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Sometimes bringing things back to the core basics is the best way to solve any problem. As you all have probably gathered by now, I have been feeling a bit of struggle lately in marrying my blog with my social media platforms. A lot of you have spoken {thank you so much for that} about how much you love my Snapchat, which is so awesome. But I’m having a hard time blending my personal life into my Instagram feed and sometimes even my blog so instead of sitting on my hands I decided to ask you, my amazing readers! As many of you pointed out, with the change in Instagram’s new algorithm I think that everyone is seeing a decline in engagement. However I really want to make sure my feed is a place that you all continue to enjoy.

Hundreds and hundreds of you have taken time to offer constructive feedback on my Instagram and via the survey I posted, and I cannot thank you enough for that. You are my #1 source of inspiration and have made this blog what it is today so I cannot thank you enough for caring.

In response to some of your feedback, I thought it would be easiest to streamline a few of your questions and concerns into a blog post. A lot of you had some really spot on suggestions, others were funny and a few felt compassionate. And most of you had repetitive feedback which was really useful too.

1. “Your snapchats are hilarious and I wish we saw more of your personality in your Insta posts.” – @alliecorinne

Thank you Allie. I am going to try my best to bring more Snapchat content to Instagram while keeping it on brand for the Instagram account. Not sure if you caught the “Face Swap Karaoke” videos I’ve been posting to my Instagram feed? I’m trying to bring a little more video content to Instagram, however they do not get as many “likes” or views as the photos do so I am torn on how I feel about it. Humor is exceptionally hard to translate via the written word. I think that sometimes when I try to come across as funny on Instagram is doesn’t translate the same as seeing my face and hearing my voice on Snapchat. Since we are producing a lot more personal videos for the blog, your post inspired me to reach out to my videographer and request that she create short trailers for Instagram as well. Maybe that will help!

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2. Why don’t we see Grant anymore?

Grant {aka #MrDamsel} hates being on camera. Back when I started I didn’t really listen to him and just posted about him anyway {ha, poor guy}. But then I caught wind of a hate forum ripping apart my husband so from that point forward I have protected him, and our relationship, from the evil trolls that circulate the internet. It’s one thing for me to put myself out there but it’s quite another to expose Grant to being judged and picked apart. Simply put: I do not post about Grant often because I am protecting him.

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3. What’s with all the sponsored stuff?

Girls gotta pay the bills yo! In all seriousness, I am really trying to keep a balance between sponsored and non-sponsored content. Sometimes a bunch of sponsored stuff will go up in 1 week and then we will have 3 weeks with zero sponsored content. For what it is worth, we are doing less sponsored content than we partnered on in 2015. Also, some of my posts may seem “sponsored” that aren’t. Sometimes I’m just pimping out a place or a brand and it is unpaid. Anytime, and I mean anytime, I am getting paid for something I legally have to put #AD on the social post or put language at the bottom of a blog post such as “Special thanks to {brand name here} for partnering on this post.” I don’t want to come across like a walking ad any more than you want to be fed ads. I promise I’ll fight to keep the balance and appreciate when you call me out. What I can 1000000% promise you is that I refuse to post anything that I do not like. If a fragrance smells like crap I will not post about it. A brand cannot pay me enough money to lie {plus that is technically against FTC rules}.

4. “It was nice to see when you would pair more affordable pieces with the high end pieces and how you would interpret that.” @lizyori

Noted. I’ll bring my budget back down to reality and start to mix high with low again. Thank you for calling me out in a compassionate and constructive way.

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5. “I realize you are extremely busy but for me, if I take the time to ask a question, I want an answer.” – @azshoegirl

Well shoot! I truly strive to answer every single question you guys ask so I am sorry if I missed yours! Sometimes if you ask a question on an older post it gets lost and I won’t see it. If you are asking about outfit details, I always tag my photos {if you tap on the photo the brands pop up}, or I will provide instructions on where to get the items in the caption. If it is a question about something else and I didn’t answer, I must have just not seen it. You can always e-mail me too at: Jacey@damselindior.com

6. “For me, my favorite thing is seeing your life and how you wear the clothes in it, not just modeled up against some backdrop in Palm Springs {even though those photos and outfits are stunning}.” – @maddie_buis 

That makes my life easier. Noted.

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7. “I just scrolled back and saw a pic of you coming out of a helicopter. I really just can’t relate to that now and not sure a lot of people can?” – @jewellpadua

Wait, you mean not everyone trots around in helicopters? What kind of world do we live in? Totally kidding. I hear you. It’s completely unrealistic for me to be hopping on a helicopter to Palm Springs as well. Armani paid for that trip and I should have called it out more. Noted.

8. “Sometimes it’s painful and scary and just too much to scroll through image after image evoking FOMO from all the lifestyle/fashion bloggers. We compare our lifes to your and it’s hard sometimes.” – @smotakev

Ugh. I hate that. Never want you to feel FOMO from my account. I’ll work on that. Thank you for your vulnerability in this response. I think I was so focused on having beautifully curated images that were inspirational that I forgot to be relatable because that’s why you guys followed me to begin with. Thank you.

9. “To the one who said your snaps are too long … Turn lemons into lemonade … Maybe eventually do a podcast.” @chicagochic

Interesting. Very interesting. Thinking on that one.

10. “How did you come up with the name Damsel in Dior?” – @car0linec0ll

Grant actually came up with it. He is very good with names. I was trying to think of something memorable and a bit witty and when it came out of his mouth one day, it stuck!

Photo by Jeremy Mitchell