High School: Fitness. "I'm fat." That seemed to be a very common phrase in high school. Nearly every girl was worried about her body image. And worried about how she could improve her look.
Bloggers: Fitness. "It is time to get in shape." A more mature way to say, I'm fat. Just like in high school, we are all concerned about our body image. But now it is taken to a whole new level posting workouts, success photos, healthy recipes.
High School: Fashion. The way you dress makes or breaks you. And if you could start a trend, you go Glen Coco! Fashion is everything in high school. At least it was in my high school.
Bloggers: Fashion. The way you dress makes of breaks you. The girls with the best outfits get shared a lot more, get a million more views, and are ALL over Pinterest.
High School: Gossip. There is always some sort of gossip in high school. So and so is dating him, he broke up with her, they went to a party together, those three bffs are in a massive fight right now. You know how it was, no matter who you were there was some sort of gossip to share or be heard.
Bloggers: Gossip. Hello, social media. And thank you for bringing me ALL the gossip I need in the whole world. Blogging is a community. And for the most part we all follow each other on Twitter, FB, Bloglovin, Instagram... so on and so forth. Which makes is easy to see who is hanging out, to know when you weren't invited, and to read any little discussion had on Twitter. Also. Apparently there is a new blog going up soon that is all about blogger gossip.
High School: Going Out. Do you remember going to your first boy girl party or school dance? Maybe your first party with seniors when you were a freshman? You better dress to impress. Because you only get one shot to be that girl that looked "so good".
Bloggers. Going Out. Do you remember your first blogger get together? Whether it was with 50 girls or just 1 or 2.... You better dress to impress. Only now you aren't dressing to impress the boys. You are dressing to impress the girls. Because, heaven forbid, you become the Bag Lady Blogger. I swear a spend more time getting ready for blogger events than I ever did for a date.
High School: Stealing. In high school people steal things sometimes. Whether it is a boyfriend, some answers for homework, or something random. Never a good thing, but we all know it happened to someone.
Bloggers: Stealing. Bloggers steal ideas. Sometimes they blatantly steal them and call them their own and sometimes they morph it into their own.
High School: Cliques. Didn't you always want to be invited to the cool kids party? I mean... let's be honest. The grass is always greener. And when you finally got invited. Even if it was just into one conversation. It was sweet.
Bloggers: Cliques. Didn't you always want to be invited to the cool bloggers party? Whether it is a blogger's night out, a funny conversation, or a collaboration. We all make friends with other bloggers, but we all have our circle of bloggers we go to first. But once you get introduced into a new circle, it is totally awesome.
High School: Friendships. We all have our best friends from high school. Through thick and thin. We can go to them with exciting news and we can go to them with the heartbreak. They always understand what is going on and they always support us.
Bloggers. Friendships. Blogging is a community. And if you enter into that community you enter into a world of a million friends you never would have met before. And they all just get you. They leave comments to let you know they have been there and to offer support. And that is pretty awesome.
And as I kept thinking about it my feelings about blogging got more and more negative. Have I really let me pass time revert me back to my high school ways? Of feeling insecure? Of teasing people to make me feel better? Of always trying to fit in? I feel like I am a changed person after so many years out of high school (even if I look almost the same, slightly thinner and I know how to do my hair now... that's what's up!)...
I started thinking... I have finally started to figure out who I am. And I really like that person. What the heck am I doing!? And then, right at the height of that escalation when I was tempted to shut it all down I got a message from someone saying she enjoyed reading my blog and would love some advice. And that is when I remembered... I blog for me. And then any family, friends, or readers that need a little inspiration, hopefully there is something in here for you. But at the end of the day... this is my blog. And I am confident with who I am. And no matter what I write, no matter who reads it, no matter what the response is. I really like the person I am. And this blog IS for me. But I am happy to share it with you too.
Love,
Deidre
I love this!! And I was just thinking about this the other week! Blogging is a lot like high school, especially when there are "popular" bloggers who hangout with other "popular" bloggers. I've ran into my fair share of mean bloggers and have been thrown to the wayside by bloggers who are now more "popular" because i'm not as popular as they are.
But, you are so beautiful! you are a amazing and I love your blog!
& I want you to know that you aren't the only one! (:
You are awesome! (:
I think its super important to ground yourself every so often and take a step back and think about why youre blogging. I got caught up in blogging and spend way too much time doing it. Being out of town the last 3 weeks and not having time to blog really gave me a rude awakening. It was so nice to not have to always be thinking about what I was going to blog about. Im definitely going to take a step back now and just post when I feel like it, nothing more. PS you look stunning in that black dress!
If you stopped blogging, I would die. Just sayin. Love you girl!
I agree with Kelsey! Don't stop!! Such a great post! Love the comparisons! So so true. Hope you keep at it for You and NO ONE ELSE.
Oh the drama of blogging. Luckily I am so teeny tiny it doesn't bother me...much. Still, I suppose it's true, "High school never ends" unless you really make an effort to not care what anyone else does, says, thinks. So hard!
Haha that's funny. maybe we just never grow up, like in Peter pan.
Umm I love you. This post was so good! I agree with it all. For awhile, I admit I was even blogging for the fame of it all. Probably for like a month last summer when I lived in Virginia Beach & my mom said something. Now, it's strictly for me. However, I still love to raise awareness & talk about things that should be talked about.
I LOVE your blog, and you! I think you are so great and completely agree that we need to meet someday.
PS. The fame of it all? I meant...other people reading about my life. hahaha. I'm cool.
oh also I love your blog, if it makes you happy keep going! I hope you do
don't stop blogging! it does have a lot of high school-esque aspects. actually, a whole lot. but no one wants to be a high school drop out! :) ha. just kidding. but seriously. i think everyone who actually cares about their blog and their writing goes through this phase. i know i did. but like you, i blog for me. i love having other people read and laugh and relate. of course that makes me happy. but even if all of that stopped, i would still blog. because i want to document my life. and for the record, according to your thorough breakdown of blogging and high school, i am pretty much in the exact same social spot i was in in high school. and if what i wear is the core of my identity, i will forever be slightly loser-ish. because i love me some jeans and tees. :)
Blogging like this would exhaust me! I lovelovelove the community, but I didn't even know that such drama such as this existed!
Keep on keepin' on, lady!
Love this girl :) Blogging can feel a lot like a popularity contest sometimes. I have to remind myself that it's not about that. It's about the wonderful people I meet along the way! And documenting my life and where it takes me!
Hope you have a great day :)
I totally agree and know where you are coming from. It wasn't until this past weekend that I really truly understand this. I felt like I was in High School again, but luckily I reverted to the type of people I like being around, the nice people who are positive. I love your blog and the positivity you have at all times. Blog for you and don't worry about the popularity contest that is going to happen. It happens in anything. :) Love you girl!
-Bridgette
Great, great post! Blogging is like high school but then again I think ANYWHERE that tons of women gather will end up with cliques, drama, competition, etc. I've almost stopped blogging a few times for the same reasons but also decided that I blog just for me and that's all that matters. :)
http://www.nadanadalimonada.com
I totally feel this way at times too! But I'm glad you're going to keep blogging, because I'll keep reading! Love you girl!
This is so funny!! And it's totally crossed my mind that blogging is like going back to high school too! Wanting to be popular ie GFC followers. I have to re focus a lot to get away from that and get back to why I started blogging.
I couldn't agree with you more. I catch myself doing this all of the time which is silly. Blog for fun not popularity : )
I love this more than I can even tell you! I have been feeling the same exact way! and then all it takes is that one person to say one little thing. I love your blog. I love that you say what you think and that its just about you. Its nothing fancy shmancy, because I'll be honest those big blogs that are making super big money and have 5003947293048792030 followers, I stop reading because I like to read about something I can relate to. And your blog fits in that category. Thanks for being honest. I loved the analogies. :)
April
aprilh1692.blogspot.com
Hm, I've thought of another one- In high school, you want to be part of the popular group, but when you finally get in, it may not be what you think it might be. In blogging, I want to be part of the popular group, but now I'm thinking maybe not, because it sounds pretty similar? :)
So perfect! I have loved diving into the blogging community, and there are so many great people out there to meet, be inspired with, etc. But I've already found myself getting caught up in the "high school" of blogland and it is not fun at all! Thanks for reminding us all to remember why we started blogging in the first place.
I would hate for you stop blogging. You inspire and have inspired me for a long time. Your posts sometimes make my day that much better. So don't stop.
Yup...
Yes!!! Everything you said! Yes yes yes!
Loved this!!!
I think I'm grateful that, just like in high school, I've always been a blogging "outsider". Definitely not in the in group--so much that I didn't see any of this Twitter drama that some people have seen, and I think I like it that way!
So true.
Blogger gossip really drives me nuts. I once went to a blogger meet up and heard several girls making fun of other bloggers. I went home and unfollowed all of them because it really changed the way I viewed them, but also blogging.
This whole time I thought blogging was a community to support each other and find friends...it never occurred to me the opposite could happen. I've learned a lot since then, but mainly that I do love blogging.
Oh where do I even start. I have had all these feelings before. It is really funny when people ask me about blogging. I always tell them, there are some mornings I just want to wake up and delete it. It can get so overwhelming. And it is hard not to get these feelings that you have talked about. You just have to remember and focus on why you like to blog, and who your friends are, and not worry about the rat race of it all. Now that is all easier said than done, and I still struggle with that on the weekly. But, there has been so much joy, friendships, and wonderful things that have come from blogging for me, that it would be a real disappointment to let those insecurities and others ruin that for me. So chin up, you are not alone in this. And we should hang out sometime :)
P.S. I was blown away yesterday when I got an email asking me to give dirt on bloggers to a new site that's going to go up about blogging and gossip. Can you believe that? That is why I sent that tweet saying that unfortunately high school never ends.
Love it. However, I'm definitely not in with the cool kids because I have no idea what you're talking about. I love to write... I love learning from my peers.... I love the unspoken vote of "normal" I get from relaxing others go through what I go through with raising children... That's it. I hate the popularity game!
I love this post!! It has come at such a great time. I wrote my last post weeks ago and have contemplated whether to continue writing on my blog. You have changed my mind and way of thinking; I'm not writing for anyone else, but ME! Thanks Deidre!!
Maggie
www.searching-4-wisdom.blogspot.com
i agree about all this and that is the downside of blogging. lately I feel the need to find more balance in blog life vs. real life and where I find my worth. there are so many good things about blogging that I do love thankfully. and I was disappointed to get an email a few days ago about a new site for blogging gossip - that's frustrating and sad!
LOVE THIS POST! I never thought of it that way but you're totally right, blogging is like high school. Interesting, very interesting... well I like your blog and I think you're great. :)
I REALLY like this post. You get it...you are real, and you seem like a blogger that I would enjoy knowing in real life and in the blog world. Thank you for reminding everyone that we blog for ourselves and the relationships are a bonus. Just say NO to the drama. Haha
I think that like high school, blogging is what you make of it. No matter where you go, high school mentality will exist (I see it in my office, gym, and blogging.) it's just a matter of how you engage with it.
At least from what I see.
This is probably the best post!! haha I absolutely loved it!!
Funny. Did I not just say this to you on the phone the other day? Haha! Glad I read this, though. Helped remind me that blogging isn't just like high school because I've changed since then, and so has everyone else (hopefully).
Sue // Chevron & Lace
How To Get Popular. The Complete Guide this contained How To Be Popular specially How To be Popular In High School.
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