One of the things that has surprised me most about blogging has been the community that I have built up and the friends that I’ve made. I put a lot of value on my friendships with other fashion bloggers, and I want to talk a little bit about why; and why it’s important for you too to reach outside your friend group.
My two best friends are women who I adore beyond measure, Maddie my best friend since the 8th grade, and Sarah who is my sorority little sister who I met in my third year of university. Along with these two women I have my friend group of university friends and lawyer friends. What I have been lucky enough to add to my life these past few years has been ‘blogger friends’. Most of these women are women I talked to online for months (if not years) before meeting in person – having met online through various blogger facebook groups or instagram DM groups. There are a number of these blogger babes who I now consider to be friends. Pictured here are some of them including Jessie, Kristina, Jess, Lily, Keyma & Candace.
These are women that I see rarely (some only once a year at fashion week) but who I value so deeply for multiple reasons:
I value these women so much because of how different we all are. It wasn’t until I became friends with them that I really started thinking about adult friendships. Adults tend to find themselves with the groups of people they’ve been friends with for years; and usually these people live in the same area as each other, have the same socio-economic status, and just are very similar to one another.
What I love about having blogger friends is that I get to have friendships that break that pattern. My blogger friends range from ages 21 – 40. They live in Texas, Oregon, California, NY, Illinois and Florida. Their careers range from stay at home mom, to broadcast journalist, to full-time fashion blogger. There are Democrats and Republicans, women who believe in God, & women who don’t. The backgrounds of these women could not be more different from one another and yet because of this enigma that is ‘fashion blogging’ we’ve had the opportunity to meet and become friends.
It’ easy to surround yourself with people who share your exact ideas and values, stemming from shared backgrounds and experiences. The gift that having blogger friends has given me is that I now have people whose experiences are nothing like my own that I can learn from. I’ve got a ton of different perspectives on how to respond to a work issue, or what to make of texts from a guy I like. It has been such a privilege to have different voices I can go to to better understand a situation – and in turn, better understand myself.
I also think fashion bloggers can get a bad rap as being dumb or vapid. In my own experience I cannot tell you how wrong that is. While, yes, we can spend hours talking about shoes or our favorite mascara, we also talk about issues like the Kavanaugh appointment, or what needs to be done about climate change. I’ve learned so freaking much because I’ve been able to hear perspectives and ideas completely different than my own and for that I am just eternally grateful.
I would urge each and every one of you to make friends outside your friend group for this reason. Find a way to meet people you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to know. A great way is to join a club for a specific hobby. That way you have the shared interest but not everyone there will be as similar to you as your usual friend group.
I TOTALLY agreeeeee!!! It has been so great meeting so many great girls in the blogging industry!
Right!! It’s the best!!
This is such a good post!!! So sweet and true! Loved reading it!
Thank you so much Morgan!
This was such an enjoyable post to read. I loved what you had to say about going outside of your friend group and learning different perspectives. That’s what I wish everyone would do — and not just when it comes to blog friends. You should share this post with IFB Links a la Mode!
Thank you so so much! And what is IFB links a la mode!? I’ll share but i don’t know what that is haha
I loved this post and I feel the same way! I love that having a community online allows us to make friends from all over the world with the same interests and dreams! It’s even better when you meet people in person 🙂 It’s really hard to make friends as a adult and I consider my blogger friends some of my very best (including you!).
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Same here Lizzie! Meeting you has been so so wonderful – you have the sweetest, disney princess-est heart! lol <3
Blogger friends are the best! The industry is SO hard and they’re the only ones who truly get it (what we do, how things work, etc.)
Rachel
http://www.hello-her.com
So true, I hadn’t even considered that aspect but you are so right! Sometimes i need to vent about a brand contract or the insta algorithim and it didnt even occur to me how weird it would be if I didnt have my blogger girls to reach out to!
I’m so grateful for my blogger friends. I haven’t met too many of them outside of social media, but the ones I HAVE, I’m so insanely happy to have gotten to see in person. I hope one day I get to meet everyone I’ve become close with!
Ah i hope that for you too girl! Meeting them in person is the best! I just met my friend Nicole this year for the first time after being blogger friends for like three friggin years. It was so weird meeting because, clearly, we felt like we already knew each other!
I agree with you here … and also with what Cheryl said up there! It is always fun to have new friends and fresh perspectives in life.
❥ tanvii.com
Totally!!
I love my blogger friends, it’s sooo nice to have gal pals who can also relate to your career.
xoxo Sarah
Totally agree!!
Blogger friends are the best! They rock because they just get it, right?!
Exactly!!
I absolutely love meeting new friends in the blogging industry and making long lasting friendships! I feel like it is such a hit or a miss tho with some of these girls. I can tell you I have been burned by plenty of them but am so glad I have 2-3 that I am extremely close with!
Oh I totally get that. I’ve been lucky in that everyone i became psuedo friends with online turned out to be amazing in person too, but there are definitely women I follow who upon meeting at fashion week. etc. was really shocked to see how different their personalities are than what they portray online.
Love this post and one big reason why I do love social media! So many amazing friendships have been made through it!
Kileen
cute & little
Thank you Kileen! and i totally agree!
So many good points! I’ve become so close with a lot of my blogger friends!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Thank you Jennifer!