Working in fashion journalism

The Promoter, Celebrity, and Joker Roles in Journalists’ Social Media Performance

“…The roles of promoter, celebrity, and joker offer a lens to examine the extension of journalism beyond the established boundaries of a profession through individual social media practices. Further empirical studies could examine how far this signals a break with accepted practices or a novel articulation of lifestyle journalism, which has itself grown within the journalism industry (Bradford, 2015;Hanusch, 2013;Kristensen & From, 2012). The confluence of journalist and influencer in the performance of these roles offers then a rich vein for research into whether this represents a revitalization of the funding of journalists or what Filloux (2019) describes as "the decay of journalism that goes along with the growing reliance to 'influencers'" (n.p.…”

After fashion film: social video and brand content in the influencer economy

“…The influencer economy invests heavily in this narrative of authenticity – in the symbolic manipulation of self, relationality and experience – through the material production of still and moving image, which works not just to promote product but also to translate into visual terms the symbolic meanings and affective values of the brand. ‘The most savvy brands’, Julie Bradford (2015: 215) concurs, use social media platforms ‘to engage people – through editorial-style, shareable content like videos, through interaction and through brand-building – rather than for the hard sell or gathering hordes of followers’. Buying into the personal style of an influencer involves investing in her chosen content, in how she actively ‘curates’ her feed through a stylized mood-board approach to visual culture.…”

Fashioning Multiplatform Masculinities

“…Magazines such as Women’s Wear Daily and Vogue frequently employ and cover popular female bloggers, the recently shuttered Details syndicated numerous male bloggers’ posts on its website and, as Rocamora (2012) argues, bloggers even influence the practices of print outlets. Moreover, personal style bloggers are now able to generate revenue through consulting gigs, advertising, deals with brands and retailers, and work in related media industries (Bradford 2015, 205–6; Findlay 2015, 170; Griffith 2011), inspiring many of them to view their blogs as a launch pad into a career in fashion (Pedroni 2015). Yet their foothold in the industry remains precarious.…”

“…E. Marwick (2013) found style bloggers offer such “honest” and personal information on and beyond their blogs specifically to create closer relationships with followers and differentiate themselves from other bloggers. Bradford (2015) notes this incessant self-focus also distinguishes personal style bloggers from “professional” fashion journalists, who must prioritize their outlets’ brands over their own perspectives while bloggers express their individual personalities, opinions, and tastes in order to brand themselves (pp. 204, 208).…”

“…Typically created by individuals without industry associations, these blogs initially gained widespread popularity in the late 2000s by appealing to readers with carefully staged photographs of the authors’ daily outfits, conversational approach to fashion commentary, and a relatable do-it-yourself production style (Engholm and Hansen-Hansen 2014; Findlay 2015; Khamis and Munt 2010). As these bloggers can reach audiences with a voice arguably cultivated outside the influence of advertisers and the vast editorial structures of corporate media (Bradford 2015, 202–4), scholars have emphasized their ability to showcase new points of view, disrupt the fashion media’s monopoly on circulating fashion information, and encourage authenticity not often seen in corporate fashion outlets (e.g., A. E. Marwick 2013; Rocamora 2012).…”