A little while ago I discovered I was on the SA Beauty Blog Awards’ long list and oh boy was it a looong one. It basically featured every single chica in South Africa who’d ever vomited up a post, some of which hadn’t written anything in years. Awkward!
I then proceeded to check out their website and at that point it looked like a school project created by a 12-year-old and I had a good laugh that something so clearly dog shit would want to dole out an award for best design. Also, at that point, they didn’t have any judges and everything just totally smelled of sketch.
After sending them an e-mail to find out what the dealio was, which was ignored until I hakked them on twitter, it emerged that aspects of the competition would involve being ‘encouraged’ to ‘give Look Good Feel Better exposure and also the brands that you get in your goodie bag’. Also, they told me their judges included ‘a model’ (huh?!) and a ‘celebrity’ leaving me to wonder if they had anyone who understood digital or the SA beauty blogosphere than what their current actions where implying.
Anyway, in short, I love my blog and am proud of its success and I didn’t want to be associated with a comp that just didn’t feel credible so I asked that they remove me from their long list. Many other bloggers with very large followings made the same request for the very same reason so, if you’re looking at their list and wondering where some of the big dogs are, that is why.
UPDATE:
I wrote all the above a week ago and then left the post to languish in drafts as I didn’t want to be a ranter but having just read Pink Peony’s post on her experience it really got my hackles up. She’s not on the list either and their twitter response to fans asking where she is basically gave the impression she didn’t make the grade as opposed to fact that she also respectfully requested that her blog be removed. Douchey, right? It’s this that’s got me frothing again and has seen me merrily press ‘publish’.
Please go read her post over here. She’s done a bang up job of pretty much pouring out everything that was rolling around in my head. (High five, chica!)
In short, I add a big, fat co-sign to everything she’s said. In addition, there’s another reason why this comp has got my and many other bloggers’ backs up – it just feels like some ill-informed, social media savvy-less dinosaur’s haphazardly stomped onto our turf, an arena that they’ve displayed a huuuuge lack of knowledge of, and decided to set up shop as The Person Who Will Judge Others when they can’t even get it right themselves. In short, it’s just disrespectful and undermines all our blood, sweat and tears. It kind of feels like me – the girl who still hasn’t figured out how to assemble her Mr Price night stand – slapping on a pair of overalls and mailing all the mechanics in town to let them know I’m the self-declared Queen of Grease and will be popping into their garage to judge their workmanship. Can we get a big ‘hahahah’?
Anyway, that’s enough from me. Please go read Pink Peonie’s post and buy that biets a bells. That girl’s my hero of the day. Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter and will be replying to almal so please chat to me in the comments section below.
Love, love
Leigh
Lipgloss is my Life 
Well said. In my opinion, these awards are NOT reputable at all. I’d also rather not be associated with them. Pity Look Good Feel Better – a great initiative & one I hold dear – have chosen to be associated with this. The whole thing leaves a bad taste!
Agreed! The whole thing feels like an ill-conceived marketing ploy for Tan Organic.
I’m so glad that you and Luzanne did posts about it! I noticed that some of the short listed blogs happened to post Tan Organic press releases on their blogs and also Tweeted it so that’s just dodgey…
I love your blog and I’ve been reading it for years. Please don’t stop with the good work! 🙂
Thanks so much for this Carina! I really hope other bloggers follow suit. The beauty blog scene is such a fragile, developing place right now and the last thing we need is a fly by night awards set up to take advantage of that.
I really agree with you these awards are not worth it they just mess people up and you must always stay by your word.
Thanks for saying exactly what I feel regarding this Leigh, thats why I never enter these things and especially this one with judges who know nothing of what we pour sweat and tears into. This thing is going to blow up in their faces and I’m appaled after seeing the tweets they sent you!
Big up to you for sticking to your guns!
See you tomorrow
X
High fiveing you, as usual, Leigh – Leigh.
Even their ‘justification’ email was vague. MUCH more effort needs to be put into something like this for anyone to take them seriously. And after this palaver, nobody ever will…except if course the peeps who win, who will, no doubt use it as ‘credentials’ for years to come!
I just announced my departure from the event as well. But it was bitter sweet and I am very sad to see the way some South African Bloggers have handled the situation. There was and is much talk about not lowering to the standards that the organization has treated SA Bloggers with, yet as I have read through BLOGS and websites about this situation, I was more saddened by the way we as a community handled the situation.
instead of supporting each other, and calmly, professionally stating our reasons to each other why some pulled out, and the reasons as to why this Award Show is not okay, we tore each other to shreds and are proud of it? What?!
SABloggers have it hard enough as it is without destroying each other. And to think some of us our proud of the fights/arguments/shade and slander we have thrown at each other today?
Yes, I saw a bit of shade thrown at me by someone I have never even come across before, with a comment that with a little investigation could have been answered and explained. Instead the individual took the low road. Like so many of us today.
I don’t follow people, I don’t believe in the “sheep” mentality. I believe we should all know ourselves well enough to make and be confident in our own decisions. And with all my efforts to support LOCAL businesses in every industry that I cover, this is the sole reason I am pulling out of the Awards, not because today we decided to stop treating ourselves with some dignity.
Had everyone bowed out gracefully and supported those who are new to the industry and do not understand reasons this needs to be shut down, it would have been a win for SABloggers, but due to the way in which this was handled, I personally feel like we all lost and failed today.
Hopefully, the next step is seeing SABloggers working towards creating events that support Bloggers together from now on. I am all in, for the event hosted by Bloggers for Bloggers. So let’s do ourselves a favor and work towards a goal like this, rather than stooping lower and lower.
#LoveAndTravelHugs© to ALL my fellow Bloggers
Cee
Nicely said, Cee! I got whatever’s more aggressive than shade thrown at me today too but I’m a high ground type of person so I’m letting it slide. It’s hard though ‘cos you know words are my thing and I had to bit back a few zingers ;-P Still, I don’t need to bash any of my fellow bloggers to get my point across and wish the bloggers nominated all the best for the awards. Some of my favourite beauties are nominated and I know we all have different reasons for doing what we do. I’ve merely stated mine and don’t expect anyone to automatically share my opinion, much less feel super passionate about it. Anyway, all babble aside, a big up to you for following through on what you felt was best x
Hi. Thanks. I have since emailed the Beauty Blog Awards Directly and asked for an explanation and some answers, that I personally need to know.
To be honest, this day has been an emotional roller-coster for me. I went from being excited and proud of my hard work being acknowledged, to being messaged hate speech etc by people I didnt even know.
I feel I was pressured to pull out, and have made the decision not to make any hasty decisions until closer to the event and once my questions have been answered by the company to my satisfaction. I am proud to be Nominated twice and when I look at some of the other Bloggers I know on those lists, I am proud of them too.
I am upset at myself for even letting myself be influenced by anyone else’s opinion and not standing my ground, I let myself and my readers that arent even based in SA down, by getting involved in a social media storm mess.
I owe it to myself, to make the right decision. Privately.
I loved your piece and dont change my opinion on my previous statement. Whether I will be there or not remains to be seen on the evening of the event.
There is nothing stoppin us SABloggers working towards creating a better platform for Bloggers, and maybe I;ll start working on something along those lines.
Love and support each other, that;s what we do as South Africans 🙂
#LoveAndTravelHugs for your support!
Cee
This is exactly why blogging in SA (no matter the genre) needs some sort of bloggers association, if that is the right term. To make sure things like this don’t happen, and when they do they are legit and done correctly (although, I don’t think there should be blog awards at all). And to set standard blogging rates according to following / readership so that we are all on the same page.
Agreed! Also think a blog awards is a stupid idea in general.