musings

I was going to share a roundup of outfit photos that have been taking over my camera roll, but I was derailed by something else this week. If you’re active on Substack, particularly the Substack app (my preferred way to consume newsletter content – try it if you haven’t yet!), you may have noticed some discourse recently. It all started with this post from Emily Sundberg, which essentially posed the question “who on this platform deserves to call themselves writers?”

I like Emily’s publication. I was gifted a free month and the only reason I didn’t continue with a paid sub is that I couldn’t keep up with the amount of content. It’s smart, well researched, and different from what else is out there. But her piece left me feeling not so great.

I started this newsletter last year for fun. I like to shop, most of the women I know like to shop, and I get asked for a lot of recommendations. I’m not an expert, I just have an opinion. I’m also not calling myself a writer, just a girl who likes to post silly little outfit photos. In the words of Kim Kardashian...can I live?

Now, I agree that a round up of links or pics may not feel worth a paid subscription. That’s one of the reasons you’ll probably never see me charging for subscriptions (though to those of you have pledged a paid sub, I cherish you). But Substack is a business, just like anything else. The platform prioritizes those who have a paid tier – because they get a cut! Plenty of writers (or content creators, if that term offends you less) have brought their audiences over to Substack from other platforms. Those audiences, in many cases, have taken years to build. If they want to charge for their content, then that’s their call – just like it’s mine or yours to decide whether that’s something we want to pay for.

Personally, I don’t mind paying for some content. I’ve been a paying subscriber to The Cut (and its sister publications) for years. I upgraded to a paid subscription to one of my favorite podcasts when they left their network last year. And I have paid subscriptions to a handful of Substacks that I regularly cull through. And while I have no intention of turning on my own paid tier, I don’t think I deserve to feel bad just for sharing what I enjoy. That’s part of the fun of a new platform, there’s room for everyone. Remember when Instagram first launched and we were all posting sepia toned photos with old timey borders?

Anyway, that’s what’s on my mind this week, and why you’ll have to wait til next time for those silly little outfit photos. In the meantime, read what you like! And be nice, if you can manage it. Or just unsubscribe.