A thinking girl's post...

I found myself regaling the cautionary news tale of 'Austerity Mum'; the blogger whose cover was blown and whose corporate husband was reported to be 'acutely embarassed' by the disclosures his wife had made on her blog. Admittedly the topic of personal finance is always a touchy one, recession or no recession. Of all of the observations I have ever made about blogging, one is that in general, as a pastime blogging seems to apply to the more privileged echelons of society. Case in point; you have to have a computer and some free time to do it. But what was it that so riled people about 'Austerity Mum'? I can't even imagine the vitriol being penned on 'Mumsnet'. I feel saddened that 'Austerity Mum' had to delete her blogging presence, not that I ever even read her blog, but I sense that if for some reason I had to delete mine, it would be with great sadness.

I also leads me to think - would anyone be acutely embarrassed by my disclosures here? I remain anonymous on most fronts, I try to be sincere and authentic. I think before I write. But is blogging somehow a lapse in judgement? I know some bloggers have told me that they would like to blog in complete anonymity so that they could really go to town on what they feel. I get that vibe...but ultimately, for me the best blogs are the ones where there is a real and genuine person behind it.

Every now and then I forget how much I have told you about myself. I go back and read old posts and realise that in fact I am like an open book at times, spilling my feelings as if the route from keyboard to screen to worldwide Internet is just a hop, skip and jump from my innermost thoughts.

What news stories like this remind me of is that blogging is still considered a quirk; something that bored women do to fill their days. Another case in point, Mary who writes Mary Loves told how her husband's friend, on hearing of her blog, commented that she needed to get a hobby. This made me cross! Maybe deep down in me there is this feminist sensibility that feels that being down on women who blog was a bit like being down on women who wrote in the 19th century. George Eliot used a male pseudonym as she would never have been published as her female self. Can you imagine that now? Errr, this is starting to feel like an essay I would have written at University!

In summary I sense that the interrelationship between blogging, money and feminism may be slightly too weighty a topic for a Wednesday morning, so I will say only this. It's a shame that blogging gets people into hot water and it's a shame that so many people judge it and don't 'get it'. As for me it's been lovely all the way through; I have nothing but good to say about it. Long may it last!

all lovely images via bippity boppity boo