Tag: influencers

Categories
Feature

Not REAL But Who Cares?

I had a rather funny yet poignant conversion about how the world works today. Fake It Until You Make It is the modern lifestyle concept Impostor. Yet with this concept comes another term, “Impostor”. Those who can cover their skin with a piece of Fabulousness that gets them in the right place being around the right people wearing the right (usually borrowed) clothes to attract attention. To the untrained eye these Anna Delvey wannabees in waiting will pounce on any unsuspecting victim.

At an event in Berlin, one such Impostor reared the head. To some attendees the fake designer belt worn with a colorful statement jacket caught some interest. A peacock gets attention by displaying plumage. As the event continued to the evening my friend told me the background of this particular bird. A different cheap jacket for a different event is all it takes. The German Capital is not known for its high fashion trend spotting. A polyester blend menswear piece is all it takes to get noticed.

Quote of the Day by Anna Delvey
Quote from the Netflix Series

My blue jeans had more value than Mr. Attention Seeker’s entire outfit but my denim lacked the bling. You see, certain backgrounds in German need to fit in a box, this includes dressing. A Person of Color must have flair to reinforce the categorization. Stereotypes don’t fall so easily. Amazingly, the Impostor had longer and more conversations than the serious attendees, myself included.

Cotton Candy is a decorative sweet but not a meal. My photographer colleague related to me the story of Disco Super group Sister Sledge being in Berlin for a performance. The ladies were not GLAM GLAM upped enough to get noticed compared to the flaunting German Celebs. Only after the platinum selling trio hit the stage did the photographers and press realise their oversight. Luckily for my friend, he was the only picture taker who got Red Carpet photos of the singing trio. The advice he gave me, “You are Sister Sledge” to people. “Dressing in jeans and t-shirts is functional, not attention getting.” SNAP!

Bette Davis Quote on Life

Should I become more of an Impostor? Dress extravagantly? Do I need to change to a flashy Instagram account to get more likes? Those are the questions.

Categories
Fashion

Here is Fashion in 2020

The Coronavirus has changed every business in ways we have yet to digest. Business models will crash. In fashion, retail brick and mortar stores have struggled competing against online sales. The end is near for many storied chains. The crash in consumer demand will put the last nail in the coffin. Habits will change, malls will seem like relics of a past civilisation.  

The print magazine is on its last leg. Carrie Bradshaw reading Vogue over coffee in a New York cafe was the stuff of fashionistas dreams. Collectors get your plastic wrap ready. 2020 will usher in the last print issues for many titles. Because retail stores have closed for the outbreak. Buying toilet paper and pasta has taken precedent over the latest Spring Kors bag. Many brands will stop buying ads. Because of  high overheads, publishing houses will struggle with new rounds of cost cuts.

Influencers face a balancing act. The travel influencer field has collapsed, like the industry. Anyone want to buy a plane ticket today? Freebies with cut, copy, and paste, stories will begin to feel trivia. Brands will now employ tighter messaging to engage consumers in the troubled times. Daily doses of wannabes aspirations will feel out of place. Who cares about a daily selfie. It maybe time to get real job. The new real influencers are medical workers.

In a quick update.  I wanted to mention the factories producing clothing.  They have completely shutdown in many parts of the world. 

Categories
Beauty Fashion

Not Thirsty!

There are some social media platforms that we like. There are some social media platforms we question. As a site for all things creative, inspiring, and wonderful being in a place of thirsty, desperate wannabes employing questionable means is not for us. Taking all of this into consideration, Black and Paper has decided to quit Instagram.

Endless narcissism, relentless self-promotion, and less than transparent followers means a lot of effort but not sure about the end results. The Instagram skills of a pictures using filtered effects or daily selfies have become a source of mass appeal, not in our book. Black and Paper supports real talent; artists, fashion designers, writers, and photographers and all other creative types.

Do we hate Instagram? No! But we feel as a site it is no longer in the spirit of social media. There are only so many product placements, advertising, and partnership hashtags we can endure in threads. After seeing influencers with multiple images of different brands, many in the same product category, writing the standard commentary including “love my new,,,” or “favorite”, sooner or later authenticity will become an issue. One influencer we have watched, with “thousand of followers”, endorsed or promoted seven different sandal brands in 2 weeks. Instagram has become a full time lifestyle for some, a source of validation, a fast route to fame, a way to live vicariously.  Our online presence is not motivated by those behavior patterns. We try to keep it REAL!

Lastly, we do not understand algorithms of Instagram. What makes an image popular? Buying “likes” from bots. Daily pouting selfies. Using a certain filter. Specific hashtags.

Black and Paper wishes the people who are successful on Instagram more success. For us, it was better to leave than continue.

Black and Paper would like to thank its on Instagram followers.  Please follow us here and on other social media outlets.