Do you remember back in the early 90’s when supermodels ruled the Earth, and Linda Evangelista said that she and Christy Turlington didn’t wake up in the morning for under $10,000…
THE STORY
…No? Well, that actually happened. In any case, I had to write an email to a company the other day, and I kind of felt like Linda Evangelista when I did it. The company in question is on foreign soil and one that I have worked with now for a few years. As any of us who blog know, when you are first starting out the initial collaborations often pay little (or nothing), but because we are new to the game and need to get some traction we sometimes take the work.
As we gain in experience as well as in followers, what we can charge (either in product or cash) per post increases…as it should. I don’t know about other bloggers, but for me, the time to put together a post including taking/editing photos and writing/organizing the post takes about 4 hours per post. When the post includes an item for review (or a wishlist) it takes even longer. I take a great deal of pride in the content that I produce and a lot of work and love goes into it. Even though my blog is a hobby and not how I make a living, the work that I do for it has value. My time is valuable. Therefore, if I am producing content for a company, I expect my work and my time to be valued. Unfortunately, with this particular company that was not (and most likely would never be) the case.
What they were compensating me broke down to a little less than 1/3 of what any other company compensates me per post. When I then broke it down to an hourly rate it came to about $4.25 per hour…the minimum wage in PA is $7.25 per hour…no bueno my friends. Therefore, I had to pull a Linda and tell them that while I appreciated our past collaborating I was not willing to work for any less than my minimum. I was not waking up in the morning for less than my going rate. Not for them, not for anyone. They were seriously undervaluing my hard work, and I respectfully told them so.
Ladies, never ever allow someone to undervalue you. Your time, talent and energy is worth every single penny that you charge. And I’m not only talking about blogging; I’m talking about life. You are worth being treated well and with respect. Your work, no matter what it is that you do, is of value. You are worth being loved. You are worth being valued for the unique human that you are. And if you find yourself in a situation that’s not worth getting out of bed for, then make your voice be heard. It might be difficult, but stand up for yourself. It isn’t arrogance to recognize your own value. If you don’t see it yourself, how is anyone else supposed to?
THE OUTFIT
When I went on my lace up sweatshirt binge at JCPenney, I also snapped up two of these side-tie velour sweatshirts on the super cheap (and they are currently under $15!) as well. I could not be happier that velour (and chenille) are making a comeback. Both are so soft and cozy to wear once the temperatures drop. This velour sweatshirt has the added bonus of the cute little side tie detail that makes it a little different from your average velour sweatshirt.
I paired it with my midi length pencil skirt and harness ankle boots since I was wearing it to work, but it works equally as well with a pair of jeans and sneakers. One of these days I’ll have to surprise you all and wear a pencil skirt with pumps and blouse or sweater just to keep ya guessing. It was finally a tad nippy outside so a light top layer was required and my lace up denim jacket was the perfect finishing piece.
THE TIP
It is true that ankle boots (especially with socks peeking out) paired with a midi length skirt can visually cut you off (especially if you are vertically challenged like myself). But here’s the thing, sometimes a girl just wants to wear what a girl wants to wear…visual aesthetics be damned. I happen to love my harness ankle boots with my midi pencil skirt. I don’t know why, nor does it matter. All that matters is that I feel all kinds of fabulous wearing it.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Top: JCPenney; Skirt: Nordstrom (Similar); Boots: Target (Similar)
