come along and I don’t have anything new that’s great, or haven’t reinvented outfits in my closet, I get stressed that I don’t have anything interesting enough to shoot. I’ll change outfits a handful of times, destroy my closet (and room) then catch myself spinning out until I get to the “why am I doing this to myself?!” point. These are the weeks when I don’t post much outfit content. It just isn’t flowing naturally.
This silly but real anxiety started long before Instagram, too. I’ve been blogging since 2005 and felt similarly when we were on Blogspot (who remembers those days?!). I didn’t have the money to buy new clothes all the time to “compete” and more importantly, I wasn’t willing to ask others to judge me (something that became a little more normal with the explosion of Instagram). It didn’t feel healthy and I decided it was pressure I didn’t want to solicit. Nor did I want to spend my time taking photos of myself; it just wasn’t for me, so I chose not to participate in personal style and opted to build a curated site, more of a magazine.
So yes, between the unrealistic expectations, quality, self-inflicted pressure, etc. outfit content can be stressful BUT at the same time it’s so much fun and I genuinely enjoy sharing when it all comes together. I promise to keep sharing on the days where things come together authentically – hopefully often!
Wearing: Sandro lace top (similar here), ZARA jeans, AYR robe coat, Celine sunglasses, Manolo Blahnik camo heels, Chanel bag
27 comments
I really like your outfit. It’s something I’d totally wear too.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
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PREACH
I love that you are honest abut outfit posts causing stress. I never feel like mine are up to par, mainly because I have to take them myself with a timer camera setting. But hey, the fact that we want to keep creating inspirational content is great! Keep fueling that passion <3
Haute Sauce
Casual everyday outfits are what normal people wear and WHAT WORKS. Do your thing bc you’re totally killing it!
Thank you! This is so relate-able real and just made me instantly want to reach out through my screen and hug you. I dont have a blog but I am an avid consumer of content – and I came to a point in the last 18 months where I just had to reassess who my gods were, who was I worshiping. And I realized that I still 100% want to be on social media to get inspired -but not with things but with values. Values around what is real, how to be brave, how to take risks, how to love better – in short, how to live well. And with your focus on wellness in an urban, adult life- I am inspired daily by your blog. So again, I am grateful that there are strong and women with purpose out there who are willing to create a tribe by standing up for their values.
In the end, I just want to leave you with these lines from the Oriah Mountain Dreamer poem, something that came to my mind as I was feeling thankful for your sharing where you are at regarding outfit posts:
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
Hello beautiful:)
I totally know what you are saying, taking outfits pictures can be really hard and exhausting. Although I have a closet full with clothes, I still feel that I should buy more new ones so I don’t wear the old ones. For a girl that blogs for only 5 months, it’s pretty hard to be honest. Keep hoping for a miracle from the sky to get in my mailbox to help me with all this.
I really like the outfit you presented especially the shoes besides you are so beautiful, you look great in the camera. If you feel like this is not you, don’t do it, people love and follow you for you.
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First time commenting, but I’ve followed you since 2008 (! almost a decade). I came to you in your peak fashion days, and it’s been inspiring seeing you and your blog evolve. I appreciate that you’ve expanded your content, stayed true to yourself, AND as a former ~fashion blogger~ I can relate A-L-L of what you said in this post.
That said, I really just love your taste and honestly WANT to see things I could wear in real life (I’m a work-from-home writer, so mine’s pretty casual too). Even a mirror selfie on Insta stories can be inspiring! So if not on your blog, I (and I’m sure many others) would still love seeing bits and pieces on other social media platforms.
Anyway, you’re great and sometimes when I’m not sure whether to buy something I ask myself “What would Geri do?” (Am I creeping you out yet?)
This is probably the best blog post I’ve ever read.
gorgeous!!
xxx
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Thank you for being so honest and real! I love your blog and I think your readers will appreciate that about you! I think your outfits look amazing but I cant imagine the pressure that goes along with it. I would love to see your normal work outfits!
Love the blog! thanks!
I remembered the blogspot days, I was love that you are authentic to your voice and inspiration. I’ve always enjoyed that about your writing and evolution and success with LEAF!
Girlfriend. Thank you for being so real on this post. I can totally relate. There are bars set so high for what our outfit posts should look like and that they should be currently in stock and super trendy. That’s just asking you to spend loads of money on clothes.
I think you should definitely keep posting and do it your way, even if imperfect. Cause we like ya for who you are. 😊 Again, Thanks for being honest.
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Seriously Geri you’re my favorite blogger but this just made me love you even more! Great post and so so so on point. Thanks for your realness. And you’re killing it, don’t worry xoxox
honestly, for most of your readers, your “everyday clothes” are still what we want to see mostly for inspiration or maybe new ideas. it doesnt necessarily need to be “trendy” bc (at least for me) the super dressed up photoshoots end up making me feel less than and like im a slob, when in reality i know i’m not. its completely fine to not be dressed up everyday when your life doesnt necessitate it. personally, i like seeing realistic style posts where its actually something i would consider incorporating into my life and i feel like your style does that!
You look so chic!
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This camel coat is gorgeous, love it!
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I agree with you. Creating outfit content, trying to stay relevant and the pressure of it all can be stressful at times but I like to remember the reasons why I started blogging and that gives me the strength I need to overcome the stress1
/ ORR – Life & Style Journal
This outfit is so cool! I really like your coat, even though I can’t wait for spring to not have to wear coats anymore! Don’t pressure yourself into anything, I think your blog content is amazing, and what’s more important than anything is that you love what you post and you have fun creating new posts!
Lucie, xx
http://thefrenchpier.blogspot.com/
Amazing post the truth on your blog is the best material for me.Your truth inspires me and lets me know your humanness.Many Thanks 😘
I’m another follower since your blogspot days. I have no idea how I ran across your blog, but I started following you and the other bloggers you linked on your site then a bit religiously. However, at this point, I’ve parred down to following just you and one or two others. I think the majority of your blog readers have evolved in a similar way you have. I appreciate your outfit posts, but don’t sweat ramping that up FOR SURE. You DO still do the various fashion week outfit inspiration rundowns, afterall. I am really into the direction you’ve been going: it is more meaningful, mindful, healthful, positive, sustainable, etc.
Love how honest and genuine you are about taking and posting outfit pictures!
Love love LOVE how open and honest you are with this post. I don’t think everyone realizes how much work it is to blog. I love sharing style posts, but like you, I can’t afford to keep buying new clothes and wearing entirely new outfits, like I see with a lot of fashion bloggers. But, I decided not to let that bother me. Most readers can’t afford that kind of lifestyle either, so I assume they’d love to see people dressing in outfits that are realistic – restyling old pieces and getting creative in their closets.
Also, for as much as I love Instagram, it has really hit me lately how much unnecessary pressure and anxiety it adds to my life. I spent a few days away from it this weekend while on a trip, and it was GLORIOUS. I’ve decided I’m going to really start limiting my time on it; honestly I need to for my mental health. <3
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I think your concerns are totally valid. I’m one of the ones who suggested more outfit posts, but specifically because I like how YOU do them — while you are gorgeous and have an enviable wardrobe, they always feel accessible.
All in all, you are one of my favorite bloggers and have been for the better part of 10 years (!) Just keep doing what feels authentic and readers will stick with you. xx
I just read this post and I love it!. You’re honest, you keep it real and give us a glimpse of what probably many of these fabulous bloggers feel. And I love your stylish yet realistic outfits that you post and actually wear. Makes it so much better. I always loved your style from the very beginning. I personally don’t care what the backdrop is or how great the quality of your pics are but Internet nderstand that is what you need to do to keep up… But I remember the amazing Elin Kling still doing mirror selfies of her outfits when every fashion blogger set up these pretentious shoots trying to pose like models with outfits they probably don’t wear irl. Keep doing what you do. X
I just read this post and I love it!. You’re honest, you keep it real and give us a glimpse of what probably many of these fabulous bloggers feel. And I love your stylish yet realistic outfits that you post and actually wear. Makes it so much better. I always loved your style from the very beginning. I personally don’t care what the backdrop is or how great the quality of your pics are but I understand that is what you need to do to keep up… But I remember the amazing Elin Kling still doing mirror selfies of her outfits when every fashion blogger set up these pretentious shoots trying to pose like models with outfits they probably don’t wear irl. Keep doing what you do. X
I absolutely love this post and that you are REAL. I enjoy reading your blog and was expecting a rather typical outfit post — and instead found your refreshing voice which is SO WELCOME. THANK YOU! 🙂 #girlcrush