I have followed Jessica of WIW and her blog for a while, I have heard her posts and twitters on this subject of negative comments A LOT. I just have to say as constructive criticism, because I support Jessica of WIW that I think she should take her own advice. She complained about ugly comments for so long that I stopped following her on Twitter and for the most part her blog. She is wildly talented and well liked on the whole. But succumbing to negative comments by getting rid of them on her site altogether was very unbecoming of her. I think comments are a part of a blog and to shut them off because they aren't pretty defeats her purpose and defeats her. Didn't the commenters "win" in this case?

I like to check in on her blog to see what's she's wearing and her version of how she is putting outfits together. I may or may not like what she is wearing. It all depends. But this pre-occupation of negative commenters is becoming childish. Not everyone in this world is going to love what you do, what you wear, and what you say. As a former designer myself, I know first hand that the fashion business is tough and not for the thin-skinned. If I had a blog and someone posted something nasty or vulgar, I would simply delete it. But if someone posted that they don't like my outfit or that they don't care for the way I put it together, that's someone's opinion. Big freakin' deal. I wouldn't delete a comment simply because they didn't like what I was wearing. Just take the good with the bad. Fashion is a personal thing. If I don't like a particular outfit someone is wearing, it doesn't mean I think they suck or are stupid or whatever. It just means I don't care for that particular outfit on that particular day. This is not a perfect world. Vulgar & nasty is not the same as a disagreement over taste.

Ok, can we get back to "outfit of the day" now?

I have to say, I agree with the two above. I used to really love Jessica's blog, but her preoccupation with negative comments is a total turn-off. For someone who repeatedly claims that her blog is her business, I think she really should consider how this comes across to the companies that would potentially want to work with her. If I were a business owner, it would be the first red flag. Suggesting that the people that come to your blog everyday are jealous OF YOU is not only egotistical, but a slap in the face to those of us who were kind and admired her. She does not take criticism well and it really has effected my view of her blog overall. I suggest she try to make her sense of humbleness more genuine, rather than criticizing others.

I think Jessica from What I Wore is fantastic. She seems so nice, so happy and almost like your best friend (but with awesome clothes and lives in New York).
I've been following her blog for awhile, and while I kind of agree that she gave into the "non-supporters" by taking down her comments section, why did she need to keep it up if she didn't want to hear what they had to say? Her blog, her fashion and her image are her job. I'm not quite sure what mean comments she kept getting, but I probably wouldn't want them on my blog either!
It can be very hurtful to have people you don't even know ripping you down, for a reason you can't figure out, no matter how thick your skin is! I tend to not care what people think of me, but I can still hear what they say. I still remember what they said, how they said it and what they meant for it to do. They mean for it to hurt and it does, even if you have a thick skin.
I think Jessica is doing a great job and I hope she keeps it up :)

Jessica, I think you have great style, you are so incredibly lovely and I agree with what you have to say about non-supporters. I wish you all the best in your pursuit of your dream & while I only learned about your blog recently( i must have been under a rock) :) I am happy I get to check in and see what fabulous things you have put together. All the best hun!
xo
Melissa

It's too bad she has alienated some followers and, essentially, has reduced all criticism down to the ol' haterade. But, maybe this is what she needs to do to get to the next level in her career. While some people will be turned away by the format and her outlook (especially if they've been loyal to her blogging), she's probably getting ample page hits, fans, and sponsors. I definitely view her personality as less sweet and inviting after this particular situation. Her personality/brand comes across as very calculated-- but who can blame her?

It'd be nice to see a little more nuance to the debate other than "bishes are jealous,yo" but hey, this is fashion, and blogging, and I am rather cynical when it comes to both. :)

"...moving to South America and becoming a...jungle guy"

Right, because South America is all about jungle people and their jungles.

I followed WIW--even through all the hoopla of the comments section--hoping that Jessica would actually grow from the experience (and begin to move in a more professional direction, starting with using a spell-checker on her computer), but this comment alone reflects her inability to see beyond herself.

Also: my note about Jessica needing to run her text through spell-checker once in a while is yet another example of how the "they're just jealous"-defense doesn't always work when it comes to receiving criticism.

I have to agree with the first two posters. I have been reading Jessica's blog for quite some time. However I probably would have stopped long ago if it didn't come up on my bloglovin. While I do not support the negative nasty comments I feel that she is being unprofessional and immature as of late. Her postings are full of negativity and do not seem to really focus on the fashion much at all. Today will be the last day I visit her blog, if she really wants to make it she needs to be more professional.

I'm a huge Jessica fan...she has great sense of style. The great thing about the internet is if you don't like her...you can simply push the little X and close it out and don't come back. Fortunately, she has a huge supportive fanbase. Which, I would liken to a support-system back home. Throughout life you're always going to encounter "haters" and it's great to have positive influences like your family, significant other, etc to help keep you in line and keep a solid positive perspective on life!

Great advice! Thanks Jessica!

xo,
Carmen

Thanks, Jessica, for doing such a great job explaining your purpose and issues with non-supporters!

No Longer a Reader, did you give up on listening, too? Jungle guide.

I was also an avid reader of WIW, prior to all of the comment section drama, and I'm so disappointed in what her blog has become. I feel that she and it are now so incredibly self-centered, bitchy, and, fashion-wise, getting pretty boring. There are so many sweet fashion blogs out there and I feel that my interweb time is much better spent away from WIW.

oh, and @ No Longer A Reader Of WIW: I'm totally with ya on the spelling. The grammatical errors in this grown woman's posts are reason enough to stop reading.

>"...moving to South America and becoming a...jungle guy"
>Right, because South America is all about jungle people and their jungles.

I agree 100% with this comment. South America is a huge continent stretching from the Equator to Antarctica with all kinds of terrain. It's home to 13 countries and several of the largest cities on the planet. Reducing it to "jungle" is ridiculously ignorant. Fail.

I really used to enjoy WIW, but the spelling and grammar drove me nuts. I have since then found so many more interesting fashion blogs that are about fashion and not vanity blogs for the women who keep them.

Reading WIW will teach you nothing about style, fashion, cut, color, shoes, etc. It's just picture after picture of ain't-i-just-the-cutest-thing-you-ever-did-see and that gets boring. Fast.

However, if she intends to make her blog a business, she better start thinking about how to keep and engage an audience. Her commenter stand off was immature and alienating. I see her same sponsors sponsoring much better blogs. Her whining about mean haters can't be attractive to an advertiser.

What a blow it!

Jessica - I'm so happy Jess LC suggested we invite you to be the first guest for Sprout Out Loud. You took on one of the most difficult topics: non-supporters. You gave some incredible advice - especially liked when you referenced the relationship between attention and energy. It is the one point of control that we have with regard to non-supporters - less attention, less negative energy. The virtual world has brought incredible opportunities - but with that comes new problems (which you addressed in your video). Your courage and authenticity are so inspiring. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with the Spring community.

Hooked on Phonics: You're right, I listened to it again and it does sound like she is saying "jungle guide." Funny, I actually listened to the video, especially that part, several times, to make sure I heard I was constructing the sentence verbatim.

So: "...moving to South America and becoming a...jungle guide."

It's too bad it still implies the same thing. Maybe no one moves to South America to become, say, a fashion blogger.

I think, South America aside, you're still missing the point. I continued reading WIW through the madness that resulted in the deletion of the comments section because, frankly, I did think it was her decision alone to do so and I was willing enough to give her the benefit of the doubt and see how she was going to flourish. I also was affronted by some of the initial comments that caused her to begin questioning the comments section (particularly when a reader crossed the line and asked if Jessica was pregnant--as if they were close enough friends to even ask!). By the end of the day, however, the self-centerdness became very clear. I don't ever think she realized that perhaps those kinds of comments were the result of her readers actually feeling like they were her friend. WIW should have, as Jessica suggested in the clip above, reassessed the situation and moved forward in a direction that did not ostracize or alienate her readers--or worse, start calling them unearned names. It should have figured out why readers may have been treating the blog and its comments section like a friendly, open forum between close friends and not a semi-professional environment (and here is how simple spell-checking and proper grammar can go a long way).

Lastly, during the comments fiasco, the WIW tweets were reflecting her anger at her readers, very much in the same way that a recent tweet read: "jungle GUIDE not jungle guy."

Which reminds me, since I forgot, to delete her Twitter feed from my bookmarks as well.

This girl just doesn't know when to cut it out. O.K. we get it, you don't like negative comments. Why don't you go reflect and move on and stop invading our interwebz with your insecurities.

Wow, I can never understand why people say things in the comments section that they would never say face to face with someone. If I don't like a blog I stop reading it, I don't see why it's necessary to shout from the rooftops why. As the saying goes, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. The annonymity of the interwebs is not an excuse to leave simple good manners at the door.

Jessica, I loved your video, and the advice you give is really pertinent. It can be really hard to block out the non-supporters, and I totally agree with you - if you can try and work out where they're coming from it can help, but you can't spend your whole life doing it or it will bring you down just as surely as if you believe them. You have to know when to walk away, when to turn them off. The interwebs are a two-edged sword that way - it can open up a whole world of support and positive reinforcement, or a whole can of worms - and nasty, bitey ones at that. I love your blog, especially your sense of colour! Thanks for putting yourself out there and sharing your thoughts!

I have to agree with a lot of what has already been posted. I hope Jessica will learn to take criticism and learn from it -- not just fight it, ignore it, and, in her case especially, delete it!

Oy vey already ! Talk about beating the proverbial dead horse !

Thanks so much for weighing in on this obviously touchy topic, Jessica. The Spring gals were ecstatic to have your thoughts & insight here. Obviously, you're a blogger with a very large following, & with that comes a larger number of naysayers. I, for one, appreciate your advice of taking a step back, realizing that the comment isn't meant for you personally (& um, if it is, then there's obviously a problem coming from the commenter that most likely has nothing to do with you), & seeing if you can take something constructive away from it. I now realize that if you take a breath & treat those constructive comments with inquiry & respect you can learn something from (some of) those naysayers.

Oh, and to all the commenters that commented on Jess' "jungle" comment, I think she said "jungle guide" not "jungle guy." Hopefully this clears the air a bit!

The most galling thing about Jessica's reaction to her non-supporters/naysayers (or, y'know, just simple ol' 'critics') is that she is unwilling to see beyond her own myopic view of human nature. She thinks that people hate on her because they hate themselves while completely ignoring that fact that some people have critical faculties that owe nothing to their own insecurities or emotions. They're just saying it like it is. All this talk of negative energy and attention is lovely but when it comes down to it Jessica has made a brand and business of herself and while she's doing great now her insistence on making every criticism personal by saying that her critics have personal issues they're projecting onto her is naive, at best.

I actually don't understand how this video segment is helpful in any way. How many people haven't already heard of the age-old step-back-and-reflect-advice? How about something more specific. Like, "When I feel like I'm attracting a lot of "non-support" (really, what does that even mean?), I go for a long run. I work off all the knots in my neck. Then, I sit down and try to think really hard about what made me decide to follow this path in life in the first place. I sit until I remember that first spark of creative energy" or "I go back to the drawing board" or "I shrug it off, I keep moving" or "I don't indulge in online feuds with my readers" --whatever it is. Or how about just sitting down and thinking about what "non-supporters" are saying if they're all saying the same thing (Which seems to be the case here for Jessica Schroeder. I haven't read her blog, so correct me if I'm wrong.).

If this is going to be an on-going segment (which it looks like it will be since this isn't the first time it's appeared here), maybe it would help to make sure whomever is contributing isn't just turning on their webcam, recording something quickly, and sending it on over to you guys without much reflection? If you want people to take something from this series, it might help to offer quality material, not just something we can easily find on any ol' website. Right? You can see that she's still trying to figure out what she wants to say, even midway through.

And believing that everyone who doesn't agree with you is jealous of you is downright a ludicrous way of living, if you ask me. If every time I received an evaluation from a college student who said that they didn't like my class because I "graded too hard" (and on that note: you haven't seen a "hater" till you've seen college course evaluations), I thought to myself, "They're just jealous of my intelligence," I'd be arguing all day with my students, and to no avail. What an awful and destructive way to live and see yourself in the company of others, Jessica!

This video sets everyone at odds with each other--including the moderators of Spring Inspiration. If you agreed with any of those who have already commented "critically," then couldn't Jessica also write you off as a non-supporter or--worse--just jealous of her? Isn't her attitude one of "you're either with me, or against me"? I don't care if she's saying it with a smile. I don't find this inspiring at all, and I hope you consider this for future installments. I know that after watching this I feel no inclination whatsoever to go and look at her fashion blog. I don't feel inspired to; I feel exhausted. (Ben: I view this as something not-too-positive. You mention that anyone can just close her blog--but doesn't she have corporate sponsorship? Isn't this her means of feeding herself everyday? Does she really want people to hit that little "x"? How many times can she turn to her family back home for living money?)

Finally: how supportive is it *really* when all you hear is "Great hair!" "Great lipstick!" "Great shirt!"? How do empty comments like that *really* help one get better at what one does? If that's all one wants to hear, that's what our pets are for--they'll love us unconditionally no matter what we're wearing.

And, yes, I would say all of this to anyone's face. Isn't that better than saying it behind someone's back anyway?

I apologize for the length! Hopefully, if I've beaten an already-dead horse, I've at least hit it in other spots.