1. I’m a bit of a control freak so I don’t accept “guest” posts. It’s important to me that I am able to personally vouch for the products that are reviewed on Frocks and Frou Frou, and unless I’ve had first-hand experience with your company I can’t do that.
2. Frocks and Frou Frou is a body-positive space. It’s about learning to be comfortable in your own skin, not about trying to be something other than what you are. If you deal in weightloss products, slimming products or shapewear I’m not interested.
3. Frocks and Frou Frou is an inclusive space. I started blogging because as a size 16-18 in Australia I couldn’t find anything to wear in my local stores so I had to start getting more creative in how I shopped. Not all of my readers are plus-sized, and not everything I wear will fit the full spectrum of my readers, but if your brand’s largest size is a 14 or less there are other blogs out there better suited to you.
4. I’m not going to promote straight sized companies simply because you tell me you’re thinking of doing larger sizes in the future. I wholeheartedly encourage you to broaden your size range now, and I’ll be there with my pompoms when you do.
5. I’m happy to run competitions and giveaways, but if they come with clauses like “your readers need to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and email five friends with our website” then no. Frocks and Frou Frou is not a pyramid scheme.
6. At the present time I don’t offer paid advertising. This might change in the future (in fact, it’s quite likely to) but the rules above will still apply: I need to be able to vouch for your brand, it needs to adhere to my standards of inclusivity and body positivity, and absolutely no weightloss products.
Thank you for your consideration,
Lilli
Well said!
Well said Lilli! The sheer gall of some marketers who don’t bother to research what the blog/magazine/website is about astounds me.
Bravo! Thank you for your integrity and for a wonderful blog that I truly look forward to reading 🙂
Yes well said. I would have directly quoted “can you get a skinny friend” but then I am being a hormonal cow today.
Dani
Perfect! Too often I Unfollow blogs because they’ll review anything! I love that you have principles.
You go girl! My sentiments exactly…especially the part about the competitions. Following and liking and tweeting and sending smoke signals from the face of the sun is the biggest turn off.
I really admire your positivity and straight-forwardness (is the last one even a real word? I don’t know, I’m german). I’m following you for a good while now, and I’m delighted every time that one of your posts appears in my GoogleReader.
Keep up your impressing work (and excuse my poor english),
Hugs from Berlin,
Liz
So pleased by your integrity. I too avoid the pyramid competitions and designers that insist a size 14-16 is plus size.
Great guidlines. This is one of the reasons why this is one of the only fashion blogs I read. 🙂
Me too!
Agreed!
That is well said ! Stay as you are. Your words are positive and all what you wrote or write will help me to be positive for a new day.
Thanks a lot !
Sorry for my English coming from over the seas …
That’s why I like your blog so much! I don’t miss advertisement on your blog, but whenver you feel you need them (which I could totally understand) I will be happy to see only those brands who offer a broad size range. For me it is something difficult to find something, too. I am in between straight and plus sizes and often feel that I am too curvy for fashion in straight size and not curvy enough to wear plus size.
You are absolutely adorable and I’m a grateful blog reader!
Nice one. I so enjoy your space and reading your posts. Keep being true to you.
Go girl! Perfect guidelines. I agree 100%. My particular bugbear is when people insist on Facebook likes to enter a giveaway. I would never even consider entering for something that insists I do anything (I too am a control freak!).
O soo well said Lili … I read your blog religiously and love your honesty and style. Your blog has introduced me to a whole new way of thinking about clothes and fashion and has had really positive influence on my sense of self worth. Advertising has such a lot to answer for in the way it tries to manipulate our values and body image. I have stopped buying fashion mags because you and select few do a much better job of helping me decide where to spend my hard to come by $$ . Keep the bastards honest ! Xxxx
I love this point:
” I’m happy to run competitions and giveaways, but if they come with clauses like “your readers need to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and email five friends with our website” then no. Frocks and Frou Frou is not a pyramid scheme.”
I do not have face book and will not have, i tried twitter, but it’s not the form of communication I like, so I deleted my account 😉
Great guidelines! And well done for saying this – hope advertisers and companies are listening 🙂
Love this!!! =)
I adore your blog, I think it’s great to see a larger girl still care about how she dresses, and your style is just smashing!!!!! I always cringe when I see larger gals who have SO much potential (without losing an ounce) running around in ill fitting sweatpants and t-shirts.
Don’t ever lower your standards! And I love all your DIY posts!!!!
<3 Jules (from the US)
Alas jules, ugly clothing is a scourge, which does not discriminate on the basis of size. Thin, large and every person in between.
Forever side-eyeing this comment. While I agree about the general awesomeness of this blog and Lilli’s style, the fact that you “cringe” at the sight of “lost potential” is real douchey and saying so is even more. Fortunately Lilli doesn’t police other people’s clothing choices which is one of the reasons why I’m happy to read this blog.
Awesome guidelines, by the way.
Hurrah for having standards and sticking to them! It’s not just your great fashion sense that makes me eager to read every post; it’s also that your unapologetic self-confidence and principles. Being outside the standard range of sizes in RTW clothing does not mean one can’t look terrific and stylish.
Thanks for giving fashion blogging a model to follow. Your potential advertisers should know that I have bought items via your links before and will likely do so again precisely because I’m aware of your standards for quality and for service. It gives me confidence in online retailers and custom clothing via Etsy when I know that you have been happy with your purchases. Thank you!!!!
Well said!
I just wanted to say ‘well done’ Lili! I’ve been a long-time loiterer on your blog but felt this was a great opportunity to thank you for the great work you do here. In a cyber-space where so many curvy beauties are blogging their self-loathing and weight loss efforts I am genuinely glad that you are here, busily and faithfully posting ‘positivity’, leading by example and encouraging us all to be more; more kind to ourselves, more proud of what we have and more happy in our own skin(s). A very loud and appreciative round of applause to you!
“5. I’m happy to run competitions and giveaways, but if they come with clauses like “your readers need to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and email five friends with our website” then no. Frocks and Frou Frou is not a pyramid scheme.”
I don’t know you, nor have anything in common with you, but for this I totally respect you. X
A resounding HURRAH!!!!
Yes! It is so refreshing to read a blog motivated by genuine passion that refuses to cave into the product placement freebie-blog culture. Nothing more depressing than good blogs doing away with honest and enthusiastic writing and become an endless parade of media event recaps – aka advertorials. Good on you for keeping your blog in line with your personal values! (Oh and of course perpetual kudos for killer smile & exquisite style!)
Thanks for watching out for us Lilli 🙂
1. I’m a bit of a control freak so I don’t accept “guest” posts. It’s important to me that I am able to personally vouch for the products that are reviewed on Frocks and Frou Frou, and unless I’ve had first-hand experience with your company I can’t do that.
^^ This!!
I read blogs because I like reading what the blog owner has written, if I wanted to read the guest poster, I would follow their blog!
I agree with all of your other points too! It seems to me that too many of the current ‘bloggers’ are just advertisers of various companies goods, writing gushing reviews paid for with ‘freebies’ or test products and not, as you are lead to believe, normal people using the products in everyday life. A fact they don’t publish is that companies send out this stuff on the understanding that a (positive) review is written!
I’m sick of the disclaimer ‘I received no payment other than XYZ product, all opinions are my own’ and I can’t think of the last time I saw a post reviewing a product and the blogger not recommending it!
Oops sorry, rant over 😉
You are amazing!!!’