Voices in Writing

Hola mi mundito (“Hi my little world”-because I know I prolly have like 2 readers):

As I work to establish my blog, I have looked to other bloggers out here as inspiration. Frenchtoast is a blog I recently profiled but not one I admire in terms of being my favorite voice. In particular, I like the way some bloggers are able to convey their identity and voice or the person they want to be through their blog. Like I think my voice that I am trying to establish on Devilish in the City is conversational, fun, friendly, colloquial, very internet-friendly in terms of the younger generations being able to identify with my jargon but not so much the older peeps. I hope that I am accomplishing that if not feel free to holla at me.

Anyways, for a couple years now I have really admired the voice behind The Superficial. The voice is raw, real, honest, and everything society wants to say but cannot, because it is either racist or politically incorrect. Even though this blog is not strictly a fashion industry blog, the entries often focus on facets of the industry that are instrumental and key components to the industry that has evolved over time, including body image, celebrities, scandal, drugs, etc.

His voice (wait, I don’t even know if the blogger is a guy or girl but I have imagined the voice to definitely be an LA youngish man that is slim and douchey. Ok, I know this may not make sense to you but this image is burnt in my mind) is consistent in every single entry and it amazes me that he never changes his tone and insensitive tone in each and every entry. It is crazay! And I am sooo jealous.

For example, on Feb 1 just yesterday, The Superficial posted this as their entry for the day.

http://thesuperficial.com/page.php?p=15

In case you are too lazy to click on the link, the entry is commenting on Rihanna’s outfit she wore to the Grammys. She is wearing an avante garde dress that is very fashion forward. The Superficial says:

Here's Rihanna at the Pre-Grammy Gala Saturday night which is the same event she attended last year right before Chris Brown beat the ever-living fuck out of her for peeping his texts from another woman. It's also why I'm 98% positive her outfit acts as a defensive shield thus providing Rihanna a much-needed sense of security. Otherwise, there's no other explanation here besides the 80s showing up to finish the job Chris Brown started. Holy shit, they've got Aqua Net! Shields.

He titles the entry as, “Rihanna isn’t taking any chances.” Firstly, everyone knows that Rihanna was physically abused by her then bf-beau Chris Brown and was able to single handedly throw off the entire Grammy Awards and performance schedule last year. Even though it has been 365 days, it is still a subject that is taboo and if it is mentioned it is mentioned delicately. But of course the Superficial has a blunt approach and blatantly exposes what happened with vulgar language and without sensitivity. This single blog posts captures the voice I described him to have—honest, raw, not pc, and everything we were thinking but would never say aloud.

He writes in full sentences but they may as well be fragments with his cursing, use of contractions, and his overly comfortable conversational style. “fuck” and “shit” are words that evoke strong feeling and emotion. Also the word “peeping” is an interesting choice of words and shows his use of onomatopoeia. The word itself is associated with its own rhetorical effect-kind of. Peeping at a text instead of looking at text implies that Rihanna was being shady and you can almost imagine her carefully snagging a peek or peep at his texts. Furthermore, he compares her dress to a shield as a defensive prop from any other further abuse. This metaphor is an example of how he makes fun of Rihanna’s fashion choice as well as her abusive situation that she was involved in. Through his sentence style, figures of speech, and word choices, The Superficial’s voice is revealed.

Here’s another epic post from The Superficial.

http://thesuperficial.com/page.php?p=20

He posts a picture of fashion designer, Donatella Versace, wrinkled, orange, and topless on the beach. The entry is entitled, “I will never get an erection again.” It is hilarious because every reader is obviously thinking “EW!” But only The Superficial will be specific about his feelings and give it this title. He further goes on to elaborate in his post:

Here's a topless Donatella Versace in St. Barth's yesterday and I don't know how the hell the paparazzi knew this was her let alone a live human being. Seriously, it looks like someone pulled Pamela Anderson out of the sun's core then told her sunscreen would help. "No, really, it doesn't look that bad. Coppertone?"
UPDATE: Turns out this isn't Donatella Versace, but an Italian countess often mistaken for her by the paparazzi, according to Gawker. I don't want to alarm anybody, but this means there's now TWO Bacon Monster with Implants out there. I'll be under my bed.

He continues to curse in his post to show his disgust and even inserts commentary to continue the mockery. His use of contractions remains to maintain his casual and conversational voice. He compares her to Pamela Anderson, who has a constant presence on the blog (and trust me that ain’t a good thing).

The Superficial is quite provocative and open but it is real and raw. I love his voice and tone in the blog. It is not my voice of choice, but I definitely appreciate it.

That’s all.