This is a sponsored post in partnership with The New York Times Get With The Times and Her Campus Media. All opinions are my own.
Podcasts are my jam now. I have hours of tasks in the lab that I have to do daily. The best way to get through it without crying of boredom sometimes is laughing along with my favorite podcast hosts. I list these on the About Me page if you want to check it out. I’m also a huge fan of YouTube. Both of these mediums are almost more intimate than writing. I also love chatting about the polarizing, political, and hard-hitting topics. In college, I would spend hours sifting through the philosophical underpinnings of today’s most controversial topics. Yes, in case you haven’t noticed now, I am a huge nerd. Nerds run the world, so I’m fine with it.
The New York Times wasn’t on my radar until recently. Hannah introduced me to The Daily Briefing daily newsletter that gives you all the top news stories in a condensed format. They also include links to fun recipes, random history lessons, and, of course, crossword puzzles. I love the Daily Briefing so I was super excited when I landed the opportunity to raise awareness for their Get With the Times series. Today, I’m chatting about last Sunday’s episode with Ashley Graham. You can watch the whole thing here. Ashley Graham is the ultimate girl boss and her energy is incredible! She’s incredibly unfiltered and I loved listening to her perspective. I’d highly recommend popping in your headphones and listening to the live stream as a podcast. Let’s unpack it!
Power to the Consumers
The conversation was moderated by The New York Times Fashion & Style Editor, Joanna Nikas and focused partially on the power behind the voice of consumers and how it can truly shape how brands choose to operate their businesses. I have heard this same statement from pretty much every impressive girl boss here in NYC and they are all so RIGHT. Brands are putting a lot of effort and money into their social branding. Social media is great because it gives us the ability to directly interact with media and marketing teams to let them know exactly when they aren’t doing something right or when they are nailing it! You can see your favorite bloggers, YouTubers, and content creators doing it almost daily. But, it’s also wildly important to remember that anyone can send a DM, email, tweet, etc.
This resonates strongly for me when thinking about the sustainable fashion industry. As much as I hate to say it, it is an easy trendy sticker to slap on any product by any major brand to appease the masses. Younger brands can still be so exclusive whether that’s from an affordability or sizing standpoint. Consumers shouldn’t have to force brands into doing the right thing, but it’s also incredibly powerful to have brands bend to the will of a viral social post. It can lead to so many necessary changes like inclusive sizing and every line of foundation being produced in 75 shades.
She also talked about how we have the power now to define our own beauty standards. This is so so important because we can tear down these impossible notions of conventional beauty. That means we can stop supporting people who push diet pills and blast their feeds with Facetune. We can also stop incorporating negative words and actions in our own lifestyles and radiate that healthy living to the people around us. This probably means I should stop calling myself trash, jokingly. Oh well.
Spotlighting Diversity and Inclusion
Ashley talks about getting rejected for a cover of Italian Vogue midway through the live stream. Cue flashbacks of ANTM season 15: the high fashion season. “This was not my time. It was not my success. This was not my job.” While I think this is a great mindset to have to move through rejection in life, I also think it’s something that bloggers and influencers need to think about when working on campaigns and attending events for brands.
I believe 100% that brands are ultimately responsible for making progressive changes. But, I also think it is terribly irresponsible if content creators aren’t also starting those conversations with the marketing teams that they collaborate with. Ashley talked briefly about how it is a guarantee that a conversation about diversity and including people of color and other marginalized communities is going to be had. Beyonce walked out of a meeting with Reebok because of their lack of diversity. No one on the team was equipped with the knowledge needed to reach her intended audience.
Bloggers already work hard to create content, stay relatable, and sleep. It’s not helpful when other bloggers tell us to work harder when a system and its institutions are stacked against certain groups. It is helpful for bloggers with the connection to start conversations even if it means getting passed by for future campaigns. “This wasn’t my success. It wasn’t my job.” This logic can be applied to pretty much any industry and is so so important.
Side Hustlin’ & Entrepreneurial Spirit
Hustle is my middle name. The last few bits that had my journal writing on fire last Sunday were all about the side hustle. Ashely has her own podcast, Pretty Big Deal, which is on my list for podcasts to check out. She talked a little bit about how to start a business and how you have to believe in your idea first. Manifest it and then do it. I think every venture starts like that. You carefully plan every single small detail and then sit on it. You might tell your best friend or your cat, but no one that can make that vision into a reality. At some point, you truly have to “hit publish” so to speak.
One thing I can also 100% back her up on is the importance of knowing the ins and outs of your craft. Blogging may seem like a simple thing: type a post and hit publish. I’ve taken a web design course, learned the Adobe Suite, become a master of SEO, and strategized how to drive followers on social to blog readers. These are all things that someone can bamboozle you into thinking you need a $100 dollar service to get it right. Sure, there are some things down the road that I will pay an expert to do {photography, web designer/developer, etc.} Ask the questions and get the information that you need from a wide variety of sources.
Did you tune into the live stream? Have I convinced you to check it out? Seriously, I loved the format. It even gave students the chance to ask questions towards the end of the program, too. The next session is all about how to Innovate Like a Boss with Alexis Ohanian on April 17th!
