How Do You Like To Be Talked To?

There is a trend in decor blogs to write snappy and sassy monologues. It reminds me of the old days of the first famous gossip columnists Hedda Hopper, Louella Parsons, and Walter Winchell.

Louella Parsons with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball

Is the pretend voice of the blogger, the way they really talk? Decorno was the original fresh mouth trash talking cool girl. I never met her, but I heard her on the radio and I saw photos of her, and she didn't speak the way she wrote, or look like the cool hipster she portrayed on her blog.

Elaine Miller who was Decorno

Since the demise of Decorno (whose blog was great), there are a whole slew of girls trying to be snappy, savvy, and snarky. Some swear alot.

And decor blog speak is spilling over into the online decor magazines like Lonny, and the eagerly awaited Rue Magazine. Both are written by lovely talented people, and I am sure they do not greet one another saying: Hello, lovely! How smashing to see you! Do we need more than the fantasy of pretty decor pictures to satisfy our hum drum lives? Do we also need copy that reads like a knock off of Carrie Bradshaw?

Rue Magazine coming in September

Oh the use of cute endearments to address the reader! Hello darlings, sweeties, noodles, lovelies, little monsters, dweebs, etc. How did this get so popular and necessary?

Hab.........ly J'dore! Trademarked of course!

The third person blogs are strange and disconnecting, you know when the person refers to themselves in the third person. Like: The Vamp j'dores X Y M.., xo xo.

And the uber gay chat is another voice, all winky winky, smirky sly smiles.

Bobby Trendy talks in the third person
Painting by Paul Richmond

Or the "professional" girl-speak, aligning oneself with magazine worthy editors and designers in hopes that their light will polish a thin veneer of pretend posing.

So chic! Hermes throw! Elle Decor! Domino! House Beautiful!

We cannot forget the educated voices either, erudite and knowing, using words like whilst and yonder, and always wearing a liberal arts education on the proverbial unravelled sleeve.

Wearing your education for all to see

Or fairie tale speak. Everything in fairie tale speak is very very romantic.

So romantic - just like a fairie tale!

I have met some bloggers who have a distinct blog voice manufactured for the gentle reader, and they do not talk like this in person. No swearing, no wisecracks, no sugary endearments, no posing to be super smart or chic or famous. Just nice intelligent-lovely-interesting-talented people with a lovely way of expressing themselves.

Walter Winchell had the original gossip girl voice

I guess having a manufactured blog voice is a way to be entertaining, or to have a rich fantasy life. And there are some blogs that are send-ups and written as fiction by fictional authors. These don't count along with the blogs I am thinking of, since they are clearly a work of pretend. I'm talking about real people blogging about their lives in unreal voices.

Lady Blah Blah
Here

Do we need to blog in a perceived voice of a magazine writer or TV personality, or whatever voice we think of as being snappy repartee?

Louella Parsons surrounded by Hollywood stars

I have struggled with finding my "blog voice". I swear in real life. I'm a New Yorker of a certain era when it was part of the lexicon. And my mother swore like a sailor. Yet when I blog using the F swear word, it falls flat, and certain anon stalkers call me out on it, saying I'm too old to swear and trying too hard, to be what, fucking cool?

I try to talk to you as I am. And to use spell check. And to have some semblance of grammar. And to honestly say what I mean.

I think it must be exhausting to constantly write in decor blog speak. And it certainly gets tiresome to read it. And I don't like it magazines either. The first few reads are fun and entertaining, but then it gets a bit empty.

Hedda Hopper

If you write in a special voice for your blog, why did you choose to do it? Is it a burden to keep it up, or is it easier and fun to write in a voice different than your own.

And readers, how do you like to be talked to?

Posted in: Think