There we were, buzzing through our Twitter feeds, happy as clams, when our friends at Styloko pointed out this glaring issue with one of our favorite insiders, Filipino fashion blogger Bryanboy. On Monday, he posted this Tweet, encouraging readers to "lose weight and make those bones appear" in preparation for the February shows. Tweeting a little fitness motivation is one thing, but this has the unmistakable ring of Thinspo. Some argue it was a joke, but conveying humor in 140 characters or less is a skill that's easy to screw up. Others are saying it's an irresponsible comment that contributes to the masses of "Thinspiration" on social media sites today.
Bryanboy is one of the Internet's biggest phenomena, which carries a special brand of celebrity. While Tinseltown's finest may be constantly surrounded by an entourage of agents, managers, handlers, bodyguards, stylists, and the like, bloggers have hardly any buffers —or more precisely, filters. It's why the medium is so popular, and the same reason why it can be problematic.
Like many fashion bloggers, Bryanboy is a self-starter. He's built a brand from scratch without anybody's help, and we commend him for that. But it also means he's more or less a regular guy with a gigantic international following — many of whom are young, impressionable 'tweens. This isn't to say he should switch to spouting only safe, politically-correct opinions, but given the growing sensitivity to eating disorders within the fashion industry, it feels like a no-brainer. Assuming it's not a joke, maybe Bryanboy really does want his bones to show. For that, we'd be sorry.
If it is a joke, it's an irresponsible one for someone with so many young followers. But that's the nature of the blogosphere. One minute you're just preaching to your friends and, like, your mom who understand your humor and don't take you too seriously. The next, you're a role model for people all over the world that may in fact want to be you. You might not have asked for the attention, but it's there. So now you have to figure out how you want to deal with it.(Styloko)
Photo: Courtesy of Bryanboy.