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Why I Blog: Does Representation Really Matter?

I’ve been writing and creating content here on What Nicole Wore for two and a half years {WHOA}, but today I wanted to get a little personal and share my why. Friends, family, other bloggers, brands, etc. ask this question a lot and the answer is admittedly a bit long-winded. Today, I’m digging into a hot topic, that shouldn’t be hot, why representation matters, how it helped me decide to launch my blog, and how blogging’s made me more comfortable in my own skin.   Plus I’m sharing an easy to recreate fall outfit featuring some seriously cute embroidered mules!

Why Representation Matters and How to Include It in Your Blog: Click To Tweet

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Multiracial blogger, @whatnicolewore, examines the lack of diversity in fashion blogging and explains why representation is so important for brand campaigns. // brooks brothers button down shirt, how to wear a button up shirt with jeans, casual fall outfit, fossil leather boyfriend watch, easy jeans outfit, kylie cosmetics gorge lipstick
featured | brooks brothers: white button down top + distressed raw hem jeans + shein: embroidered mules c/o {under $30} + work the metal: statement earrings + kendra scott: elisa necklace + fossil: leather watch c/o + vera bradley: change it up tote c/o + urban decay: all nighter foundation c/o + kylie cosmetics: matte liquid lipstick {$13 dupe} + deborah lippmann: gel lab pro nail polish c/o cosbar

Featured | Why I Blog: Does Representation Really Matter?

Multiracial blogger, What Nicole Wore, examines the lack of diversity in blogging and explains why representation is so important for brand campaigns to include people of color. // embroidered mules, fall 2017 trends, embroidered shoes, block heels for fall, raw hem jeans

Does Representation Really Matter? | My Childhood.

We can’t really talk diversity and representation without talking about my childhood. Growing up in a suburb of Sacramento, California, I was one of five Black kids in my entire elementary school. I’d regularly come home and ask my mom if I could bleach my hair blonde so I could look like the other girls at school. It’s a stretch to say I hated how I looked, but I definitely wasn’t comfortable in my skin or looking so different from everyone around me.

When we moved to DC, I was surrounded by more languages and ethnicities than I’d ever been around, but I still struggled a lot with wanting to fit in. Quite honestly, I was super uncomfortable with being multiracial and it made me feel like an ugly duckling. My sophomore year, I heard the guy I had a crush on make an offhand comment about how Black women were so rarely pretty and remember feeling super crushed. {These days I have to roll my eyes at how stupid the comment was. I mean – we’ve all seen Beyoncé right?}

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Lifestyle blogger, What Nicole Wore, examines the lack of diversity in blogging and explains why representation is so important for brand campaigns and bloggers. // how to be inclusive, representation matters, how to wear a button down shirt for fall

Does Representation Really Matter? | Noticing a Lack of Diversity in Blogging.

Still, I think that if there had been more girls and women that looked like me both in my life and covered by the media through advertising and tv shows, I may have felt at ease with my appearance much sooner.  I could go on and on about how exhausting it is to feel ashamed of the way you look and why it’s the wrong mindset, but instead I’ll tell you that I did eventually learn to see beauty in my physical and personality traits. Around this time, I’d begun sharing photos of my outfits on Instagram and following style blogs.

I wish there were more women that looked like me shown by the media. #RepresentationMatters Click To Tweet

While I frequently gained outfit inspiration from the ladies I followed, I noticed that so many of them had the same body type, shared the same features, and were fair skinned. When brands I loved were doing campaigns that featured bloggers, there wasn’t someone that looked like me.

Lifestyle blogger examines the lack of diversity in blogging and explains why representation is so important for brand campaigns. // vera bradley change it up tote, distressed jeans outfit

Does Representation Really Matter? | Why I Blog.

Reading so many blogs, I knew that it wasn’t necessarily that these brands meant to exclude women of color, there just weren’t many Black bloggers in the game. And that’s when with my small jump of confidence, I decided to start a blog. I decided that I wanted to create content that women with bodies like mine, with skin like mine, with mixed features like mine could see and connect with.

I wanted to create content that women like me could connect with. #RepresentationMatters Click To Tweet

Do I represent every Black or mixed woman out there? Absolutely not! I’m pear-shaped, I have a mix of my dad’s Black and mom’s Japanese features, I carry my weight in my thighs and I dress however the heck I want. Not everyone will connect with everything I post on What Nicole Wore, but I cannot begin to tell you how big I smile when a brand features me and I see a woman comment about her excitement over seeing a Black blogger.  In the same vein when a brand reaches out about partnering with me, I am so thrilled because it tells me that on top of thinking that I create quality content, that they understand how important representation is.

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Blogger @whatnicolewore examines the lack of diversity in blogging and explains why representation is so important for brand campaigns. // urban decay all nighter foundation, kylie cosmetics gorg lipstick, women of color, body positivity

Does Representation Really Matter? | More than Just a Trend.

Over the past two and a half years, I’ve learned to get tougher skin, but I’ve also learned to love the skin I’m in and not take for granted the fact that I was made to look different. My brown skin not only makes me unique in fashion blogging, it’s something that I’m able to appreciate as beautiful.

Blogging's taught me to have tougher skin. Click To Tweet

So does representation matter? Hell yes it does! While it’s amazing that body positivity and inclusion have become trendy, it’s also SO important that we see these movements as more than just trends. As bloggers, content creators, and influencers we have a responsibility to our audiences to represent them and to help them understand that their unique qualities make them wonderful human beings.

Does representation matter? Hell yes it does! Click To Tweet

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Multiracial blogger examines the lack of diversity in blogging and explains why representation is so important for brand campaigns. // community over competition, embracing diversity, representation matters, body positivity, brooks brothers outfit

I hear you, “But Nicole, I’m a white blogger, how CAN I contribute to diversity?” Are you creating an inclusive community that’s representative of the real world? Do you share content that features women that don’t look like you, that have different body types, are different ages and races?

Wondering how to contribute to diversity in blogging? #RepresentationMatters Click To Tweet

Building that community and finding bloggers you connect with that have faces and bodies that your readers may connect with is so important. It doesn’t require being “fake” or sharing content that you don’t genuinely love, but take the time to browse your blogging groups, Twitter lists, and Pinterest group boards for content you love from women that have obvious physical differences from you.

In fashion and style blogging, bloggers so often feature the same types of items, and the struggle so often is to show how we each stand out. Sharing what makes you unique whether it be where you shop, how you accessorize, where you live, or your upbringing, continues to begin conversations about how beautiful each of our differences are and why they matter.

Let's begin conversation about how beautiful our differences are. Click To Tweet

Blogger, What Nicole Wore, examines the lack of diversity in blogging and explains why representation matters. // style blogger outfit, white button down shirt, vera bradley microfiber purse, button up shirt outfit

Does Representation Really Matter? | The Embellished Mules.

Onto the outfit!  These embroidered black mules were calling out to me when I placed my last order from SheIn.  I’ve been wanting to add a pair of mules to my shoe rack and have also been loving all the embroidered and embellished shoes that have been coming out lately so I decided pretty quickly to add these to my cart.  Typically, I wear an 8.5 in shoes and the 39 fits great.

These embroidered black mules called out to me! Click To Tweet

Does Representation Really Matter? | The Outfit.

This is hands down one of my favorite outfits to throw on when I don’t know what to wear in the fall.  Button up shirts are a closet essential for me, but what I love about these ones from Brooks Brothers is that they don’t require ironing!  If you hang it up when it comes out of the dryer, you’ll be good to go, but if not, just throw it in for 5-10 minutes.

Hands down one of my favorite 'I don't know what to wear' outfits. Click To Tweet

SHOP THE POST | DOES REPRESENTATION REALLY MATTER?

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Comments

  3. Sydney says

    Nicole this post is amazing, I feel that blogging is such a strong platform to be able to show others who might be similar to us that no one can tell you what you can and can’t wear and you can’t be who you are its 2017 be who makes you happy.

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Aww thank you Marissa! And yes it’s true, you definitely see the uglier side of people unfortunately

  7. Ruthie says

    Well, I don’t think I have met ANYONE that has been able to so perfectly articulate how I feel…. I RELATE completely!! This statement sums it up and I am so mad twitter doesn’t allow more characters lol “As bloggers, content creators, and influencers we have a responsibility to our audiences to represent them and to help them understand that their unique qualities make them wonderful human beings.” THANK you for shedding light on this topic!! PS I live in Sacramento county!! COME BACK hahahahha

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Ahhhh I’m so glad you could relate! It’s tough to put into words so I tried to do it the most justice I could. I will definitely be contacting you if I’m ever out in Sacramento for a visit! Xx

  8. Annaliese says

    Nicole this is such a beautiful post! I’m so glad that blogging gave you a space to feel motivated to share your adorable fashions and also your heart! I love reading your blog. 🙂 I think you make a great point that everyone can have a unique voice and perspective and not be fake, skin color aside!

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Thank you so much friend! I’m so glad to have found you through blogging and am so relieved that you understood my point that we each have a unique story to tell ❤️

  9. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says

    Shared this post on Twitter. Representation in books is a hot topic in the book community right now and as I’ve followed along I’ve also thought about the blogging community. It’s so important that everyone can find people they can relate to in the media we consume, and it’s also so important that we see people who look different and have different experiences than us.

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      It’s so true! I went to a book con back in the spring and got to talk to an author about how few characters of color there are in books. Afterwards, my friend told me she’d never thought about it until I brought it up. It’s awesome that it’s being discussed more. Thank you so much for sharing!

  11. Tiffany says

    Such a great post!!! I think your story is so important, and I think you’re beautiful inside and out! (No offense, but your crush was obvi a loser😂)

  12. Steph says

    This is such a great post. I studied this a bit in school as I went to a liberal arts college. I love that you’re sharing this and talking about the importance of representation!

    xo,
    Steph
    @trendyinindy || trendyinindy.com

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Aww thank you Steph! Didn’t realize you went to a liberal arts college — so cool! ❤️

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Aww thank you so much Katie! ❤️ glad to be apart of such a supportive and inspiring community!

  15. Jenny says

    Loved this post, girl! We all have a place in the blogging world no matter our age, gender, race, or beliefs. We’re all unique and wonderful in our own ways. Keep doing you, lady!

  17. amy says

    Love this post SO much!! I had a similar situation growing up. I grew up in a tiny country town and my family was the only Asian family in my town. I’m pretty certain the only other Asian family that lived remotely close to us was an hour away…and it was my Aunt. Now as I’m getting older I’m trying to embrace my Chinese culture and try to incorporate that with my blog. Thanks for sharing this and as always, love reading your posts!

    xoxo,
    Amy | http://www.pastelnpink.com

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Aw I’m so glad you could relate! I’m so glad that you’re embracing your Chinese heritage and can’t wait to see how you incorporate it into your blog 😘

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      She did such a great job with making her line so inclusive! 🙌🏽 I’m excited to check out the products

  20. Jamaria says

    Ummm YES! & more yes! So happy I came across this post because I have definitely felt the way you described many times before. So happy you chose to share your story and your transparency definitely will have people thinking! Xo

    Jamaria | throughjamseyes.com

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Awww thank you so much for reading Jamaria! Can’t begin to describe how happy it makes me to see women connect with this ❤️🙌🏽

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Thank you so much for the words of encouragement! It’s definitely awesome how many strong business women there are in blogging – very inspiring!

  23. Natasha Stoneking says

    YES to everything you said in this post… our readers are diverse and i love that the world of blogging has so many amazing people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, looks, etc so that we can ALL gther inspiration and make it our own!!! wonderfully said lady 😉

    • whatnicolewore@gmail.com says

      Aww thank you so much Natasha! It can definitely be a sensitive topic to write on but an important one nonetheless!

  24. adriana says

    Pretty sure I NEED those shoes!! This post is so important and so well written – representation does matter!