I was drifting off to sleep tonight when my friend Sevi sent me a link to an Instagram post published by a local blogger/woman of color whose work I greatly admire. It brought to light an issue that has been eating away at me for the past two years.
I thought leaving my career in the influencer marketing industry would absolve me of my own complacent contributions to its exclusionary structures, but there is guilt in omission and remaining silent on the topic of inequity.
Influencer marketing is incredibly powerful. But as any comic book fan knows, with great power comes great responsibility. It’s easy for people in power to justify exclusive spaces/events by saying they are reserved for the most successful (and thus, deserving), but it’s not enough to look at who is invited to the table.
Who has been empowered by years of promotion and support, given opportunities to shine/earn money on platforms with enormous reach, introduced to brands for high-paying campaigns? Who had the financial independence to jumpstart their blogging career by hiring professional photographers, web-designers, and buy new products to hawk on aforementioned platforms? What factors contributed to this success and which opportunities to be inclusive were missed along the way?
I’ve been blogging for nearly a decade, but can’t continue to do so responsibly without fully acknowledging my participation in a system that rewards privilege.
Tonight was the wake-up call I needed to make the full switch to a network who values diversity and inclusion. I fully expect to lose followers, friends even… by voicing an unpopular opinion. That the money you earn from a platform whose values do not reflect your own is not worth the cost of your morality.
K. Dove says
This article shines a light in an area where you sometimes forget there is a privilege attached to be able to do that. To be completely honest, I, myself, have never had so many professional photos in my life until I met you. Mainly because professional photos are expensive to attain and even though you may need and want them, other priorities seem to always take over. Wow! Is the feeling I get as I am typing this because I just never thought about it like this. You’re a soldier in this fight Stephanie. Breaking down walls and exposing some ugly truths. But I respect it, because you’re real and being authentic in naming it and attacking it head on. You’re starting a revolution!
Stephanie Drenka says
Yes, friend!! The cost of blogging (in the way that the top bloggers do it) is exorbitant. $100-200/wk on professional photography, upwards of $5-10k for web design, new clothes every week to shoot, I used to charge money for SEO consulting services. That’s why I’m so excited to see people like you and Allison join the blogging world and offer all the knowledge I have to get you started. There has been too much inequitable opportunity, and I’m ready to start changing the game/narrative.
Tara says
Oh lady, I love your writing and the breath of authenticity it brings to the table. I’m struggling quite a bit with the subject at hand, particularly after seeing all the events of this past weekend. The inequity is atrocious beyond compare. Taking my steps to slowly back away!
Stephanie Drenka says
Thank you, Tara. I’ve been a pariah since I left the company, which I’m finally realizing gives me even more freedom (and responsibility) to speak my truth. On the surface, the fakeness and lack of diversity is annoying, but the more I think about how systemic the issue really is– the more disgusted I am with myself for letting it go unspoken as long as I did.