I suppose since it is t-minus five days to BlogHer 2008 I should start writing about what I am speaking about there: childless blogging.
Do you consider me a "childless blogger"? 98 percent of my blog posts don't mention being childless, but you KNOW I am a barren old spinster, right?
The main reason that I wanted to go be on the childless blogger panel was to make our presence known as a force to be reckoned with.
Mommybloggers came roaring out of BlogHer 06 and set the internets on fire. Two years later, I feel like it is time for those of us who don't have children to have our coming-out party.
Marketers love to talk to mothers because mothers buy a lot of stuff. But so do I - it is just different stuff. I am totally in charge of my household's income. I'm not rich but my own solo income is higher than the average U.S. family income, and every penny of that is subject to MY whims, MY desires.
And it's not like I don't buy for other people. Just because I'm not legally bound to other people doesn't mean they don't need stuff from me. Some months I can't get anything done for all the baby showers, birthday parties, weddings yadayadayada. You know where I'll be - wandering the aisles of Target with a glazed look in my eye.
Though generally, I have time to consider my purchases carefully. I don't have so many family obligations, so when I make large purchases, I can spend hours shopping or reading reviews before I decide what to do.
What I really want, of course, is for corporations to compensate me for my childless expertise. (Yes, I am turning "barren nutball spinsterhood" into "childless expertise." Just like that.)
Here's the plan: Invite me to your headquarters. Ask my opinion - I have plenty and anyone who bothers to read Red Stapler knows I am not afraid to fling them. Show me around. And then give me free stuff. Is that too much to ask?
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24 comments:
Somehow I'd never thought of "childless bloggers" but, you know, now that you mention it. :)
I don't have children either and am not legally bound to anyone else.
I don't care about the stuff and have no interest in being in any marketing demographic.. but not being invisible in general would be a good beginning.
Out of curiosity, do you consider "childless" and "child-free" to be the same thing? I guess for marketing purposes they're the same, or at least very similar.
@assertagirl - I avoid the term "childfree" because the sites I have seen labeled as such seem to contain so much snarky/mean/anti-parent content.
I think if you have a dog, that makes you a parent! You care-for, feed, bathe (hopefully), love and worry about your dog right? I consider you a mom! You rock Suebob!!
Hugs!! :)
I am so glad that you are on this panel and that it even exists! When the volunteer commmitte asked me what panels I wanted to audio record, I picked this as one of them! I cannot wait to hear what you have to say because I too am a childless blogger who wants a coming out party! ;)
You know what's weird? I don't think of anybody, including myself, as a "Mommyblogger". I just don't characterize bloggers that way and never have.
You write well, you're entertaining, you often broach interesting and relevant topics...
So I read. Period.
You know what I think? If it weren't for marketing, NONE of us, bloggers, Moms, parents...whomever...would be crammed into these little boxes. Marketers need to know where we fit. But do we really need pigeonhole each other? I think not. I think on our own we realize that women these days are so incredibly multifaceted.
It's not us. It's the marketers. Yet another reason to put them right at the very top of my shitlist.
Sorry about the epic comment. (sheepish grin)
I am surprised to see you identify your child-less status with respect to how marketer's see and relate to you. You are so much more. As the last post noted, marketer's pigeonhole you to expedite the process by which to convince you to purchase something from them. My husband and I are child-less by choice for many different reasons -- but if this puts me into a troublesome and not so easy to target category for those wanting to sell me crap, well now I have found another upside to not having children.
This isn't all I have to say about being childless. I was being a bit tongue in cheek.
Be careful what you wish for, my friend. Getting 2 frillion stupid PR pitches and "Hey! We're selling this stuff and it's so great so why don't you write about it for us for zero compensation" emails a week isn't nearly as glamorous as it sounds.
But if I was still going I'd totally attend your panel :)
I would give you free stuff! Want a lollipop? Sorry, 'sall I got.
You absolutely need free stuff. Careful, though, you just opened yourself to every blog pitch out there known to man. "chocolate-covered dildos" anyone?
T.
*T has no idea if these actually exist, she was being facetious.
Well, I'm not even really blogging anymore, but I had to chime in.
You write about your life, and that's what I love about your blog...that it's not tucked neatly inside any box but your very own.
I'll be attending your panel. I might even ask a question.
Stupid question here.
My browser shows that I can get a RSS feed for your comments, but not for your blog.
Could that be true? Why? I've found you through Angela (FP) and would like to get your goods for a looksee.
Unfortunately, my headquarters are my house and the only swag I have to offer is in the form of two kids under the age of 7.
If, however, I ever go corporate, you'll be at the top of the list.
Just rub it in again that you get to go to Blogher why don't you!! So jealous. If I were going and I were a marketer, I would totally give you free stuff.
There should be a niche for childless bloggers.
May have to yell over the loud din of mommy bloggers with kids.
Sometimes I *wish* I were a childless blogger.
If I were going, I would certainly attend your panel, too. You make an excellent point! Being childless (it wasn't really my choice... we tried) is next to being invisible in many places. In many neighborhoods, both physical and virtual. I finally found an "over-fifty" blog and was excited until I realized you have to be both "over fifty" and "a mom" to participate. What about those who are over fifty and never had children?
Do we need a group? I don't know. It's just nice to know is someone out there recognizing us. Thank you.
I love this post. Having been childless for so, so long, I can totally relate.
Even now that I'm not childless.
You talking about all your money (and time!) subject to your whims made me a leetle nostalgic.
As far as I'm concerned, the blogospher can use MORE childless writers. I love kids, but I like the diversity of all lifestyles.
Amen Sueb0b!
Fun to read this and all the comments here SueBob. Looking forward to meeting you and having our little coming out party.
I wrote an epic piece about what we call ourselves, we women without children. Those who haven't thought about it yet are just single women, eh?
I think childless often conjures pitty. I think child-free is negative, but childfree is more accurate, especially in an Internet based world where mindless alogorithims try to put up ads based on the first half of hyphenated words. Too bad you cannot hear the missing hyphen.
Are you tracking? I bypassed all this by creating the term: Purple Woman (not even my favorite color).
Maybe we should just call ourselves "Spendsters"? Sounds a lot better than spinster.
You make some very good points. I wrote a post about the same topic on Friday. I'm planning on doing something for people with disposable income who don't want to run out and buy everything Graco has to offer.
The upside of childless blogging is you don't get called a (*shudder*) "mommyblogger." I hardly ever write about my children or about parenting, and yet apparently the only important thing about me is that I am a MOTHER. I dislike that intensely. Childless bloggers are writers; child-having bloggers are mommybloggers.
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