What Irks Me About Lifestyle Blogs

I can’t be the first blogger to notice that lifestyle blogs seem to follow a similar trend found in reality television, peddling their audience trite illusions. It is unattainable reality masqueraded as substance, in short: garbage in a pretty bow. Enough with the weekly sponsorship dumps that drown out any actual content. But the question that begs to be asked is this: are bloggers of the “lifestyle category” telling their story or rewriting it? How does one walk the line between oversharing and not distorting the truth, even when that truth doesn't make for a compelling story?  

For a long time now I have followed big blogs and wistfully wished I too could have those pretty clothes, live that awesome life of travel or quaint country simplicity. But it never satisfies me, inspires me or makes me feel empowered even though I try to tell myself it does. I wish, just once, these bloggers would come down from their lofty towers and be real with their readers. That doesn’t mean exposing the gory details of their life but at least acknowledging the path that brought them to where they stand. Or how about just giving a nod to their readership, you know, the people who make their lifestyle blog…well…livable.