Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Risko business: Melbourne's mod bloggers face off against the h8ers


circa now

Did we say that a new genre of model blog is emerging... one in which models play dressups and pose for their own cameras? Yes, I believe we did - last night. Well already comes the news of two more model style blogs (tks Emma for the tip). Intriguingly, both are also Australian. And coincidentally, the model authors behind the blogs - SRC783 and Circa Now – are not only both 21, Melbourne-based and good mates, they share something else in common with outgoing Sydney mod Alexandra Spencer, whose 4th and Bleeker blog we profiled yesterday. At 5'7", both are very small in mainstream modelling terms. Kate Moss notwithstanding - and Moss is a rare exception to this rule - any 5'7" models would be shut out of runway contention and no doubt a lot of other work.

SRC783 is written by Christina Dietz (pictured left, above), aka "Risko", who is repped by Scene Models in Melbourne.

Circa Now is written by Tessa-Jay Slight (right) who is repped by, wait for it, Melbourne’s Giant Management.

Slight appears to be more of an introvert than Dietz, with her blog largely filled with fashion images depicting other models – or else cropped images of herself.

In addition to test shots, Dietz, on the other hand, has posted a plethora of what appear to be autoportraits in her own outfits, with some outfits/accessories apparently made by her.

And either her outfits, or her moxie, appear to have gotten up the noses of some of her readers, who left over 80 comments on one recent post called “night cats”, a large percentage of them unflattering.





src783

In the 'night cats' post, Dietz posed in a leopard-print top, skinny pants, laceup boots and a cowboy hat, with a cigarette in hand (above).

But it wasn’t the anti-smoking lobby that took issue with the image.

Here is a selection of hilariously snarky comments:

“your blog is so shit, it is just an excuse for you to take photos of yourself and could not be more unoriginal. so what you have an obsession with a top - great blogging. real inspirational”.

“poor girl she has a fat bum and is with the worst agency in melb, half of her modelling shots are by photographers who shes helped with theyre folios shes a gaybo she has a pretty face but risko disko will never be a real model”

“you try way too hard. stop trying to be alternative. You'll always be just an over-tanned, blonde private school girl with no substance”.

“i agree, i know this girl and she is a five foot tall wanna be model whose photos all consist of test shots”

“christina dietze is a loser ok she models for scene the gayest modelling agency in melbourne i know her and she is an absolute c*** and basically if you have a camera or know someone cool she will befriend you! her bottom is massive also”

The vitriol prompted buddy Slight to fire off a “Lay Off” post and warn the “cyber bullies” that Blogger has been alerted and that their “IP addresses will be traced”.

Unless there were some rather more serious threats etc that have yet to see the light of day, best of luck with that guys.

Props to Dietz for having the guts to clear the comments. Like so many other bloggers who face malicious personal attacks such as this, she could simply have buried them. The comments are ludicrously juvenile however, and hugely entertaining, and anyone reading them laughs not at Dietz, but the twits who made them.

Dietz would do well to take on board the fact that two very high profile international fashion bloggers, Rumi Neely from Fashion Toast (who is heading to next month's Air New Zealand Fashion Week) and Susie Lau aka Susie Bubble, continue to cop their share of similar comments - and run them. In interviews, Lau has even spoken about negative comments prompting her at one stage to consider giving up blogging.

It's hard to put one's finger on exactly what it is about these personal style blogs that prompts so much unprovoked vitriol from some readers.

It's almost as if ordinary women standing up and feeling confident about themselves and their own sense of style is just a little too much for some people.

19 comments:

Isaac Likes said...

Kudos to Dietz.

Those are some seriously rough calls.

Anonymous said...

Measure it in inches christina! look at the publicity you are getting :)

There's nothing more unattractive than jealous people. rise above it!

Imelda Matt - The Despotic Queen of Shoes said...

What I've always found interesting is that when the roles are reversed and it's a guy 'authoring' a style blog, the negative commentary (relating to style pics) is nonexistent.

It's a tough gig putting your life (and style) out there for the world to judge. Whilst style blogs aren't to my taste, I'll always tip my taser heels to girls (and the odd guy) that are brave (or is it brazen) enough to do what I wouldn't.

A Colourful Guy Drowning said...

Well, if these young women want to give an audience to cyberbullies, more power to them.

Personally, I don't do so on my own blog, as I see no need for it. I figure that if these anonymous cowards don't have the decency and courage to openly identify themselves to me, then I'm certainly not going to give them a platform on which they can abuse me, without fear of retaliation that is. They can go start their own if they wish to engage in such cowardly behavior.

As far as IP tracing via Blogspot goes, there are ways to do it that don't involve contacting Google staff. I've successfully done it and was quite pleased with the results. ;)

If you ever need help with that sort of thing, Patty, just give me a shout.

Style On Track said...

Its funny, the difference between the attacks on Rumi as apposed to Christina is that the people seem to be genuinely jealous of Rumi's success, where as the people leaving comments on Christina's website seem to know or have met her personally and not liked her one bit ??

CA said...

As much as is sucks to bait the trolls and draw attention to their horseshit, sometimes it helps? It at least makes you feel like you are doing something about the problem.
People suck.
these girls are very pretty and people hate pretty girls. Shit, i hate pretty girls but i don't get all heathers on their blogs.

NIGEL NO TRENDS said...

Poor girls? I dunno. Once you put yourself out there on a blog it's open season. If something is not to taste you'll be told so. Maybe they need some cues from Style Rookie's Tavi or Susie Bubble. Or me! No, I don't put compromising pics of myself on my blog, just my dating profile.

Miann - Fashion Falsehood said...

Blogging is such a public forum so what can you expect when you combine physical beauty, confidence and a comment box?

Zanita said...

Agreeing with Isaac, I'm thinking that dietz certainly responded with a mature course of action in dealing with these naysayers - that being said, negative comments on blogs usually stimulate good conversation on comment rolls. Most blog readers will return to a site to maintain a defense against the rubbish that bored and immature people will spiel. Controversy isn't so forgettable as the same old fashion blog drivel.

Zanita said...

Agreeing with Isaac, I'm thinking that dietz certainly responded with a mature course of action in dealing with these naysayers - that being said, negative comments on blogs usually stimulate good conversation on comment rolls. Most blog readers will return to a site to maintain a defense against the rubbish that bored and immature people will spiel. Controversy isn't so forgettable as the same old fashion blog drivel.

Zanita said...

This being said, ive had a couple negative comments and im certainly not immune to the sting. stuff them.

Unknown said...

What annoys me while reading the comments on their blog is that people who have nothing good to say just had a go and blurt out nasty S*^t to their hearts desire. My point is that, why do they go and read a blog when they don't even like the blogger? Insecurity much? tsk tsk.

H+L said...

Not that it's a big deal but it's actually Tessa Jay.

Aside from that, I have personally known Chrissy and have had the conversation with people as to weather she has willingly left the comments to create hype around her blog, or if she just can't be f***** deleting them. Either way hopefully they were taken with a grain of salt as her success will outweigh all the anons success!

I do think he blog has a long way to go in regards to giving the readers what they want etc.

H+L said...

my bad, i thought it said Jane!

Patty Huntington said...

no no it did originally say tessa-jane - i corrected it. slipped my attention when posting. thanks for pointing it out.

A Colourful Guy Drowning said...

@Fashion Doohickey That's some peoples idea of fun; another reason I refuse to give them a platform.

L said...

I really don't get the motivation behind troll or whatever you woul dlike to call them. If i don't like something/someone, I just don't read. Or don't comment. It isnt that hard. It is pretty sad that people do it for fun.

Unknown said...

Patty, not sure if you're aware but Dietze's sister is a finalist in the Sportsgirl super stylist competition. So Dietze must have style in her genes, despite what the nasty anons say! One of 5 picked from around Aus, along with what I can tell is a few trained stylists and another model from Scene! The judges are pretty high profile stylists as far as I remember from the entry forms, Mark Vassallo etc. Beth

Anonymous said...

yeah she was a finalist (dietze's sister) but from i have also read, the sisters just so happened to be friends with a judge...coincidence? i didnt find her styling photos all that great to be honest, i saw much much better. but oh well, not the point

some people have made incredibly cruel personal comments on these girls blogs which are about 'fashion' not their personalities. people take the blogging world far too seriously. if you dont like a blog/person, move on. so simple

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