IFB Poll: Do You Mix Fashion and Politics on Twitter?
By: Amanda Boyce

politics blogging social media
Follow on Bloglovin
Pinterest

politics blogging social media

Last night, the star of the Presidential Debate wasn’t the two candidates on stage but instead Twitter where more people were online and chatting away about the debate than ever before with 10.3 million tweets generated in the debate’s short amount of time. However, my eye was on a few brands and  bloggers who decided to dip their toes into the political pool. Whether it was KitchenAid having a major Twitter Fail moment or bloggers talking about the candidates, it seemed that a very small amount of bloggers remained vocal during the debate.

We talk a lot on IFB about staying on brand, using your blog and social media to amplify what your voice. But at what point do you share your personal views on platforms that are both personal and professional? Elizabeth Holmes from the Wall Street Journal posed a question I feel needs to be repeated: “How is this on brand?”

It’s so easy to churn our tweets and Instagrams that you like but sometimes, what you like has no place on the Internets. Why? Because your blog isn’t just about you, it’s about the brand you are trying to share.

If your brand is you, then by all means Tweet away (although I suggest not going the route of KitchenAid and avoiding unclassy tweets that ended up costing that individual a job). If your brand is DIY or styling or photography, potential clients and/or partners might object to your more colorful tweets. It’s not about censorship, it’s about business professionalism.

That being said, I wanted to pose a question to the community about this topic: Do you feel that tweeting about politics is on-brand for your blog?

Do you feel that tweeting about politics is on-brand for your blog?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

 

[image credit: ABC]

Comments

  1. Avatar of Fashion Wrap Up
    Fashion Wrap Up says:
    October 4, 2012 at 1:36 pm · Reply

    Yes! I have wondered about this issue as well. I tweet about personal things from my personal account, not from my brand account. I saw a lot of brands tweeting so many nasty and hateful things on both sides during the debate last night it was kind of shocking. Specifically, the person tweeting from Vanity Fair was very one-sided, but is that part his or her job? It sounded like a personal opinion though in a lot of respects.

    Christy
    http://www.fashionwrapup.com

  2. Avatar of summerxskin
    Anum Khan says:
    October 4, 2012 at 2:45 pm · Reply

    Your article is on-point. I actually wrote a blurb about Canadian politics on my blog yesterday. I don’t normally do this, but I feel that I had to because I wanted to express my gratitude for a change that could and should happen. My blog is a personal space where I can write about things that interest me. Yes, a lot of my readers simply come for outfit details and where I got that oh-so-chic dress, and I apologized right after my little rant and went right back to the topic of fashion.

    To my surprise, I got feedback from at least five individuals thanking me for expressing my interest in Justin Trudeau, The Liberal Party of Canada and well, politics in general. Whether you choose to believe it or not, politics does affect your life. It’s up to you what you want to do with that information.

    I want to help make a difference, so I wrote a blog post. So far it’s working.

    http://www.summerxskin.com/2012/10/a-striped-affair.html

  3. alicatstrut says:
    October 4, 2012 at 3:41 pm · Reply

    I think it’s not generally on topic but that there are specific exceptions and specific ways to make it on topic. If the candidates are discussing women’s rights and I’m a woman blogger, I may be compelled to speak out. If they’re discussing the economy, I may want to discuss how the economy specifically affects my blog under each candidate’s plan. I do think, though, that our social media should just be another window into us so, if we want to be political on Twitter, we should be political (in a meatier way) on our blogs. Otherwise we’re sending a message that we’re about something different than we’re really about.

  4. Grace - Stripes & Sequins says:
    October 4, 2012 at 3:59 pm · Reply

    I don’t think it’s appropriate – but that’s for my personal brand. Every now and then I may get heated and one will slip out… but I keep politics, religion, and all other serious matters off of social media.

  5. Shug Avery says:
    October 4, 2012 at 4:21 pm · Reply

    I think that sometimes to express your opinion on politics it is better to do it on your blog because it is a space where you have the freedom to tell what you think. I think it is better to express yourself here than on social media like Twitter where you can be misunderstood because you only have few letters to say what you have to say. For political issues I think making a post or a brief note is better, like that everything is clearer. But not all the time only when you consider that it is something you have or should say. Bloggers are also citizens and I consider that on some issues it is our duty to express ourselves but only when neccessary.

    Shug Avery of Incognito

  6. Avatar of Tina http://www.ourwonderlust.com/
    Tina says:
    October 4, 2012 at 5:14 pm · Reply

    I think that I, like most women, are complicated, multidimensional beings. Today, I am a social worker, a writer, a beauty and skincare junkie, a wife, and so on. My blog reflects all those parts of me and I hope that readers of my blog identify with all those parts of them. For example, I do an “OWL Checklist” where I highlight things ‘To Do, To Eat, To Buy, etc” But I also usually add in a “To Know” which typically has something to do with the current political environment or a human rights/ social issue: http://www.ourwonderlust.com/ourwonderlust/owl-checklist-4.html (example). So, in other words, I’m all for it!
    Tina

  7. Tey of freeTeyme says:
    October 4, 2012 at 5:29 pm · Reply

    I don’t think it is appropriate at all. If you partner with companies and other bloggers, you need to keep your personal life separate. Just like how you don’t mix work with pleasure. Unless of course, you absolutely do not want to collaborate with anyone then it’s a different story.

  8. Avatar of bestofbklyn
    bestofbklyn says:
    October 4, 2012 at 6:35 pm · Reply

    Personally, I don’t talk about politics on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Period.

    I was shocked at how inappropriately rude several bloggers I follow on Twitter were last night during the debates. I get that people have opinions, and not everyone feels the same as I do about sharing political viewpoints on Twitter, but if you’re going to do so, please be civil. We’re all grownups, and there’s no need for name calling.

    I do think that it’s strange when random bloggers/brands that never talk about anything other than blogging/fashion (not saying that’s right or wrong) start getting into vehement political arguments for 6 weeks every 4 years.

    Wow…that was long. Sorry, apparently I have strong opinions on this!

  9. Avatar of Sarah's Real Life
    Sarah's Real Life says:
    October 4, 2012 at 6:47 pm · Reply

    I think it’s fine to share feelings and opinions on politics just like you share your feelings and opinions on whatever you’re wearing. On the other hand, I think it’s a shame to lose readers/blog friends over a disagreement about politics. I was one of those tweeting and facebooking about the debates last night, but I tried to just keep it funny (i.e. “Oh no he did NOT just diss PBS.”) I have several friends on the other side of the aisle from me (and I’m sure some blog readers too), and I wouldn’t un-friend or un-follow them just because of differing views on a political issue. I wouldn’t want them to do that to me either. That’s why I tried to keep it light-hearted and fun.

    Sarah’s Real Life
    @sarahsreallife

  10. Avatar of Emilie
    Emilie says:
    October 5, 2012 at 11:22 am · Reply

    When it comes to politics, you have to be careful because people will judge you according to your political allegence. It’s a very sensitive subject. Those who agree with your political rant will high-five you and those who don’t will roll their eyes and probably stop reading your blog (I know would, I have very strong opinions). But if you really want to discuss politics and your blog’s theme is fashion, you should have two Twitter and Facebook accounts: one personal, one for your blog, and satisfying your desire to discuss whatever non-related subject is on your mind.

  11. I'esha GaptoothDiva says:
    October 5, 2012 at 10:00 pm · Reply

    I think bloggers should be able to do whatever they want with their social media accounts. There are articles everywhere that indicate we should find our voice, be ourselves, and only write to OUR Target audience. If people log on to see outfits, our dinner plates, and how we wear makeup – all in order to get to know us better. Why should it be rude for us to share our beliefs and choices? If a brand wants to work for you, then it should be ALL of you right? I’m not comfortable keeping silent about issues that are important to me, for fear of losing traffic or brands. If they don’t accept who I am, then I don’t expect them to be loyal fans. My website and social media handles are my voice in “IRL”. For me to enjoy it, I should be able to speak freely. I know my readership would appreciate my outspoken truth, then some forced silence. I’m not concerned with being judged… If you’re online you’re getting judged regardless.

  12. Avatar of The Glamorous Housewife
    The Glamorous Housewife says:
    October 6, 2012 at 10:59 am · Reply

    If you would like to loose half of your viewers then by all means, tweet away. But realize no matter who you are for you are alienating half of your audience.

    Thanks doll,
    The Glamorous Housewife

  13. Heather Fonseca says:
    October 6, 2012 at 11:11 am · Reply

    I did not tweet about the debates. I did watch them and I posted a status update on my personal account on Facebook. My blog is not about politics, it’s about beauty and fashion and style. Where does politics fit in that? It doesn’t. Plus, as the Glamorous housewife points out, I could easily alienate half of my audience by suddenly voicing my political opinions. Not something I want to do!

    On the other hand if I had a more “this is what I’m thinking of right now” kind of blog I might have voiced my opinion. I think the decision to discuss politics depends upon your brand. If you have a political aspect to your blog anyway no one will be surprised if you voice it in your social media accounts.

  14. Avatar of FaconConnect
    FaconConnect says:
    October 8, 2012 at 4:43 pm · Reply

    I try to liken what we do as bloggers to what celebrities do when they are representing a brand. Ever notice how Halle Berry, Taylor Swift, Sofia Vergara and Ellen DeGeneres are never seen with any makeup product other than Cover Girl Cosmetics? Even though we’re smart enough to know they wear different brands. It’s because that brand is paying them (and well I’m sure) to represent their product. I think that if your “brand” really is just you, then go for it. But if you’re representing someone else’s brand, there’s a level of respect and professionalism that should accompany that. Use your best judgement.

    http://blog.faconconnect.com

  15. FashionableLena says:
    October 8, 2012 at 9:04 pm · Reply

    I don’t talk about politics on Facebook, Twitter, or my blog. It has nothing to do with fashion. I’d rather debate about celebrity fashion!

  16. margy says:
    October 25, 2012 at 1:15 pm · Reply

    fashion and politics are one,the late elsa scharp was influenced by fashion,to separate the two is not reasonable,she was quoted saying “in times of hard political times fashion is outrageous” ……and besides a woman is part of society,one must not separate a woman and politics otherwise the society dies,a brand should have a say,it is the reflection of a woman who dresses the choice of the brand

  17. Avatar of Marisa
    Marisa says:
    October 27, 2012 at 7:24 pm · Reply

    I think it depends on what your brand IS. My brand is me so I tweet from my personal account and I discuss all kinds of things on twitter. I am careful to be respectful and non-offensive. I think you have to be careful whenever you’re going to start tweeting about anything other than the focus of your blog. Even tweeting non political but personal things can get dicey depending on what is said.

    It also depends on the preferences of your readers I would think. I personally enjoy twitter timelines that are more well rounded and those that don’t just tweet links to their blogs, instagram and pics of what they bought. I also like style bloggers who, when they do tweet about fashion, do so in ways I find interesting. My favorite style bloggers I follow strike a nice balance between tweeting about their blog specifically and tweeting about other things. I think it allows your readers to really engage with you.

  18. Avatar of Wes
    Rebel Fashion Junkie says:
    November 27, 2012 at 7:19 pm · Reply

    only having my blogspot for a few weeks now i haven’t proceeded to do such controversial posts.. yet ;) however its human to voice our opinions, i talk about EVERYTHING on my twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/wes_hughen) not only because its my personal twitter but i know that a few of my followers would like to know my opinion.

    to be honest i think it depends on the people, some see opinions as a cause to start arguments, some see opinions as you shoving it down their throat. its a touchy subject politics and not many people like it or will publish.. however im not many people :) haha

    http://wecanwaitforthesun.blogspot.co.uk

  19. nini says:
    December 3, 2012 at 4:15 am · Reply

    I actually did a post some time ago regarding President Obama and Romney and what they do have in common in fashion
    check it out and let me know what you think
    http://jenesaisquoi.me/mutual-bond-between-obama-romney/

What do you think?

CAPTCHA Image
*