Blog Spotlight - Christina of Musings of a Fatshionista

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Hello all you lovely people out there in blog land. How r u? Good I hope. Today I bring you my first blog spotlight. Being a full time English student, managing this blog, and writing for a online magazine(not yet but soon) I can not give all the “skinny” on fat fashion. There are many, many blogs out there, many of which that I read, that cover a lot of things that I do not. As oppose to just featuring bloggers on my blog roll I thought it would be a good thing to not only link you to the blog but give you a glimpse into the person behind the blog.

So, meet 24 year old, free lance graphic designer and operator of the fat fashion blog Musings of a Fashionista.

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The interview that Christina was gracious enough to let me conduct with her via email can be found when you click read more.
Tiffany- What made you want to start the blog, Musings of a Fatshionista?

Christina - I originally started blogging on LiveJournal back in 2004 and although that was a personal blog, it included lots of posts about fashion. Over time, I started to really get into fashion and joined a lot of communities like Fatshionista, Hot_Fashion, and What I Wore Today and the result was that my blog posts were less and less about my life and more about all the cute fashionable things I was coming across. I then decided to separate the fashion posts and thus Musings of a Fatshionista was born. When I first started, I had no idea what purpose I wanted it to serve but now that I've been blogging for almost a year, I think I have an idea. I want to have a space where size isn't an issue. Where people can come meet and be inspired by other fashionable people. I want to let people know that you can be just as fashionable as the next person. That there are options out there other than Lane Bryant and Torrid, you just may have to search a little harder to find them.

Tiffany -  Many people see successful blogs like yours and decide to start one but quit in a few weeks or a few months because they didn’t achieve instant success or they had not anticipated the amount of work involved with blogging. So, what made you continue with Musings of Fatshionista?

Christina - I didn't start a blog to be popular. I started the blog because I love to shop and I love putting together outfits. Honestly, I was surprised that people actually came to my blog and left comments! At the same time though, while its great that people read and comment, I would still post even if they didn't because its something I enjoy doing.


Tiffany - For other people that are looking to get involved in plus size fashion blogs can u explain or define the amount of work it takes to create a post and manage a blog?

Christina - Starting out, I had absolutely no idea the amount of work it takes to maintain a blog. From researching content for posts, sourcing images, emailing designers/PR companies, and actually taking time to put it all together into one coherent post, its a lot. I was trying to balance blogging with having a full-time 10-6pm design job as well as a social life, so at first I was running myself into the ground. I then realized that I need to take a deep breath, get organized and create an editorial calendar. While I don't stick to it all the time, it definitely helps to lay out a content plan of everything you want to cover and when it needs to be posted. Even with that, there are times when blogging can become overwhelming. The key is find a balance and (try to) stick to it.

Tiffany - My blog has only been up and running for a few months and I have already had people ask me to promote there blog on mine. How do you deal with such request? Do you think that the commonality of being fat should automatically make us all want to help each other? 
 

Christina - Absolutely not, its totally up to the discretion of the blogger. I created the 'Musings Around the Web' weekly posts because there were a lot of great content being posted on other blogs and I thought it would be a great resource for my readers. My blog is not the end all, be all of fat fashion so I love that there are lots of other voices out there to make the fat-o-sphere more diverse. 


Tiffany - There has been a surge in the amount of plus size fashion blogs it seems. What do you think makes people keep coming back to your blog?

Christina - That is a great question. I'd like to think that people keep coming back to my blog because it has interesting and diverse content. Other than that, it may be my personal style shown through my OOTD posts, I really don't know!

Tiffany - Personal style is often hard to define. But, if possible could you please sum up yours?

Christina - I don't think I have a definitive style because my interests in fashion changes weekly. I'm inspired by a lot of different things so I'm always trying to incorporate something new into my wardrobe. However the thing that's constant is the pairing of contrasts. I love to pair hard with soft, structured with whimsical, vintage with a trashy edge etc. I think those combinations make for an interesting visual.

Tiffany - As a plus size fashion blogger have you experienced much hate or negative comments from people? If so, how do deal with those comments?

Christina - I find it weird that to date, I haven't received any hate mail. I am looking forward to my first one though! 

Tiffany - A few weeks ago you featured the Rotarde of Target line on your blog. One woman commented that she was disappointed that you would feature a line that carries only straight sizes on a plus size blog. What are your thoughts on bloggers that feature editorials, photo shoots, or clothing lines that feature models that are not plus size?

Christina - Once again, this is something that is solely up to the discretion of the blogger. I don't think that anyone should feel forced to post only certain things. If you go back and look at past editorial posts, I've posted straight size editorials and have no problem doing so again. To me, inspiration is inspiration. It doesn't matter where it comes from. The trends that are slow to be incorportated into plus size fashion come from the runways of straight size designers. To be completely oblivious to what is going on there is unrealistic. However I do try to recreate some of the looks for plus sizes so that it is of some service to my readers. I don't allow others to place expectations upon my blog. While I definitely take the concerns of my readers into account, I will never not post something because of something someone has said. 

As far as the Rodarte for Target issue, I posted about that because there are pieces from that collection that can fit larger bodies and I don't want people to possibly miss out on great clothes because of the size on the tag.

Tiffany - What are your long term goals for the Musings of Fashionista blog? Would you like to turn it into full website?

Christina - I have been thinking about long term goals in regards to my blog for a while. I'm still not sure exactly what I want it to be though. I want to expand some aspects of it like Shop Fatshionista and I want to create a street style section because I often come across some fabulously dressed girls while I'm out and about. However, for right now and the forseeable future, it will remain the same. A place for the fat and fancy to come and be inspired. 

4 comments:

the toybox killer said...

i like this a lot actually.
for once i don't even have anything negative to say.

i think both your questions and her responses are well thought-out, and after looking at her blog, it seems like a pretty cool fashion blog that both fat and skinny girls can find interesting stuff on.

not to mention, her outfits are really well put together. so props to both of you.

thefatandskinnyonfashion said...

Great interview! I sent you an email.

Unknown said...

Such great questions! I love xtina and her thoughtful responses. She is one of my all time favorite bloggers. Such great content and writing.

P.S. Love your blog!

xo Fatshionable

Tiffany said...

Thanks so much!