It’s crazy to think of the strides the realm of blogging has made in the world, just over the past 5 years. Before the zenith of blogging, bloggers wouldn’t have merited even a mention in the pages of marketing modules, but now we have revolutionized the way in which brands advertise and market themselves.

I have been blessed abundantly, with some incredible experiences through my blogging. Like I’ve reiterate so many times: I blog for myself.

Klaas in Session can be summed up as an online diary, subjective to my whims.  My blogs mission is to provide me with a creative outlet; for me to contribute authentic content and opinions to the highly competitive arena of blogging, as well as aid in fundamentally transforming the current global vision of South Africa to a more contemporary image of the African motif.

This may not be the motivation of other bloggers, but the truth of the matter is that blogging’s definition and purpose is ever-changing. It is for the vagabonds and the thinkers, the attention-seekers, scatter-brained ideas people, lonely hearts, trend-followers and those just working through things. Blogging is for the business-minded too, the trend-setters, as well as those that feel most alive through a lens. You cannot judge bloggers for their right to define their own personal brand of blogging, stating: “…how funny it is that we even still call them “bloggers,” as so few of them even do that anymore. Rather than a celebration of any actual style, it seems to be all about turning up, looking ridiculous, posing, twitching in your seat as you check your social media feeds, fleeing, changing, repeating . . . It’s all pretty embarrassing—even more so when you consider what else is going on in the world.” (Alessandra Codinha, Vogue.com Fashion News Editor)

This is the travesty of industry big wigs self-contained in their power that they are absorbed by narrow-minded perceptions. We – the bloggers – really don’t appreciate the superiority complex maintained by critically acclaimed fashion publications, like Vogue’s reductive perception of bloggers right now. Vogue’s editors chose the Milan Fashion Week review to generalize – hypocritically I might add – how beholden to brands different fashion industry contributors are; And diminished the efforts, creativity and experiences of a great majority of bloggers, to snarky soundbites.

The Vogue.com Creative Digital Director Sally Singer blamed fashions woes on bloggers, saying how bloggers are “heralding the death of fashion”,  as if fashion bloggers didn’t revitalize interest in personal styling in a way that helped line the coffers of publications, directors and various brands alike.

So you care about “the art of fashion”, well so do many bloggers! We care about the expression of human creative skill and imagination in fashion. Art is made to evoke feeling, to challenge and to celebrate – even if its in abundant numbers stampeding outside a fashion week venue. Bloggers interpretation of the art of fashion is transcendent, and rightfully challenges the social convention of revering and relying on only the fashion bible, billboards, red carpets and runways for fashion knowledge. Some people learn better with pictures, so we go out of our way to get photographed – psssssh! big deal. Yeah,its a big deal. We put in the work!

Sure we’re primping and preening in front of innumerable cameras your publications commission (because your company knows there is lucrative world interest in street style) and acquaintances we’ve asked to awkwardly trail us to get the most ideal shots, of us feeling our best selves in the fresh threads; But as much as editors spend hours planning editorial spreads and delegating for someone to make their travel plans, while crooning to designers over pieces they want from their collections, to present the stylish image of an industry exec front row; Bloggers are also spending days conceptualizing content and layouts, weeks are spent scrounging up pennies to travel, careful research is done on the ideal pieces for the look they feel best represents them and the upcoming season, hours are spent negotiating with designers over meticulously cataloged data that proves this blogger is worthy to market for the brand etc.

I’d caution these editors to exercise humility when taking the measure of blogger escapades. The issue is the way in which these editors’ narrative judges certain bloggers actions as the blogger behavioral norm, but they also go further as to attempt to render judgment on the bloggers personally. If you want a blog about politics, go search for one. Unless the blogger says they’re dedicated to catering to your needs, you have no right to make demands on the content they yield, or the fun we have twirling for cameras outside fashion week venues.

Don’t be mad just because you are no longer the sole dictators of taste.

Fashion in the modern age never solely demands propriety.