Image by No One Nels
I really thought my days of Internet drama were over, but reading something posted on a recent article irritated me so much I felt the need to throw my own opinion into the mix, namely the comments posted in response to this article about Gala Darling. Reading the article itself, my reaction was simply that it’s a nicely-written article and I think Gala should link it from her “about” page, since it would be a great read for anyone who wants to know more about the lady behind the blog. Others, however, had different ideas.
Before I go on I would like to state that when I refer to “comments” and “commenters” in a negative light here, I am referring only to the ones who were downright rude. There are some who read all the opinions and made their own balanced judgements and positive or negative, I have no problem with those who posted their concerns in a civil manner, just those who see fit to call Gala insulting names, belittle her fans and are generally disgustingly ill-mannered to everyone then wonder why they don’t get a detailed and reasoned explanation from the woman they just libelled.
The comments are arranged from the most recent down to the earliest, so you will need to scroll to the bottom of the page and work up to read them in order. The general gist however is that someone wrote a very negative opinion regarding Gala’s finances, but stated it as if it’s a definite fact rather than their own thoughts. Gala responded quite amicably at first, after which the commenter turned quite nasty. Gala’s reply to the nastiness was simply to say:
I don’t feel the need to explain the intricacies of my business to an anonymous commenter. What else can I say? If you believe me, you believe me. If you don’t, you don’t. Not really my issue!
Now, my issue with these comments is not one of the angry Gala fan, who is outraged that her heroine is being maligned in this way, yet I’m sure many of the people responding to that post would love to think it is. My issue is simply that why should anyone have to explain themselves to someone being so downright rude and nasty? Whatever happened to polite questions? Personally, if I really thought it was my business to know how Gala makes her money (and I don’t believe it’s anyone’s but her own), I think I’d ask her, politely, how much freelance writing she did on the side, whether she ever writes paid articles for others without a by-line, or even what percentage of her overall income comes from ad sales alone. I wouldn’t dream of asking anyone those questions however, as it’s really no concern of mine.
The comments on the post annoyed me. Not because they were aimed at Gala, not because they were questioning whether or not a blogger I follow is really making a career out of it, but because they felt they could be nasty, rude and insulting, then wondered why Gala didn’t feel the need to explain herself to them.
If Gala was smart, she’d read these comments and realize that some of her fans aren’t happy with her blog. But all she’ll do is go OH WELL NOT MY PROB and keep doing mediocre work. Her fans are all 15 anyway, so they won’t notice how lame the blog is getting. Shame, it actually used to be cool.
I recall there was some interesting dialogue in the comments on this article, regarding her interview with Bridget Marquardt. There’s a lot of criticism there, but the difference is that it’s constructive and polite, questioning as opposed to insulting, opinion without taking an “I’m right, you’re wrong” attitude. Her fans have the right idea when they’re not happy with something she’s posted. Many of the commenters on the Cut Out + Keep article do not.
Whatever your opinions on Gala and iCiNG, I’d love to know what others think about this.
I don’t know, I used to loove Gala but I’ve dropped following iCiNG ad her other online accounts since she moved back to NYC this year. I guess that I just don’t identify with iCiNG and what she is promoting and saying anymore. As far as the income goes… it’s really no-one’s business and those people who commented on the article could have been a little more polite.
I’m never going to forget how much iCiNG helped me or how much Gala inspired me, it’s just that very few things about her interest me anymore. I just skimmed her homepage and all I found was Daily Outfit, ad for Lime Crime (which I looove BTW), TILT and Carousel; while these feats are not bad I really miss the kind of articles she wrote in 2007 – early 2008, you know, the ones who made me swoon at her site.
As for how she makes her income, I don’t care. As for how she can buy her designer shoes, she said it herself “I save for them, like most people”.
I’ve been following Gala since her days on Livejournal, which must be like 2005… I was inspired and amazed by her from the start and added her to my flist, and even kept a folder in my computer for her beautiful photos of her fashion style and room interior ideas. Everytime she updated her LJ there was something different and special to read. I lived in the same city as her and on several occasions saw her walking from across the street and at one Atmosphere gig (but never got up the courage to say hi…)
I’ve always seen her as an inspiration and a little part of me feels proud for her successes (as if having her on my now-deleted LJ flist soemhow makes me part of her adventures) but will not be ashamed to admit that there have been moments of jealousy, which can at times turn to negative thoughts (“She’s always posing in her photos…she’s such an indie chick…such an elitist…why does she have to buy so much clothes?…why can’t she be more interested in sweatshop labour that goes behind her favourite brands?…why doesn’t she talk more about more important issues like No Impact Man?…I liked her better in her bleach blonde hair/turqoise eye shadow phase!…blah blah blah…). All of this is NEVER good for the soul and facing these negative thoughts about Gala have been a way for me to question myself about what *I* want to do in MY life and why I feel jealousy towards my idol.
On the other hand, I can’t fail to mention that so many times Gala has been a beacon of Awesomeness in my life over the years. Like the time she posted a long article just before Christmas asking people not to buy animals from pet stores as presents, especialy as a surprise (my friends did this exact thing for another friend and I knew I was right for saying I didn’t want to be involved in it when I read her blog). Or the links she posted to Steve Pavlina’s posts about polyamory – at such a perfect timing to what I was going through. Interest in EFT and raw veganism also came into my life through Gala, and I only have gratitude for her for that.
However, as other people have commented, over the last few months I have felt that the contents of her blog has started to be more product ads, updates on NZ’s Next Top Model and fashion news and less on issues that used to interest me and provoke thought and stir debate (remember the one about choosing between ethics and your job?) I respect Gala and her choices in life and what she chooses to share with us on her blog (I do see it as a previlege to have her share her life with us) but these days I keep wanting to find another blogger who’s just as cool and fashionable and outrageous and inspiring as Gala but writes more articles with “Oomph” like Gala used to.
Regarding this little storm in a teacup about her financial status I’ve never commented on her blog or anywhere else regarding it, although I’ve been curious about it myself, particularly when I’ve seen the apartments she’s lived in (back when she lived in Auckland and worked at Lush and later in an office, she lived in a swanky apartment in the middle of the city by herself, which might indicate she already had savings or a good income source well before she started her current blog. The people who criticise her seem to be pissed off about her success and how she refuses to be open about her finances, particulary because she gives the impression of giving out business and lifestyle advice without sharing us every single bit of information about how she came to be where she is now.
I remember one article she did a few months ago answering FAQ from readers and to the question “How much do you make from your blog?” she answered something like “How much do YOU make? Sheesh!” which I thought was unfair to a legitimate question probably from curious fans who want to know the secrets to her success, and she brushed it off like a rude unnecessary busy-body. The thing is, she didn’t have to put that up there on the FAQ article but did, thus bringing more attention to it. Bit silly now innit?
I’m sorry my comment has gone on and on, this is honestly my first time I’ve shared my thoughts on this and may have gone a bit too long. Bottom line is, I still respect and admire Gala for what she has achieved, but unfortunately her originaly fanbase may be slowly moving away because of the changes in her contents. As for her finances, maybe if she just came out with the whole story people will drop it and appreciate the honesty. She has no obligation to this whatsoever, so whateverr she chooses to do is her own choice, as well as the consequences.
i agree with julie. i loveloveloved icing when it started, when she wrote long and juicy articles that i could relate to and that made me think and wanting to improve my life, now i don’t see those articles anymore. i’m not so interested in outfit and link posts so there’s nothing left for me really, which i think is sad because i really miss the good old days. i understand if she want’s to evolve, if she doesn’t have the time or whatever reason there may be behind this change, but i can’t help but hoping the icing i fell in love with would come back.
i just read the article at cut out and keep and it made me so sad to see all comments were about her being fake or not, nothing about the article itself (which i think was really well written btw). if she so bathes in money i don’t care, until the whole world turns communist some people will have it financially better than others. all this drama makes me so tired.
I feel like icing has lost the magic. Just take a look at the most popular articles, besides the handbag give away and love and sequins, all of the popular articles are Gala old stuff. What happened to the articles like the one about self confidence or the one on happiness? Now its like a sell out, Gala indorses it on her blog, she gets it free, and wow special icing reader discount! Its like losing an old friend to all the glitz and glamour. I know love and sequins and her book are her new big projects, but she’s just leaving us all out to dry, you must pay if you want any of the good stuff with any kind of substance.
The comments are just peoples opinions and they have a right to state it however they choose, just like you can call them out on it.
I feel much the same way as Julie does about iCiNG, I think quite a lot of her old fans do, but I think the change in what she writes about is only natural. There is only so much you can say about a lot of the things Gala used to write about, and I’m glad she isn’t rehashing old content like a lot of blogs do. I don’t think she’s run out of ideas – just that she’s tackled all the classic style and beauty subjects, and now her content is going to reflect her individual interests a lot more and not have such a broad appeal.
I’ve always disagreed with a lot of the things Gala says about money and careers, the “law of attraction” stuff in particular, so I can sort of see where people are coming from when they say she’s misleading young girls into thinking they can do it too and it’s easy, although I’d never go that far – but all this speculation about how she maintains her lifestyle is bizarre. Gala does work outside of the iCiNG project which she will have been paid for, is she “meant” to announce it every time?
I think it’s refreshing to see ANY criticism about Gala Darling’s blog hitting the internetz. She has been held up as this bastion of fashion/inspiration blogging, but if you look past all the “sparkle” and “cupcakes”, is there anything of true substance?
Look, Lisa Frank was a popular brand when I was a kid…so I understand the appeal of cotton candy fashion to all the teens who read her blog. At the end of the day, what really bothers me about Gala Darling is the self-righteous attitude of her AND her followers.
Why expend effort talking about this? We’re all in the same boat — blogging is a narcissistic pursuit no matter how you look at it. Some of us, myself included, attempt to counter this by blogging about important causes and refusing to advertise on our blog & make any money off of it. Therefore, when I see blogs that are one big consumer-love-fest like Gala Darling’s, I can’t help but be turned off by it all.
I used to like her content; I don’t now. Personally, I dig a lot of the comments at the Cut Out + Keep web site and am glad to see a forum where these comments can be published and not deleted.
You’re right, these comments are really rude. So what if we don’t know anything about her income? Yes, I agree that most of the time she’s too fluffy, but that’s her style and if people don’t like it, well, that’s easy: stop reading iCiNG!
For what it’s worth I do agree that there have been far fewer posts of substance recently and I do miss the old iCiNG, but in my opinion she still writes the occasional gem and her Carousel posts are well put-together and make my Friday afternoons go much more quickly!
@ Nikki – The thing is, I think it was rude of people to directly ask her what her income is. Ask if Blogads makes her more money than Adsense, ask if she makes all her income from iCiNG or whether she does other paid work too (which I gather she does) if you want to know the secrets to her success. It may be down to slight cultural differences (and please don’t take this as a dig at you because it’s not meant that way), but I was brought up never to ask someone how much money they make!
@ Heather – perhaps I didn’t explain myself clearly enough, but I’m not criticising anyone for having a negative opinion of Gala, it’s the expectation that if they’re bitchy and rude about someone, that someone should then politely answer all the accusations.
@ Dollface – It’s not the fact that it’s Gala they’re talking about that annoyed me, not in the slightest! What I’m trying to talk about is the idea that the rudeness goes ignored because they may or may not have a legitimate point. Social etiquette is something I feel quite strongly about and I don’t think I’m wasting my time talking about it.
Let me reiterate here, this is not a post about Gala, it’s about the fact that people see fit to attack someone in a vicious and rude manner then they get upset when she doesn’t explain herself. I didn’t intend to start a discussion about whether or not Gala is all she’s cracked up to be (though I must admit I’m finding the comments fascinating and I do agree with a lot of the points made to a certain extent – I’m not one of those “Gala can do no wrong and I’ll defend her to the bitter end” types by any stretch of the imagination, and that goes for anyone whose work I follow) but rather to address the broader issue of rudeness online, which I perhaps didn’t do too well by mentioning Gala so much in the post!
@ stina – You have a very good point in stating what a shame it is that the majority of the comments weren’t about the article at all. If she really does delete criticism as some of the commenters on the original article suggested then fair enough, they’re entitled to get their opinions out somewhere they’ll be left intact, but it’s a shame that it had to be that article and not one written for the purpose of questioning her to begin with.
Sorry if my comment was misconstrued, when I said “Why expend effort talking about this?” I meant to say…”Because we’re all in the same boat…” Upon re-reading it, I realized it looks like I’m saying we shouldn’t discuss it — but really I think you raised a good question.
What do you think of the Agent Lover “Oh Haaale No” post? I think the comments there were VICIOUS towards the blogger who mentioned Agent Lover in one of her posts. The scrutiny Gala is currently under doesn’t seem that rude to me in comparison. No one is calling her ugly or stupid, they are making more thoughtful criticisms. Maybe I missed a comment where someone personally attacked Gala? Meh.
i think the rudeness stemmed from frustration, but i’ve been reading iCiNG since G was profiled in Cosmo the first time, and it’s always been pretty clear that she doesn’t want to discuss her finances/financing. It’s definitely her call re: full disclosure but then again, that’s her business, and I don’t think she’ll really miss her perturbed former-followers, now that her personal branding seems to be taking off. I definitely think people need to take a step back before hitting the ’submit’ key; it’s just the internet guys! Name calling is still uncouth!
I’m so fucking glad to find people who sound just like me when it comes to iCiNG in that it used to be a major inspiration but not anymore. I think it’s a natural progression too, and unfortunately it’s not one I can identify or aspire to identify with. Last night whilst keeping up with the cut out and keep drama I removed iCinG from my feed reader/bookmarks, as well as G’s personal blog, and stopped being her twitter follower, because being frustrated about what iCinG has become is such a downer.
I thought the response to the Agent Lover ‘Oh Haaale No’ post was RIDICULOUS. The blogger in question shouldn’t have been mangled on a personal blog after the problem was initially resolved, and the comments left a bad taste in my mouth. I lost my respect for two more bloggers from that post :/
I really agree with Lady Julianne, I think the older content was better but she pretty thoroughly covered individual style and fashion, and I can see how she’d run out of things to talk about. Also, after listening to L&S 1 and 2, I can agree with an assessment I read elsewhere that said she probably saves most of the quality stuff for her podcasts. Which I think is fair, everyone has to make a living.
I personally feel really sorry for the writer of the article, as it was a cute and well written piece, and all she or he is getting is bitching about Gala. You know what – seriously, who cares how she makes her money. I don’t believe she’s ever come out and said that iCiNG is her sole source of income; she OBVIOUSLY does other projects. She even mentions them on the blog! And some things she might not be able to talk about – ghostwriting was mentioned, as an example. I just don’t understand the negativity and cattiness. If you don’t like her site, don’t read it, how hard is that?! Like I said in my comment on the Cut Out + Keep article; I personally worry more about the motives of someone who’s left exactly the same comment on at least three different blogs.
Great discussion! I’ve been following the comments on the Cut out and keep article because I find it so fascinating.
Here is my opinion: the commenters that were rude really shouldn’t have been, but from what I can see they were just really frustrated that their more polite questioning has gone unanswered and deleted from Gala’s blog. Gala has every right to delete the comments on her blog, it’s her space on the net, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should. I read blogs like problogger and copyblogger and they’ve always suggested that comments should be a place for discussion, that when someone disagrees with you etc it should be taken as an opportunity to interact (that is if they’re not outright rude).
I would really really love to know how Gala does make her money, but I agreed for the most part that it’s her business unless she wants to share. That changed when I gave here $12 in order to get a podcast promising ‘a smart girls guide to business’. There was no guide in the podcast, there was no explanation on how Gala does it at all. I felt quite ripped off. I have absolutely no idea why she’s so secretive about where she gets her money from! Is it because she’s hiding something? Because that’s the only reason I can think of that she would want to keep it a secret that people are actually hiring her to write!
I love Gala and visit her website everyday, but I feel like she doesn’t give very realistic advice. I mean, positivity is a wonderful thing, but life isn’t that easy sometimes, no matter how optimistic you are about it. I think that’s where a lot of the rude comments come from. People will always feel jealous when they come upon someone who has made it GOOD by writing a fashion blog. And then when she says, “oh, you should be happy like me!” it irks people who are feeling bad or unhappy with their situation.
Just somehow stepped upon your blog one way or another, and since I read Gala Darling too I thought I’d throw my two cents in –
As you and others have said, she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation of how she makes her money or where it comes from. But I’d just like to go a step further – she doesn’t owe anyone ANYTHING! She doesn’t have to write with perfect grammar, post more insightful articles (or just more articles, period) like the old days, charge less for her podcasts, etc. She can delete people’s comments that she doesn’t want to respond to! She could drop off the face of the internet tonight and never be heard of again and that would be perfectly okay.
What would be useful about getting the play by play of her finances for anyone? It doesn’t seem to me that any harm is coming out of keeping it private. I had to laugh when I read:
“I urge her to come clean and stop pretending she supports her lifestyle 100% through her blog income and related work—- because it HURTS young girls. They pay for her podcasts and drop out of school to try to be like her until their dreams are inevitably crushed.”
Because I’m sure girls are starting their own blogs and dropping out of high school.
Basically, these commenters have some serious sense of entitlement about what they deserve as readers of her blog or blogs in general – such a sense of entitlement, that they feel it is appropriate to be rude in their questioning. And I would say that despite their hard work typing in a url or clicking a link from their bookmarks, they do not deserve a single thing.
Whew, didn’t know I had that much in me about this…
Haha, PS. Look forward to reading more of YOUR blog in the future!
I would really really love to know how Gala does make her money, but I agreed for the most part that it’s her business unless she wants to share. That changed when I gave here $12 in order to get a podcast promising ‘a smart girls guide to business’. There was no guide in the podcast, there was no explanation on how Gala does it at all. I felt quite ripped off. I have absolutely no idea why she’s so secretive about where she gets her money from!
Yes exactly! I don’t usually pay for things like podcasts (which i don’t even often listen to) unless they involve content I wanted, and since I’m working hard trying to find some income whatever way I can while developing my creativity and passions, and have always wondered how Gala manages to do it all (travel, meet interesting people, get opportunities like speaking at SXSW), I thought “Finally! My questions answered!”. But disappointingly…nothing there.
I did ask her about how she earns her money on one of her live chats, and she replied though blog advertising – and while I do know of people that have succeeded based on monetizing their blog, it doesn’t answer how she then came about doing SXSW or getting free stuff or being asked to audition for things etc. Does she have a publicist? Is she just really good and shameless at asking for things? Did she get a big Oprah-like boost somewhere? What’s the story?
I really have a hard time understanding people who chastise Gala for not writing more “meaningful” or cause-related posts. It’s her blog, her business. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.
And if you think there should be more blogs out there that discuss important topics and issues, get out there and write one! Let’s channel all these strong feelings into something more useful, something that could actually provoke change. Because otherwise at the end of the day, for all our griping about others not changing the world, all we have done is sit on the Internet all day poring over Internet drama.
Vixel, this is fangirl wank, as are your responses to your commenters. It’s clear that you think Gala is the be-all and end-all, which is frankly freaking SAD. Most of your commenters seem to be agreeing that, while very “direct”, those other commenters have a damn good point. You sound like a rather lonely, tragic voice in the midst of it all going “but I like, HEART Gala, guys!” Dude… quit fangirling and copying her! Read something else! Have your own life! I know this isn’t the first time people have said this to you so… take note?
PS: lack of substance and self-righteous tone? That certainly is copied from Gala here! I’ve been getting bored with S&G for ages (so many “these are all the ways I’m going to improve the blog guys, OMG!” and then nothing being delivered, and then just TiLTs which are basically ’shit I did this week,’and Carousels only featuring your friends’ blogs), and now this. You just lost a longtime reader. Bye!
@ Dollface – I read Agent Lover’s post too late really, otherwise I would have left my own comments, however by the time I got to it the conversation had died down somewhat. I can see how Marie would be offended, but I think she should have taken into account the original context of the post and accepted the original poster’s offer to delete it instead of turning it into a witch-hunt. There was a heck of a lot of petty name-throwing going on in all directions and I quite possibly would have said something more at the time if others weren’t already doing so far better than I ever could. The main difference I see here is that people want to get something out of Gala in exchange for the rudeness, whereas all the bitching in reference to Agent Lover’s post was just that, bitching with no apparent expectations beyond simply provoking a reaction.
I think it would be really interesting to know how Gala makes money. I also agree that the business podcast was really simply (as a commenter on Cupcakes and Mace I believe stated) “cheerleading” rather than actual substance. I was hoping for the kind of information one would get in a proper business guide but less dry and I too was disappointed when it was mostly platitudes about how I can achieve anything with hard work etc as opposed to real concrete advice. I should probably have left the original post overnight and re-read it in the morning as I don’t think I explained myself particularly clearly. I think people need to question and challenge others, especially when they percieve them as making false claims, but I personally think this should be done more calmly than it was here and preferably not on a profile piece on another website. Mostly however, it’s the expectation that a full and detailled explanation should be handed to them on a plate that annoyed me.
I think I also needed to make a little clearer that my reaction was by no means to do with any admiration I may have for Gala. I wouldn’t ask *anyone* what they earned unless I had a really good reason and they were a close friend who wouldn’t mind disclosing it. It’s not something anyone needs to know.
@ Tiara – I reckon she just uses iCiNG as a portfolio and gets work from that, I remember her saying she was headhunted by Cosmo because of it. I could be wrong though. Regarding your post here: http://www.journalfen.net/community/otf_wank/624223.html I’m not sure how this post constitutes accusing people of being “negative” for criticising Gala, but if you want a good example of that, try the comments here: http://lovelettertotheuniverse.com/?p=814.
@ Charming Anonymous Commenter – I actually rather thought I was the lonely voice in the midst of it all saying “but I like… never intended this post to be an analysis of Gala’s blogging”. I’ve never hidden the fact that finding her blog was a big part of the reason I started my own, but I certainly don’t see her as above criticism and I agree whole-heartedly that iCiNG isn’t what it used to be. I’d have written this if *any* blogger had been attacked in such a way over a subject so vulgar as their finances, it’s not about Gala.
Also Anon, you say “have your own life” yet berate me for not posting enough for your liking. TiLTs and post roudups are easy, they take little thought and I enjoy posting them. Other content however, takes longer to write and this may come as news to you but I am a real person with a day job and other commitments. I often simply don’t have the time to write as much as I’d like to, since I am too busy Having My Own Life. Improvements also take longer for that reason. This blog is not my job, it’s something I do for fun!
PS is there an actual definition of “wank” when used in the context of “fangirl wank” etc.? I see those communities all over livejournal but I’ve never quite understood what the point is! I think I missed that trend completely!
Oh, and if anyone’s read the anonymous comments and is wondering, I stopped posting “Sparkle Roundups” for precisely the reason they said – I was featuring the same blogs over and over again because I simply don’t have time to subscribe to thousands of RSS feeds. I am going to post one soon, but it’s not going to be a weekly thing anymore because I agree with the anon, it was getting a bit stale and there was nothing new to subscribe too.
At the very least, I’m quite glad to know I wasn’t the only one disappointed with the content in Love & Sequins #2– I’m quite glad I got it on sale, even though that was still $9 I could have used on coffee…
Gala is fascinating. I remember spending HOURS reading over old icing content when I discovered it a couple of years ago. The thing is: the girl can only blog about one topic so often. She’s covered self esteem, she’s shared with her readers how she’s grapsed and developed her own life, her own confidence and her own happiness and she’s quite openly shared those tips online.
The current lack of content as such to me, just comes across like she’s come to a cross roads, she’s covered the content on a WEALTH of issues and now she’s seemingly working more backstage on her book and love & sequinns. Which is fair enough, people move on including Gala. It just feels/reads like a 360 degree materialistic turn around, which i don’t believe represents her at all.
I really wish her all the success, i never liked the swag style posts of ‘more gubbins in the post today!’ since really, i think a lot of girls probably sat there and thought ‘how come she gest all this free stuff for seemingly nothing?!’.
I don’t know. I’m interested in seeing what she comes up with next. Her positivity and creativity and style have been an absolute inspiration to me.
i am just copying and pasting what i wrote over on the cut out + keep article:
i personally don’t feel that it should be that big of a deal for her to tell us where her income is coming from…i don’t care how much she makes, i just want to know how she makes it when it is obvious that it cannot be from the ad revenue of icing, etc. it is none of my business or anyone else’s what her exact dollar amount is and i would never expect her to disclose it…but i don’t understand why, if she is writing for other sources or modeling like some theories suggest, we aren’t allowed to know about it?
when i first started reading icing (at the very beginning), gala seemed to be pretty open and genuinely sweet & awesome. the last couple months have had me reconsidering this due to many different instances & different debates that have been popping up online. i think it is sad that i have lost a lot of respect for her when i really liked the person she was when she started blogging (this, however, is just my opinion! i would never tell anyone else not to read her site or think less of them for looking up to her…i am just venting on how i’ve been feeling lately about the site and gala’s attitude towards certain things).
i know the quality of articles/amount of articles is really up to her to decide, but i feel like she has abandoned her readers, especially the ones who were with her from the start, in pursuit of this “awesome sparkly international play-girl” lifestyle. if gala doesn’t have time to focus on the blog as in the past due to other prospects and activities in her life, that’s her decision, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth that she has never formally stated (to my knowledge) that she is not as into writing for the site as she used to be. maybe a hiatus from icing would help?
i just feel it would be fair for her to re-brand the icing site at this point as it does not seem to live up to what it was orginally marketed as (remember “international dress up days” and “weekly resolutions”?). maybe just use it for product reviews and for people to purchase the podcast (which i will never spend money on from what i have heard about it)…i don’t know, i am just speculating and i don’t seriously think my advice is even good–just brainstorming.
whew, i am drained. all this “ladyblogger” drama and cattiness surrounding it lately has been a real shame…
Oh yes, I’d also meant to include this in my original comment and then Marissa reminded me; re: this quote:
“I urge her to come clean and stop pretending she supports her lifestyle 100% through her blog income and related work—- because it HURTS young girls. They pay for her podcasts and drop out of school to try to be like her until their dreams are inevitably crushed.”
That made me laugh too. This person, at least, sounds like they just have an issue with unconventional lifestyles – I’ve never felt like Gala encouraged girls to drop out of college or anything, just consider that it’s not the only way. I dropped out of college and I still feel like it was definitely the right choice for me; and I’m doing fine, no living on the streets here! Granted, I think it’s important to have a plan (which I did) and/or a trade (which I do), but college isn’t always the best choice for everyone, especially right after high school.
I just don’t get what all the vitriol is about. I don’t see iCiNG doing any harm, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? You can make a living off of writing (and yes, blogs, if you want to/do it right, although it’s not one of my goals), so I certainly don’t think it’s giving girls delusions of grandeur or anything.
I liked Love and Sequins #1, although I agree that #2 was a bit fluffy.
Vixel: I actually wanted to link to some comments about how people were calling the critics negative people; I guess I got my links crossed. This is actually a very civil discussion, yay!
This has turned into such a brilliant and fascinating discussion, I’m loving it! Reading everyones’ opinions has been really enlightening!
@ Lucy – I hadn’t thought of it that way but yeah, I guess she has written about as much in-depth information as one can sensibly go into on a blog about most of her main topics.
@ Emily – regarding abandoning her readers, I was starting to think that a while ago myself, then she posted that piece about womens’ jealousy that was definitely a return to form. I just skim-read or entirely skip the more commercial posts (unless there’s a giveaway I want to enter, hehe) but that jealousy post gave me hope that we may see more great content from her yet!
@ Michelle – I think anyone who actively promotes alternative lifestyles as a viable option comes under fire at some point for “encouraging” people to “ruin their lives”! There are always going to be people who think they know best or are scared of anything different.
While I agree that some of the comments Gala received were very rude (and unnecessary), and that nobody should EVER ask another how much they earn, I disagree with how this whole situation has been handled, and think it probably could have been avoided if Gala had exercised more consistency in her beliefs. In the past, she’s tweeted about earning four figures overnight, and echoed similar statements on her personal blog. I can totally understand that she’d be proud of this and want to share it, but I think that if she didn’t want any discussions about HOW she earns such sums to ever arise, she perhaps could have released these feelings in a more private forum. After all, she is a high-profile blogger with a large fan base, and I think it’s only natural that a lot of her readers with similar career aspirations would want to know how she’s achieved what she has, so that they can try to replicate such fortune. After sharing information like that (and being rather forthcoming in almost every other area of her life), I can understand why she’d attract criticism for deleting any questions on her website that relate to her income (even the polite enquiries), and why readers would feel cheated that someone who is usually so open immediately becomes defensive and withdraws when the subject arises.
It’s disappointing, as I used to absolutely LOVE the website, but for me personally, iCiNG has lost its appeal. I’m not resistant to change, and I don’t hold on to any unrealistic ideals that everything should always stay the same forever, but over the past six months it’s become majorly and blatantly advertising-driven, and it’s really rubbed me the wrong way. I understand that Gala has to make a living and respect that, but when pushes to purchase shoes, use discount codes, read horoscopes and snap up podcasts outweigh regular, quality content, there’s a bit of an issue. Or at least, there is for me.
For the record (not that it really matters!), I don’t think that Gala’s lifestyle is funded entirely through her blogging. I understand that she works on a magazine at the moment in addition to iCiNG, which would obviously assist her income, but I believe that she has, at least in the past, had additional work that supports her. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, working part-time or full-time in addition to blogging is a reality for most of us, but I think it would have been more honorable if she had acknowledged it. I feel that the reason the issue has never been discussed by Gala is because much of her notoriety has been achieved through the fairytale that at age 23, she left behind the corporate world to work for herself.
I will always be grateful for the previous inspiration that Gala has provided me, which is why I’ve avoided criticizing her or negatively discussing this topic in the past, but as you handled the topic so fairly and intelligently Vixel, I felt the need to add my two cents.
What I have noticed about iCiNG is how it has become less about the readers and more about Gala herself, what she buys, what people send her for free etc.
Though I continue to ‘read’ her blog (although this usually means skimming over the tons of advertising and clicking through carousel every now and again) because I too hold a faint hope that there will be a return of some actual substance. Though as time goes on it appears more and more that she has simply evolved from the person she was.
And while her finances are no ones business but her own, I too have been curious to know how she manages to fund the lifstyle she appears to lead, as in my head the numbers just don’t add up.
Does anyone know what happened in Canada? Not that its any of my business but I love a good bit of gossip ; )
I’m so happy to see this being discussed, and so cordially! I’ve been dropping off the edge of the icing thing lately. I miss her long articles and real advice on self confidence etc. I’ve always enjoyed those things more than the outfit posts, give-aways and TiLTs (though I do love it as a concept, hers have become less readable and more impersonal). There is a lot of glitz and glamour going on lately, which is totally her choice, but I think that her blog has lost its intergrity in some way. Taking Love & Sequins as an example, it’s fine that she wants to charge, that’s her prerogative, but I feel that it’s pushing me away as a reader. She is definitely forging ahead and I don’t think anyone can deny her her career, but I think it’s alienating some of her readers (which seems clear from this post and its comments).
As for nasty commenters, it’s obviously completely unreasonable, and I cannot understand the tone; however what I can understand is why some people are reacting negatively to her position. In her journey or self-improvement, at one point we were with her, but now it seems as though she has become larger than life and perhaps “left us behind”. I think that some readers feel betrayed.
I’m with the general consensus here: Gala is amazing. iCiNG has helped me out in so many ways, in recent posts (but mostly in older posts). However, I think this is what happens to most bloggers who try to expand their fanbase- they’ll lose old fans in the process of gaining new ones. I don’t think it’s all about numbers for Gala, but her posts are more… “superficial” now…. which entices people looking for style and beauty tips (which everyone Googles, right?). And I agree with Nicola above that she has become this sort of “larger than life” beacon. It’s harder to relate to her now than it used to be.
But the commenters are certainly out of line.
Its easy to understand why some people would become a bit angry about the apparent ’secrecy’ and ‘deception’ around Gala Darling. She doesn’t even attempt to answer these fundamental types of questions in a civil manner.
I suppose I wouldnt mind so much if she at least tried to discuss about her articles with commenters who challenge her views instead of just replying to the positive comments.
@ Sasha – interesting thought about the search results, I believe giveaways and discounts probably work in the same manner.
I’m pleased to see Gala’s still listening to her fans on some matters anyway – she edited the very ill-advised advice about speeding on her 50 Things Every Girl Should Do In Her Lifetime post, mind you I’m not sure that she could have kept it there without angering a lot of people!
Another thing I miss from the old iCiNG: Cupcake mailing list. I looved getting that in my inbox every Thursday. I loved it even better before she started writing stuff about her life. And remember the iCiNG missions and stuff? Those were kind of fun but just disappeared overnight. Same with the iCiNG treats…
Urgh, I’ve been following the drama on cut out and keep but I am not going back there again as I really don’t think I can handle the negativity and accusations any more!!!! It’s so great that there is a levelheaded discussion over here.
I agree that Gala is probably running dry of quality issues to write about, hence the lack of content on iCiNG these days. I’ve thought that for a long time. I first started reading the blog in 2007 and it was just what I was after. It was really unique. I accept that everyone changes and evolves and Gala is no exception. What is sad though, is that people will always try and bring you down, especially if you’re in the limelight.
Some people’s rationale appears to be this:
- Gala reveals so much of her life, therefore it’s suspicious that she’s being cagey about her income.
- It’s not possible for her fund her lifestyle purely through iCiNG, therefore she must be lying and a fake, therefore we are all justified in insulting her personally.
I really don’t get why people care so much. iCiNG used to be a cool blog but all things change. Gala’s obviously changed but what’s wrong with that? At least she’s still trying to direct her energies for good. People have been crapping on about how she “acts happy” all the time, imagine if Gala was negative and whiny on her blog? Part of what iCiNG is about is positivity, and if blogging is her job she has to maintain a professional front.
What is really freaking me out about the Cut out and Keep comments is that some people have obviously expended quite a bit of effort in reading up about Gala and then regurgitating “facts” from her past just to hate on her and prove a point. I really don’t get why you’d bother.
Okay this is quite ranty and poorly written, sorry about that! I’ve just had all these thoughts floating around in my head since this whole thing began!
I started reading iCiNG in December 2008, and honestly, discovering her blog helped me through some tough times, even if it was her older material that I could relate to. Lately, I have felt the same way as other iCiNG fans. Her articles now have an air of pretentiousness that was not there before.
Recently, I tried to contact her directly to no avail. I asked her if she was still a raw vegan, considering she blogs about eating poutine in Canada (THE HARDEST thing for me to give up when I went veg), eating burger and chicken burgers, etc. It was a fair question, I was not judging her in any way. I never heard a response. Obviously she gets a lot of mail, but considering she makes her money from communicating with others online (supposedly), you would think she would have sent me a quick response to my question.
I think that it would be wise for her to address some of this growing anomosity towards her blog, otherwise it will only get worse, and people will resent her more. Address it and get it over with so we can get back to some good reads!
*finished my 2 cents)
The thing is, maybe she feels adressing it is unnessicery since most of it is directed outside her blog and probably assumes most people don’t know about it? Therefore it might just be adding more fuel to the fire.
Personally I wish she would. I wish she would acknowledge icing has changed and that there is a severe drought of actual content. Also I realised her Advertising page now features pride of presidence on her menu and in that section it says: Fresh content whipped up daily.
The girls gone longer without posting recently than she ever has before. And even then that’s just amended with a tilt or what i wore. I remember a few months ago people commented on this in her blog when all she was posting was ‘what i wore’ posts meerly a week apart. Then she came out with a kickarse article and everyone was happy to have her ‘back’.
Personal opinion again, but i would like to see her point out she has covered a wild range of topics in great details and that she can either re-hash them or not. I also presume and wonder if these old articles are going to end up in her ‘book’ she’s working on?
It’s a double edged celebrity sword. On the one hand they need the papparazzi and on the other they want privacy. On the one had she blogs constantly about herself and her travels and adventures that come across as candied and that she is treating icing as a personal blog, then on the other she doesn’t want to answer the personal comments. And I think asking if she is still RAW or not is a fair one. It was her miracle amazing fabulous discovery at one point she talked non stop about.
Again, you put yourself out there, i think some critism in this case is deserved, and only purely because she has a great potential i think a lot of people would like to see return to the content pages.
I agree with you Ashley and Lucy, I would love to see her adress these questions. But I must also add that I disagree that most of these issues are directed outside her blog, there have been questions raised in the comments section, only to be deleted. As a result, people have become angry and resorted to posting rude and sometimes abusive posts, which of course also get deleted.
It is strange that while writing (and her blog) is what her career evolves around, which should inevitably involve communicating with people, she seems reluctant to get involved with discussion and any realy communication with her audience.
@ Julie – I’d forgotten about the mailing list! I really miss that too, particularly all the cute little touches such as the fortune cookie messages.
@ Mimi – Yes! All the effort people have exerted trying to discredit her, it does seem really over the top!
Another thing I found a little off was the person from her past who’s been going around lots of websites leaving messages about how she’s such a fraud. I can understand readers who feel they’ve been deceived being annoyed, but someone who went to school with her, found her blog and decided to go on an Internet-wide vendetta? That’s quite a grudge!
@ Ashley, Lucy and Nerys – I must agree, at first when people were just being rude, I didn’t think she owed anyone an explanation. Now that concerns have been raised and discussed properly by fans and non-fans alike I think she needs to acknowledge it too. The very fact that this conversation, on a tiny insignificant blog with a miniscule hit-count compared to sites like Gala’s can go on this long is testament to the fact that, even if there is absolutely nothing untoward about any of Gala’s finances or anything else, she at least needs to reassure people of that.
I’m glad their’s a discussion here. I want no part of that hate fest over at cut out and keep!
[...] & Mace & this, the article from Cut Out + Keep that’s sparked the recent debate, Vixel’s take on it at Sparkle & Glitter & also [...]
(Hopefully I’m not being redundant here!)
What I think bothers most people is that Gala Darling is “selling” us a product that isn’t the same quality as it used to be. She’s still making money off of us visiting her site (with ads and her podcasts), but what are we getting out of it? I think that is what frustrates me most.
I don’t visit her blog after I commented (many, many months ago) about how I felt like she was posting an awful lot about consumerism (and pricey consumerism, at that) and that I missed her old content. She responded, “Sorry you feel that way, I’m trying my best!” That flippant response really did it for me, since she is clearly not putting the same level of effort into blogging.
I don’t make money from blogging; I don’t have ads. In fact I spent a neat little sum of money to get my domain name. It’s a hobby for me. For Gala (and others similar to her) blogging is her business. And it’s a business I no longer support.
[...] loved hearing other peoples take on Gala and the matter at hand and Vixel’s articles on constructive questioning and copycat accusations have provided a perfect place for discussion. I know I’m not the only [...]
Oh dear, did you see the most recent controversy about Gala Darling? Non-Icing readers on China Shop are complaining about the quality of her writing and comments being deleted. Gala replied by blaming her editor??? http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/08/necklush/
I am losing respect for her. I think she is acting unprofessionally by not addressing our concerns.
Rina – I’ve been following it all with complete fascination and I’ll be really interested to see what happens with her Chinashop gig – surely as a professional online publication they’ll do *something* to address the comments, even if Gala herself doesn’t!