When I started out blogging all those years before (I'm old I tells ya!) blogging in the hijab community wasn't focused too much on products but nowadays it seems a lot of bloggers/vloggers/instagrammers are all about the product pushing and it quite honestly pisses me off.
Getting free stuff is awesome, especially when you're currently a stay at home mum relying on your husband's income. Less things for me to buy? I openly welcome that. I won't deny it. I get sent a lot of pieces from designers and companies myself to review and then keep so I'm not so innocent in that regard but I always strive to maintain an honest approach when reviewing items because I believe as a blogger if we do get sent free goodies it then becomes our duty to be honest and genuine to our readers to tell the good and bad of it all.
A large majority of the time I have no issues with design aspects considering I make it a policy that I choose/approve of the pieces being sent to me. I don't see the point in reviewing an item I would personally never wear or use myself so the large majority of the review comes down to providing information on structural aspects, material, quality, workmanship, etc.
The whole point of reviewing products is to review them and give other people an honest appraisal of the piece in question, helping them in case they were thinking of purchasing it for themselves but recently it has become less about reviewing and more about telling readers that the sun basically shines out of the product's arse even when you can clearly look at it yourself and realise that that thing they are gushing over was made in China for thirty cents and would fall apart if you spat at it in a slight breeze.
Yesterday I watched a blogger show off a new mascara she was sent and described it as "unique" and "phenomenal". Let's be real here - it's just mascara. Mascara will never be unique nor will it ever be phenomenal. I looked at her picture after reading her claims and her lashes didn't look any different to the usual mascara she wears. It's just black formulated gunk that does the same damn job whether you pay $10 or $100 for it, no matter what name is written on the label. It's the very reason why I might splurge on a good foundation but mascara itself is a dime a dozen. They all do basically the same job so why the need to promote it with very over the top dramatic descriptions in order to reel people into buying it? A simple "it does the job" would suffice. Going on and on about how amazing it is that it even makes me cups of tea in the morning and cleans my bathroom at the same time is too far fetched for me to believe. I just want to know if it works or not.
I see this sort of stuff time and time again and it really makes me not believe a word that comes out of their mouth when it comes to product pushing. If you seemingly love every single product you are sent then how do you expect your readers to believe you? I think you lose all credibility and reliability when you don't give balanced opinions on free items sent your way. Sure, there may be pieces that are so perfect in your mind that you can't find any small fault with them but to constantly be "in love" with everything you receive in the mail is a huge farce.
This sort of lovey-dovey product pushing puts me off bloggers and makes me not want to see their next post because no matter what the item is that they are shoving in your face, you know as a reader without even having to hear their opinion that they will no doubt claim it is the best thing since sliced bread that they are "so in love with" and can't live with out because that's how awesome it is and everyone should get themselves one so they too can be in love with whatever lipstick/dress/tampon they were sent to promote. You know from the start that is isn't going to be authentic.
At that point you cease to become a blogger and have instead transformed yourself into an unpaid advertising agency by lavishing every item of clothing or beauty, what have you, with over the top now meaningless words and phrases of praise and states of being such as "in love", "obsessed", etc. You can't be in love with everything you get, nor can you be obsessed with it all. Have we forgotten what these words actually mean?
I actually had to unfollow one very popular beauty blogger because I got sick of hearing how much she was "in love" with every single product sent her way. It bored me. In my mind, you cease to have an opinion when your opinion never bloody changes year after year, post after post. Either she is the most easily satisfied person in the world or she is full of shit. A lot of bloggers tend to fall into the trap of thinking that if they positively promote everything that they will in turn receive more products in the future but the problem is once your readers/followers stop believing what you say you tend to not generate significant revenue for the companies sending you promotional goodies which in turn means less free goodies for you in the future.
I actually had to unfollow one very popular beauty blogger because I got sick of hearing how much she was "in love" with every single product sent her way. It bored me. In my mind, you cease to have an opinion when your opinion never bloody changes year after year, post after post. Either she is the most easily satisfied person in the world or she is full of shit. A lot of bloggers tend to fall into the trap of thinking that if they positively promote everything that they will in turn receive more products in the future but the problem is once your readers/followers stop believing what you say you tend to not generate significant revenue for the companies sending you promotional goodies which in turn means less free goodies for you in the future.
I find a lot of non-Muslim bloggers are actually more inclined to tell their own truthful opinion in regards to products more so than the majority of us Muslim bloggers and for this reason I turn to them when I'm wanting an honest appraisal before committing to buying, especially when it comes to beauty products. Vloggers like Marlena from Makeup Geek always gets a thumbs up from me because she tells it like it is across the board. It makes her trustworthy and I end up believing everything she says simply because she isn't afraid to say "You know what... I didn't like this product so much because blah blah blah". I think on whole a lot of us Muslim bloggers shy away from listing any cons especially when the products were sent to us from Muslim companies but at the end of the day we have to remember that:
A) Business is business, Muslim or not. If someone wants to make a living off selling products they should be up to par otherwise say goodbye to potential success. Product quality is their responsibility, not the blogger's. However it is the blogger's responsibility to share all pros and cons because readers who end up buying the products based on our reviews might be mightily pissed off when the product turns out to be something completely different to what you have claimed it is.
B) The reviews honest bloggers create help all three parties. Firstly, honesty creates credibility, believability and trustworthiness on the blogger's behalf. Secondly, honesty, even in a negative form helps businesses work on product improvement. If they trust someone enough to review their products then they should also trust their honest opinion regarding the products. Any company that doesn't seriously listen to and ponder on a negative aspect to a review isn't taking their own products/business seriously. Any company representative that gets upset about a negative review isn't being professional or realistic. Thirdly, the readers who buy items based on your reviews (if you are being honest from the get go) are likely to do so again in the future because they trust what you recommend and feel comfortable spending their money based on your words alone.
C) Shared religious beliefs should not be the main factor when considering whether or not to give your truthful opinion. You're Muslim, I'm Muslim. You send me your products and guess what? They turn out to be shit. Is it religiously right of me to then lie and say how awesome your product is when reality I don't believe it to be, just so I don't hurt your feelings or hinder your business prospects somehow? We have all got to eat and make money but by choosing this path it means we are being completely dishonest to our readers and perhaps causing them to waste their money in the long run while also promoting deceit to some extent. Is that really fair to them? Is that a halal transaction?
Loyalty in the end should belong to the people who read your blog or watch your YouTube videos or who follow you on social media, etc. It should most definitely not belong to some random company just because they send you free stuff that you are most likely not getting paid to promote.
For my own disclosure purposes I will quickly state that I do not get paid to wear and photograph clothing. Companies contact me in regards to promotions, I look over their products, choose then receive the items I feel best fit in with my personal style, in my size and I get to keep them. Those are my "policy demands" if you will when collaborating with any business to ensure I have control over what is being sent to me. In the end it is my personal blog and it has to genuinely reflect myself and my tastes. I do turn down any offer that isn't something I would wear/use in real life and all my reviews are honest. I'm not into merely posting a photographed outfit of the day type post containing a first time promotional piece with no opinion or information attached to it. In the past I have just passingly said something along the lines of "I got this... I was sent this from such and such company..." meaning I did not pay for it however I think in order to be clearer I will simply put "c/o" ("courtesy of") when linking any free promotional items at the end of each post so as to dispel any confusion. I will also be more vigilant in listing pros/cons.
Speaking of which, I have a rather large pile of clothing to review sitting at home right now and more at the post office that I need to pick up next week once all these public holidays finish and I can finally get my kids back into daycare for a day or two. Mummy break time needed! The mini piles have grown angry at me since I've been sick/had the miscarriage and thus naturally neglected the blog for a few weeks. I'm going to jump right back into it and push on through otherwise it just ends up being a massive to do list that stresses me out.
A very small selection of what's to come - courtesy of items and hauls I've purchased myself.
What are your thoughts on product honesty and disclosure? Would you prefer bloggers openly admit they get products for free or does it not bother you? Do reviews matter to you or are you happy with just seeing stand alone outfit pics containing the products?