The Blonde Salad: a case study of the democratic potential of fashion blogging in a new media environment

This Major Research Project examines the ways in which the trust that consumers have in fashion blogging as a form of user-generated fashion media may aid in the reproduction of conventional fashion hierarchies. Where consumers may assume that all blog content is created by bloggers themselves, other influences (from fashion “experts” and established brands) often play a large role in dictating content for bloggers. This research questions whether fashion blogging has the potential to create a more open and democratic fashion market. To illustrate these ideas, the project engages in an in-depth case study of one popular fashion blogger, Chiara Ferragni and her blog, The Blonde Salad. Using a theoretical analysis based on concepts of capital discussed by Pierre Bourdieu, this research uses The Blonde Salad blog as an example to demonstrate the influences at play within the making of popular fashion blog content and to question power relations at play within the fashion blogosphere.