Gala Darling
We chat to fashionista, blogger and pink-haired inspiration, Gala Darling.
By Cat Morley
"If asked in a bar what I do, which happens all the time, I usually just say I'm a writer, especially if I don't feel like engaging. But I guess officially, I would call myself a writer, fashion editor and international playgirl", explains Gala Darling, the mastermind behind ICING, an online fashion & lifestyle blog which has gathered a religious following. "I started it because I didn't want to work in an office or a shop ever again. Not the most romantic notion, I know! I wish I could say I started it because I wanted to inspire the world through style and aesthetics, but unfortunately it was prompted by a very real need to earn some money in a way that made me feel good. But iCiNG is an online magazine with a staff of one, my love letter to the universe. It's a big, beautiful mix of style, fashion, lifestyle advice and thoughts on how to live more magically."
"I'm a very excitable girl with pink hair, a passion for publishing and a magical view of the world!"
"It was a scary decision to become self employed. Not at the very beginning though, I think I was blissfully unaware of the challenges I was about to face, which made it much easier! It was a couple of months in when it really hit me, probably. Being in absolute control of your own income is a scary thing, yes, but I would absolutely recommend it. For me, there is no other way to live." She continues on to discuss keeping herself motivated. "I suppose it depends on the day. Sometimes I am motivated by the fact that I have to pay my rent, ha, but normally I am inspired by something and want to share it. Really the internet has changed the face of writing so much. It used to be that you'd write an article for a magazine and never know how it was received unless someone happened to write a letter to the editor. But now there is instant feedback, a super-quick-fix turnaround on everything, and information moves so quickly. It's really amazing. I am totally addicted to that rush and buzz."
With style icons including Little Edie, Marchesa Louisa Casati, Diana Vreeland, Mary-Kate Olsen and Karl Lagerfeld, we asked Gala to describe her style, to which she had her army of Twitter followers come to her aid. "I'm not good at answering this question, so I asked my Twitter followers to answer it for me. Here's what they said":
@DanaBelle you're a certified unicorn tamer. you dress as sweet as a cupcake. edgy gone pink. jem & courtney loves fashion lovechild.
@MissJewelsJ I would say you are like the a rare find in a rainbow of pick n mix! xoxo
@pmablog supersonic tiger orgasm
@PrincessPoochie A hint of pink sweetness mixed in with the dark side of a fairy tale
@forgivemeology Sophisticated sparkly neon bunny.
So what does a typical day in the life involve for Gala? "I wake up at 7.30am, order some breakfast from my favourite juice joint and start looking at my email as I wait for it to arrive. Write down a list of tasks for the day, and get into them. I do my best writing before noon, so I try to get it all done by then. Then I take a break and go for lunch, or a walk, or take a shopping break (this unfortunately happens much more than it should in shops all over the place - Patricia Field, Tarina Tarantino, Bergdorfs, eBay, Forever 21... haha). I use the afternoon to do less brain-intensive tasks, usually replying to emails, taking outfit photos or putting together the bare bones of future articles. In the evening I go out with my boyfriend for dinner and drinks, then pour myself into bed around 1am!" On a dull day, Gala would cheer herself up by "buying myself flowers and taking photos with them, listen to something upbeat and hoop it out (I love my hula hoop!), or just curl up in bed with some good food and watch old episodes of Sex & The City. I am a cliche, I know."
"New York has so much energy and vitality, it really is the centre of the world."
"I recently became the Fashion Curator (aka Fashion Editor) for ChinaShop, a magazine owned by RedBull, which is extremely exciting! I'm also writing a book - kind of a guidebook to life the Gala way, and I write a chapter of it every month, 10,000 words. I'm also sorting out my visa so I can live in the States permanently. All of this on top of maintaining my own website and bulging email account keeps me very busy!" With so much going on, we enquired as to how she keeps herself organized. "I have a Moleskine daily planner which I use for my daily tasks. I separate each day into three sections: business, personal and social - that helps keep my brain organised. I draw heart bullet-points with actionable items next to them and I highlight the text as I complete a task. I also have a hipster PDA (otherwise known as a stack of index cards bound together with a pink bulldog clip) with an ongoing "to do" list written on it. I carry it around with me and make notes whenever I have an idea for a story, or when I think of a song I want to put on a mixtape, or whatever. My hipster PDA and my Moleskine have saved my life. I do love to write lists though. If I don't write things down, I forget. Forever. You should read my journal, it is SALACIOUS! Hahaha."
"I do love to write, it permeates all aspects of my life, so even if I'm not blogging, I am probably writing a list, a postcard or in my journal. Other than that, I love to go dancing, hang out with my boyfriend, love on his dog, go on magical mystery tours all over the city, travel (favorite places are Las Vegas, Paris, New Zealand, Los Angeles), talk business with my friends, construct outfits in my head, buy immense stacks of books and get massages... !". As well as ICING and fashion, Gala's other passion is her adopted hometown, New York. "I have always wanted to live in New York City. When I was about 13, I remember sitting in the Wellington Public Library with a stack of books on New York beside me, making notes in a journal and probably secretly tearing out the pictures that spoke to me most. I first came here in 2006, when I was 22, and as soon as we arrived at our hotel and my feet hit the ground, I felt like I was home. It's such a difficult thing to describe, but people who have had a similar experience, that of feeling completely at home in a place they've never been to before, immediately understand. I had the time of my life and came back in 2008. I was meant to only be here for a week, but it ended up being 3 months... and I have been back and forth between here and New Zealand ever since. New York has so much energy and vitality, it really is the centre of the world. I cannot express how much I adore it!"
"I find inspiration all over the place, New York is wonderful for that. But also in music (currently on the stereo is an hour-long mix by Bong-Ra. He is brill!), movies, flower shops, the runway, foreign fashion magazines, strange little independent shops, amusement parks, airports...". We asked what she thinks makes a good blog. "An original point of view. People rehashing the same old nonsense over and over again, or trying to rip off someone else's style, is my personal ultimate intellectual turn-off. Be prepared to work hard and persevere! If you give up after a month, you'll never make any headway. My wife has an incredible website about graphic design, style and personal branding at Nubbytwiglet. I also love Mystic Medusa, Fur Coat, No Knickers and Jak & Jil."
Looking to the future, Gala shares her hopes and dreams. "Really, I have everything I want. I just want to continue to be happy, to continue to inspire other people and to keep pushing boundaries and amaze myself. However, if I had three wishes, they would be to own a beautiful apartment in New York City, to find an excellent hairdresser in the city who was willing to try fun new things all the time (if anyone has any suggestions, HOLLA!), and to be organised enough to eat 100% raw, all the time! I never, ever cook, ever! Seriously, I am not exaggerating, I don't even make toast. The way I see it, cooking is not something I'm good at. I'd rather work a little harder and pay someone who is RAD at cooking to make food for me, and then with the time I *could* be spending making a disaster in the kitchen, do something I actually enjoy. To me, this view makes perfect sense. Many people disagree with me, but it is not their life so they can think whatever they like!" What's next for Gala and Icing? "Who knows? Watch this space!"
Find out more about Gala, follow her blog and get loads of style tips at her website, iCiNG.
Comments
“Haha I accidentally stumbled upon GD's site while looking for styling help for my hair. I then decided to explore the site a little more, clicking on the tabs on the top of the website's pages. For the first few pictures I saw, Gala was always blonde and was dressed fashionably, but not, hmmm, how do I say it... ''sparkly'' 
Then I got to some other pictures, and her hair was pink. Then I saw she was wearing mouse ears and I thought ''well, she looks kinda familiar, but where have I seen her before?'' Then I go on Cutoutandkeep, like I do all the time, checked out snippets, which i love, and BAM!!!! Gala Darling!”
Then I got to some other pictures, and her hair was pink. Then I saw she was wearing mouse ears and I thought ''well, she looks kinda familiar, but where have I seen her before?'' Then I go on Cutoutandkeep, like I do all the time, checked out snippets, which i love, and BAM!!!! Gala Darling!”
“I have to agree with some of the other posters and call bullshit that iCiNG would either be a full time job, or generate a full time income. The site is good, but I agree with Kate J - there's very little original content in the postings, which are mostly either links or promos for companies.<a href="http://healthyweightlossways.blogspot.com ">running burn fat</a>”
“Best GD comment ever:
"r u on drugs?"”
"r u on drugs?"”
“what a joke. Has anyone seen this http://www.frockandrollonline.com/blog/an-aura-soma-consultation-with-joycelle/ - thanks elle”
“I'm finding www.yesandyes.org a good alternative now days!
Hope GD does take the feedback into consideration. Some people would kill for that sort of interaction and encouragement to improve their product/service.
PS. Anyone else noticed that GD is extremely silent of the twitter/flickr/personal blog fronts recently?”
Hope GD does take the feedback into consideration. Some people would kill for that sort of interaction and encouragement to improve their product/service.
PS. Anyone else noticed that GD is extremely silent of the twitter/flickr/personal blog fronts recently?”
“She added this as the last comment, and commenting is still disabled: "Alright ladies! I hear you! Thanks for your feedback. xo"”
“Big surprise huh? A cowardly response as expected from Gala. ”
“It looks like the comments are closed and some are now being deleted. I couldn't find the one Yelia mentioned.”
“In the comments of the BS psychic reading post-
'website stat sites like Alexa, Compete.com, Quantcast all show that Gala’s readership has gone WAY down. Public charts don’t lie. She’s lost almost HALF her readers from earlier this year. http://www.quantcast.com/galadarling.com' ”
'website stat sites like Alexa, Compete.com, Quantcast all show that Gala’s readership has gone WAY down. Public charts don’t lie. She’s lost almost HALF her readers from earlier this year. http://www.quantcast.com/galadarling.com' ”
“Ugh, that psychic thing is complete BS to me. I'm glad that so many others decided to tell GD that it was BS.”
“Ugh, that psychic thing is complete BS to me. I'm glad that so many others decided to tell GD that it was BS.”
“http://galadarling.com/article/divinity-love-living#comment
uh-oh. some of GD's readers are dissapointed with her recent article providing "psychic readings".
want to take bets on how long the comments will stay up for? ”
uh-oh. some of GD's readers are dissapointed with her recent article providing "psychic readings".
want to take bets on how long the comments will stay up for? ”
“i love ur hair it looks amazing!! XD ur style is something to remember (in a good way)”
“http://blog.modcloth.com/2009-09-23-blogger-of-the-moment-gala-darling
"I’ve been blogging full-time since December 2006. I don’t have a day job, but I write for other publications (I’m ChinaShop Magazine’s Fashion Curator) and work on a variety of projects that keep me busy and add to my shoe fund!"
That blows the "maybe she works a secret day job that pays her bills" argument out of the water. Nobody can name a writing gig Gala Darling has other than a few articles for Chinashop, which cannot pay much. All evidence points to Miss Self-Funded = Miss Self-Deluded Liar with a trust fund. ”
"I’ve been blogging full-time since December 2006. I don’t have a day job, but I write for other publications (I’m ChinaShop Magazine’s Fashion Curator) and work on a variety of projects that keep me busy and add to my shoe fund!"
That blows the "maybe she works a secret day job that pays her bills" argument out of the water. Nobody can name a writing gig Gala Darling has other than a few articles for Chinashop, which cannot pay much. All evidence points to Miss Self-Funded = Miss Self-Deluded Liar with a trust fund. ”
“Hahaha, someone on that livejournal post made a lj icon that reads "it's illegal to post untruths about people on the internet". LMAO
here it is:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/jaysilverstreak/internetuntruths.png”
here it is:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/jaysilverstreak/internetuntruths.png”
“
Yeah, I've seen that link.
Maybe excessive camwhoring = modeling?
Who knows.”
Yeah, I've seen that link.
Maybe excessive camwhoring = modeling?
Who knows.”
“Bit off topic but has anyone else seen this?
“It all comes to a head on her cover article on Cut Out + Keep, where various people - including someone claiming to be Gala's former good friend, speculate that she is either a trust fund kid, uses boyfriends for money, or is a high-class prostitute.”
http://www.journalfen.net/community/otf_wank/624223.html
One of the comments, "I think she does actually do some sort of modelling" A self-described visionary, a writer, fashion editor and international playgirl, and now model!
What can't our pidgeon-toed pink Princess not do?”
“It all comes to a head on her cover article on Cut Out + Keep, where various people - including someone claiming to be Gala's former good friend, speculate that she is either a trust fund kid, uses boyfriends for money, or is a high-class prostitute.”
http://www.journalfen.net/community/otf_wank/624223.html
One of the comments, "I think she does actually do some sort of modelling" A self-described visionary, a writer, fashion editor and international playgirl, and now model!
What can't our pidgeon-toed pink Princess not do?”
“Oh yeah, because talking about Taylor Swift and the VMAs is like SUCH HARD-HITTING STUFF.
...but then, coming from someone who CHOSE to sign themselves up with the username "poo", what can you expect?”
...but then, coming from someone who CHOSE to sign themselves up with the username "poo", what can you expect?”
“Lavinia N im just incredibly bored.
and ive signed up so why not.
shall we talk about how patrick swayze died just recently?
or How Kanye West interupted taylor swifts speech? OOOh that was a goody.
And now lets talk about a twitter update you found where a girl asked gala darling for her next installment on some podcast none of us can be bothered downloading.
GOOOOD DAY FOR IT!”
and ive signed up so why not.
shall we talk about how patrick swayze died just recently?
or How Kanye West interupted taylor swifts speech? OOOh that was a goody.
And now lets talk about a twitter update you found where a girl asked gala darling for her next installment on some podcast none of us can be bothered downloading.
GOOOOD DAY FOR IT!”
“Yelia - I don't like Gala & I think she's full of shit but you're off the mark. She was staying at a hotel in AUCKLAND, which is not where her parents live. They live in Wellington. When she was in Wellington, she was staying with them. Auckland and Wellington are a ten hour drive apart. Kinda hard to stay with her parents while she's in Auckland then, non?”
“poo: take your own advice then sweetie, cos you're here commenting with the rest of us.”
“i hope one day i can find a website where everyone's talking about my secret life like this haha
SOOOOOOOO exciting
only one life. so live it. ”
SOOOOOOOO exciting
only one life. so live it. ”
“this all reminds me of gossip girl
”
”
“yelia get your facts straight.
she was in ak in a hotel.
and home in her house in wellington.
”
she was in ak in a hotel.
and home in her house in wellington.
”
“Someone raised an interesting point in the Icing comments. Gala Darling is in New Zealand....... but instead of staying with her parents, she's staying in HOTELS??? Sure, a freelancer with a blog has money like that to burn.
At this point, even her most die-hard fans admit she is a liar. Gala's claim that "I do not now, & have not ever, had a trust fund. My parents don't give me anything. I am entirely self-funded." ---> BS BS BS BS. ”
At this point, even her most die-hard fans admit she is a liar. Gala's claim that "I do not now, & have not ever, had a trust fund. My parents don't give me anything. I am entirely self-funded." ---> BS BS BS BS. ”
“you people are all insane”
“you people are all insane”
“Admittedly, Lavinia, it was less you with that sort of attitude and I apologize if I offended you by tossing you into the mix.
Keep in mind that I'm using the non-specific "you", and this isn't directed at Lavinia:
There are some people here that are clearly gunning for her failure and I think that it's gone beyond an attempt to inform the masses and into the malicious zone. From the tone of some of the comments, it seems like nothing would please them more than to have her go back to college, dye her hair brown, and change her name back to Amy. That goes beyond being upfront about funding, and I think it goes beyond any sort of justification (you can't get a "real job" with unnatural hair/a larger-than-life name) because, ultimately, you don't know how her, you don't truly care about her well being. You're looking for assimilation and some sort of proof that she was knocked down a peg.
If I missed the point, I'm sure you'll let me know.
I certainly don't worship the woman. I take what I like, I discard what I don't, like I said before. I don't build my identity on her "teachings", I just mix-and-match from books, religion, and life experience; I'm a work in progress for sure. As for why I returned to the conversation, I was just curious how it was going.”
Keep in mind that I'm using the non-specific "you", and this isn't directed at Lavinia:
There are some people here that are clearly gunning for her failure and I think that it's gone beyond an attempt to inform the masses and into the malicious zone. From the tone of some of the comments, it seems like nothing would please them more than to have her go back to college, dye her hair brown, and change her name back to Amy. That goes beyond being upfront about funding, and I think it goes beyond any sort of justification (you can't get a "real job" with unnatural hair/a larger-than-life name) because, ultimately, you don't know how her, you don't truly care about her well being. You're looking for assimilation and some sort of proof that she was knocked down a peg.
If I missed the point, I'm sure you'll let me know.
I certainly don't worship the woman. I take what I like, I discard what I don't, like I said before. I don't build my identity on her "teachings", I just mix-and-match from books, religion, and life experience; I'm a work in progress for sure. As for why I returned to the conversation, I was just curious how it was going.”
“@savannah: seriously, hon, but wtf? no one is saying "we won" or whatever. we're not trying to bring gala down (she's doing a fine job of that herself) - if you read back through these comments you'll see that pretty much all of us are in agreement that we're here to discuss what's up; no one is plotting against gala, we're just having a discussion about all the fishy stuff. if you don't like it, don't read it, you know, just like galas fans tell us to do in regard to icing.”
“You think she'll quit her blog just because she can't get back to New York immediately?
This whole conversation moved from eye rolling silliness to just straight up cracked, especially with the whole "we've won, some negative comments on the internet have shaken Gala Darling so much, she gave up her entire blog" vibe going on. I'm sorry, Yelia. I just don't think you or Deborah or Lavinia have the sort of power to bring down, well, anyone.”
This whole conversation moved from eye rolling silliness to just straight up cracked, especially with the whole "we've won, some negative comments on the internet have shaken Gala Darling so much, she gave up her entire blog" vibe going on. I'm sorry, Yelia. I just don't think you or Deborah or Lavinia have the sort of power to bring down, well, anyone.”
“@Lavinia: You're welcome n_n.”
“It's pretty well over. Her twitter says she can't go back to New York because of visa issues (DUHHH. As if she could get an artist visa for doing nothing).
Go back to school and get a real job Gala. I wager that is what her parents are advising right now. ”
Go back to school and get a real job Gala. I wager that is what her parents are advising right now. ”
“God forbid should she want to take a break and spend some time with her family and friends in New Zealand. It's called a vacation and a ton of people do that, taking time off of work and going to visit people they haven't seen in a long time; a lot of people do it just to take a break from the daily grind in general.
Now you're just scraping the bottom of the barrel. ”
Now you're just scraping the bottom of the barrel. ”
“ohhhhh ok duh @ me, i didn't notice the date of the last thing she posted. one week ago?! she must be "earning" an awful lot of cash if she can do without an income for one week!
@ joanne: she can blog from the plane/airport/anywhere on earth with an internet connection, no?
@J M: thanks for clearing that up.”
@ joanne: she can blog from the plane/airport/anywhere on earth with an internet connection, no?
@J M: thanks for clearing that up.
”
“I think it probably has more to do with the fact that she's in NZ with her family but it's still a pretty poor showing ”
”
“@Lavinia N. I think Yelia is talking about how Gala hasn't posted an article since carousel. Not even a daily outfit, product push or simple flickr pic w/ quote. She's hiding out and it's noticeable.”
“@Lavinia - Yes. 12 installments, one year. I seriously hope that she continues to deliver them, because if she doesn't, some readers who got the monthly subscription or payed for the whole thing ($84 USD) are going to be pretty mad at her.”
“@J M: is L&S monthly?”
“@Lavinia - I think most people are waiting for Love and Sequins #5, it's already September and no sign on when it will become LIVE.”
“is anyone else eagerly awaiting "50 things a girl should do in her lifetime PART TWO"? wonder if it'll happen?”
“@ yelia: how do you know she's given up on icing? i checked this morning and there's still a lot of stuff (fluff) there?”
“@Yelia that cracks me up.”
“Icing is dead. Gala Darling has, in essence, given up on her blog. Her lies have been found out and there's no way to deny them. ”
“How come in this article it says she likes to hang out with her boyfriend but then she says"My WIFE..."???????
What's the deal?!?”
What's the deal?!?”
“now many of the blog posts written by gala darling on chinashop have 0 comments...i don't quite remember them being that way only so many days ago... ”
“From today's TILT -
Being amazed by people & their honesty, authenticity & integrity. I love it so much when people open up & are brave enough to be really real. It is definitely one of my most admired qualities.
Hilarious.”
Being amazed by people & their honesty, authenticity & integrity. I love it so much when people open up & are brave enough to be really real. It is definitely one of my most admired qualities.
Hilarious.”
“for example, the last suggestion on this article is to use photoshop:
http://galadarling.com/advice/flattering-photographs
&&
http://galadarling.com/article/daily-outfit-23rd-july-2009
her response to "didi" here shows that she does use photoshop.
”
http://galadarling.com/advice/flattering-photographs
&&
http://galadarling.com/article/daily-outfit-23rd-july-2009
her response to "didi" here shows that she does use photoshop.
”
“Re: "I don't know if she photoshops it, but she's got beautiful blue eyes." from deborah m.
i believe she's mentioned how she photoshops all her photos. at least i know she's mentioned photoshopping blemishes out of her skin.
(FWIW: i am NOT bringing this up to diss on the way Gala looks...i don't think that has any relevance to the discussion here and isn't a very nice topic to go into, i just wanted to remark that i have heard that she photoshops her pictures). ”
i believe she's mentioned how she photoshops all her photos. at least i know she's mentioned photoshopping blemishes out of her skin.
(FWIW: i am NOT bringing this up to diss on the way Gala looks...i don't think that has any relevance to the discussion here and isn't a very nice topic to go into, i just wanted to remark that i have heard that she photoshops her pictures). ”
“Deborah, all the "what if" scenarios are possible but so is winning the lottery. Reality is...... bloggers don't have magic angel investors, esp if they put little effort into their content. Someone on Chinashop said maybe she gets groceries for $3 a month HA HA! Gala does NOT have another job she hides. Even if she could work in the US without a visa, she wouldn't be able to get up and travel whenever, or go shopping and get pedicures at 2pm. Real people with jobs have responsibilities.
I believe Maddy who went to school with Amy Paape. I would wager all my own self-funded income that Gala Darling LIES about being self supporting. ”
I believe Maddy who went to school with Amy Paape. I would wager all my own self-funded income that Gala Darling LIES about being self supporting. ”
“I'm such a bleeding heart, and somehow a bit addicted to this Gala buzz. Anyway, I wanted to point something out: we don't really know Gala (or Amy... whatever), her life or real situation. This discussion is based on speculation and/or piecing things together, and then we judge her on it. I admit that I was a part of this also. But if you've ever been a victim of gossip/judgement based on very little hard facts you'd know that this type of speculation is usually incorrect.
This discussion is very interesting and I have enjoyed it at some level, but how do we know FOR SURE that she's not entirely self funded? She might have sponsors/investors with big bucks that believe in her and ask to be silent about their investment. Of course that is speculation as well! haha!
and, as far as Gala not being "pretty"... I quite like how her nose is misshapen, her ridiculous facial expressions and how she works with what's she's got. I don't know if she photoshops it, but she's got beautiful blue eyes.”
This discussion is very interesting and I have enjoyed it at some level, but how do we know FOR SURE that she's not entirely self funded? She might have sponsors/investors with big bucks that believe in her and ask to be silent about their investment. Of course that is speculation as well! haha!
and, as far as Gala not being "pretty"... I quite like how her nose is misshapen, her ridiculous facial expressions and how she works with what's she's got. I don't know if she photoshops it, but she's got beautiful blue eyes.”
“Hmm...nice quote but still not legit content. And more outfit posts...
I keep checking the site in case we see an upturn in content but alas, it has not happened yet. I'd also love to see her respond to these issues but I doubt thats gonna happen either.”
I keep checking the site in case we see an upturn in content but alas, it has not happened yet. I'd also love to see her respond to these issues but I doubt thats gonna happen either.”
“wow. yet another post with just a flickr photo and a quote. *yawn*”
“I agree re: "she's ugly and all her photos are from the same angle." Come on. Sure, her fashion choices all amount to the same boring template and that's frustrating, but how she photographs those fashion choices? Kind of irrelevant.
That commenting policy only changed from its original guise (no less "I WILL BAN YOU IF YOU DO NOT SHOWER ME WITH PRAISE", but more vague) a few days ago. That proves 100% that she's keeping an eye on this thread, and it's bothering her. HELLO GALA -- ADDRESS THE ISSUE NOW, MAYBE?”
That commenting policy only changed from its original guise (no less "I WILL BAN YOU IF YOU DO NOT SHOWER ME WITH PRAISE", but more vague) a few days ago. That proves 100% that she's keeping an eye on this thread, and it's bothering her. HELLO GALA -- ADDRESS THE ISSUE NOW, MAYBE?”
“well if she's "self-funded" by means of her blog and podcasts, that kinda makes her readers/podcast buyers her employer, thus she DOES have a responsibility not to lie to them, or anyone for that matter. furthermore she's insulting everyone's intelligence by obsessively denying her source of income and trying to convince them her blogging/writing is paying for her upcoming world-wide trip. even the most successful ebayers can't afford to jetset around the world, and they put far more effort into their online stores than gala does into her fluff blog.
and let's not start on the "she's not even pretty" comments please. to be that shallow is to stoop to her level.”
and let's not start on the "she's not even pretty" comments please. to be that shallow is to stoop to her level.”
“Agreed wholly, Ms D.
Wow, holy jeez- I hadn't read the commenting policy until now. Still, while it's nuts and ridiculous, I say, if you have a problem with it- boycott as others have suggested or find somewhere else to put forth dissent like here (including emailing her, though harassment is not what I am suggesting). I don't think that having readership (as it is consensual; she is not an elected leader either) immediately implies responsibility on her behalf.
Her wacked idea that everything must be pink and unicorns and positivity all the time is unrealistic and certainly not helping others to grow or interact meaningfully/intelligently but it isn't harmful. On the other hand, it is nice escapism to come to her site and never find a sour word in her writing or see any within the comments that have exploded into mini internet wars as we come across so often.
I DO think she has a responsibility not to lie to her readers, though (since she claims she values honesty so much). So in terms of selling the idea quite literally through podcasts- that blogging & being self-employed as she is, can potentially allow one to live the intl. playgirl lifestyle she upholds, eating out daily, shopping manically, etc, THAT- that is not O.K.”
Wow, holy jeez- I hadn't read the commenting policy until now. Still, while it's nuts and ridiculous, I say, if you have a problem with it- boycott as others have suggested or find somewhere else to put forth dissent like here (including emailing her, though harassment is not what I am suggesting). I don't think that having readership (as it is consensual; she is not an elected leader either) immediately implies responsibility on her behalf.
Her wacked idea that everything must be pink and unicorns and positivity all the time is unrealistic and certainly not helping others to grow or interact meaningfully/intelligently but it isn't harmful. On the other hand, it is nice escapism to come to her site and never find a sour word in her writing or see any within the comments that have exploded into mini internet wars as we come across so often.
I DO think she has a responsibility not to lie to her readers, though (since she claims she values honesty so much). So in terms of selling the idea quite literally through podcasts- that blogging & being self-employed as she is, can potentially allow one to live the intl. playgirl lifestyle she upholds, eating out daily, shopping manically, etc, THAT- that is not O.K.”
“"She's not even pretty" is pretty much the lowest of the low... & buys into the petty, anti-female, shallow bullshit we should all be rallying against.
”
”
“http://galadarling.com/static/commenting
Seriously, this is a commenting policy?
Sounds like the days of communism censorship, if you ask me
I know it's her website, but when you have many readers (hell, even if you have one), you bear responsibility before them.
I don't see how deleting a comment bcuz it's not a happy comment helps interaction
Her playgirl, SATC life style is a fake - and it is a fake, because it is physically impossible, even if you ask SATC producers themselves.”
Seriously, this is a commenting policy?
Sounds like the days of communism censorship, if you ask me
I know it's her website, but when you have many readers (hell, even if you have one), you bear responsibility before them.
I don't see how deleting a comment bcuz it's not a happy comment helps interaction
Her playgirl, SATC life style is a fake - and it is a fake, because it is physically impossible, even if you ask SATC producers themselves.”
“Whoops, my bad -- her comment is indeed there!
Again, not like she's unattractive, but all her pics from the SAME ANGLE!”
Again, not like she's unattractive, but all her pics from the SAME ANGLE!”
“YeliaDFan z. -- Whether you find that Gala is attractive or not is irrelevant to the conversation and unnecessary.
While I think Gala absolutely creates (created?) something of value to many girls out there- inspirational messages and ideas, the quality and quantity of has surely diminished but this is at her discretion. She has a life off the internet and perhaps her interests have shifted. iCing is Gala's personal blog/zine, so she can choose what to put up and how to manage content and comments. Undoubtedly, because any constructive criticism is not allowed there, it has manifested itself on other sites.
On the other hand, the unrealistic consumerism and promotion of materialism as a value is reprehensible on the grounds that it is wasteful to say the very least, (I am personally disgusted) but it is up to her fans to realize this and reevaluate what her newer posts mean to them if anything, anymore. To be fair, the blog is about aesthetics and fashion and upfront- and people know she is going to advertise and they have free choice to partake in her promotional offers or be lulled into buying ridiculous miracle pills which probably don't work. She isn't coercing anyone. You can call it "sell out" or anything you like, but if people are actively going for these offers, it is their own issue.
I think it would be very good of her to address a lot of this; she has no obligation to, but she must realize as public figure who has made herself and life public domain- she is going to receive criticism and it won't go away until she does (or she changes, dramatically but you cannot and should not please everyone).
I do think, however, she should absolutely be honest about how she lives her extravagant lifestyle being a "freelancer" because she is clearly being MORE than misleading by saying she is entirely self-funded.
Her comment on ChinaShop is still there... as is all the dissent. So far.”
While I think Gala absolutely creates (created?) something of value to many girls out there- inspirational messages and ideas, the quality and quantity of has surely diminished but this is at her discretion. She has a life off the internet and perhaps her interests have shifted. iCing is Gala's personal blog/zine, so she can choose what to put up and how to manage content and comments. Undoubtedly, because any constructive criticism is not allowed there, it has manifested itself on other sites.
On the other hand, the unrealistic consumerism and promotion of materialism as a value is reprehensible on the grounds that it is wasteful to say the very least, (I am personally disgusted) but it is up to her fans to realize this and reevaluate what her newer posts mean to them if anything, anymore. To be fair, the blog is about aesthetics and fashion and upfront- and people know she is going to advertise and they have free choice to partake in her promotional offers or be lulled into buying ridiculous miracle pills which probably don't work. She isn't coercing anyone. You can call it "sell out" or anything you like, but if people are actively going for these offers, it is their own issue.
I think it would be very good of her to address a lot of this; she has no obligation to, but she must realize as public figure who has made herself and life public domain- she is going to receive criticism and it won't go away until she does (or she changes, dramatically but you cannot and should not please everyone).
I do think, however, she should absolutely be honest about how she lives her extravagant lifestyle being a "freelancer" because she is clearly being MORE than misleading by saying she is entirely self-funded.
Her comment on ChinaShop is still there... as is all the dissent. So far.”
“And Yelia, about about her being fired from Cosmo Australia -- really? I mean I'm not surprised at all, but what are your sources?”
“If anyone had any doubt about the wealth of her parents, from the New Zealand Listener: ". . . Janet Paape, who runs one of the country’s most successful boutiques . . ." Yeaaaaaaaaaahh.
I'm definitely on the anti-Gala side now. Why? If you look at her livejournal from before she had made it big with Icing, her lifestyle really hasn't changed THAT significantly! Even while she was "struggling" with her job and failing the one or two college classes she was taking, she STILL was buying a whole lot of stuff and bragging about it, traveling, and moving apartments! So, yes, parental support. The tone there is sort of shocking -- she comes across as any other boring self-absorbed teenager (even though she is in her twenties) , bragging about how much she is smoking and drinking. There's even a part where she brags about hooking up with some guy who has a girlfriend -- real classy, Gala!
Even the bloggers who REALLY make a living from just their blog (and other freelancing projects) will often freely admit to how much they make, and I can't think of one who lives as extravagantly.
I've lost more respect for Gala after this Chinashop incident. Not only did she delete much of the criticism, she deleted her OWN COMMENT where she blames everything on her editor! As for her "not having control over who deletes the comments" -- I call BS. So it's just a coincidence that both Chinashop AND her blog delete anything remotely criticial!
And yes, I'll be the first to go there -- Gala's really not that pretty! Or rather, all of her pictures are taken from the EXACT SAME weird overhead angle, so it's impossible to to tell.
The only thing what would make me respect Gala is for her to STOP deleting comments and blowing off criticism, address it directly, and for her to start writing blog posts of real comments.”
I'm definitely on the anti-Gala side now. Why? If you look at her livejournal from before she had made it big with Icing, her lifestyle really hasn't changed THAT significantly! Even while she was "struggling" with her job and failing the one or two college classes she was taking, she STILL was buying a whole lot of stuff and bragging about it, traveling, and moving apartments! So, yes, parental support. The tone there is sort of shocking -- she comes across as any other boring self-absorbed teenager (even though she is in her twenties) , bragging about how much she is smoking and drinking. There's even a part where she brags about hooking up with some guy who has a girlfriend -- real classy, Gala!
Even the bloggers who REALLY make a living from just their blog (and other freelancing projects) will often freely admit to how much they make, and I can't think of one who lives as extravagantly.
I've lost more respect for Gala after this Chinashop incident. Not only did she delete much of the criticism, she deleted her OWN COMMENT where she blames everything on her editor! As for her "not having control over who deletes the comments" -- I call BS. So it's just a coincidence that both Chinashop AND her blog delete anything remotely criticial!
And yes, I'll be the first to go there -- Gala's really not that pretty! Or rather, all of her pictures are taken from the EXACT SAME weird overhead angle, so it's impossible to to tell.
The only thing what would make me respect Gala is for her to STOP deleting comments and blowing off criticism, address it directly, and for her to start writing blog posts of real comments.”
“apparently the book she is working on will be the content of the podcasts. i think she mentioned that on her site or in an interview recently.
i don't wish her to 'crash' because that's mean, i would never wish misfortune on anyone. more than anything i wish she had more of a social conscience-- like some previous posters have mentioned. she's in a position of some influence, it would be great if she was spreading an actual message (like, i don't know, donating to charity, advocating cruelty free makeup) instead of just consumercentric fluff. take for example the recent experience of heather on dooce.com-- she was offered a free washing machine after ranting to her 1million twitter followers about hers breaking down. she got her machine repaired and donated the free one to a women's shelter. my respect from her has tripled since this. bloggers who have a big audience should use their position much more productively for good purpose, not to just get a bunch of free stuff and convince people to shell out for expensive vitamins they don't need.”
i don't wish her to 'crash' because that's mean, i would never wish misfortune on anyone. more than anything i wish she had more of a social conscience-- like some previous posters have mentioned. she's in a position of some influence, it would be great if she was spreading an actual message (like, i don't know, donating to charity, advocating cruelty free makeup) instead of just consumercentric fluff. take for example the recent experience of heather on dooce.com-- she was offered a free washing machine after ranting to her 1million twitter followers about hers breaking down. she got her machine repaired and donated the free one to a women's shelter. my respect from her has tripled since this. bloggers who have a big audience should use their position much more productively for good purpose, not to just get a bunch of free stuff and convince people to shell out for expensive vitamins they don't need.”
“deborah: gala brought this all on herself. she deserves all the criticism she's getting because people have finally woken up to her lies and bullshit. to quote homer (simpson): "now for that happy period between the lie and the time it's found out". gala's happy period is coming to an end. i don't feel sorry for her at all. she's an ungrateful spoilt brat with no shame in mooching off everyone in her life and taking advantage of others whenever she can. she has no sense of maturity or responsibility. she's a disgrace and an embarrassment to women everywhere. i hope she falls and falls HARD. maybe then she'll wake up to this thing called life.”
“You know what would redeem Gala in my eyes? If she went back to school or got a job where she actually acts responsibly. All Gala does is run away and ignore the realities of life, and she is able to do this because she has money from somewhere. Her poor writing abilities are never going to land her the book deal she wants so badly. Sorry to be harsh but this is reality.
”
”
“deborah, i feel sorry for her too. pretty much for the same reasons. but also because she's basically proved the original hypothesis of her blog: you can have all the amazing shoes you desire and be as materialistic as you want, but it doesn't guarantee you success or happiness.
now that all she does is talk about shoes and how to be more materialistic and all her free stuff, obviously it's turning people off. success comes from the inside-out but icing has become more of an outside-in website. which is really unfortunate.”
now that all she does is talk about shoes and how to be more materialistic and all her free stuff, obviously it's turning people off. success comes from the inside-out but icing has become more of an outside-in website. which is really unfortunate.”
“hey! this is weird, off topic-ish ando probably something no one wants to hear. but maybe someone else is feeling a bit this way:
I feel really bad about how things are going for Gala. Reading the criticism here and then the ones in Chinashop, I wonder how she's really dealing? Clearly she seems uber busy, makeing over nubby's life, traveling and such. But one can't help but wonder if her way of coping is by ignoring; a mechanism that I don't think she would endorse. hmmmm.”
I feel really bad about how things are going for Gala. Reading the criticism here and then the ones in Chinashop, I wonder how she's really dealing? Clearly she seems uber busy, makeing over nubby's life, traveling and such. But one can't help but wonder if her way of coping is by ignoring; a mechanism that I don't think she would endorse. hmmmm.”
“http://galadarling.com/article/imagining-international-playgirl-hq
"hi gala! everything looks so fantastic! with all your traveling, how do are you affording all this? do you have a bunch of things in the works? only asking b/c i’m also a freelancer and i’m having trouble making ends meet…
<3 deeda · Aug 31, 03:25 PM"
Will this get a response? Bets are off.”
"hi gala! everything looks so fantastic! with all your traveling, how do are you affording all this? do you have a bunch of things in the works? only asking b/c i’m also a freelancer and i’m having trouble making ends meet…
<3 deeda · Aug 31, 03:25 PM"
Will this get a response? Bets are off.”
“Before I offer my thoughts I'd like to start off by saying that I neither hate Gala or am jealous of her. I used to like Icing and thought Gala was sweet, but to say that her personality has been off putting for the past year or so is an understatement. She frequently contradicts herself, doesn't listen to her readers and is dishonest. She bragged last year about visiting Paris and living an ''international playgirl'' lifestyle but didn't actually mention that Tim Kern was the one who paid for the trip. She admits that she is ''self-funded'' (which means nothing as I could work at Hooters one night a week and claim to be ''self-funded''), but if ever she is asked about what kind of work it is exactly that funds her, she ignores the question or deletes it from her website. Icing (especially over the past year) is rarely updated and apart from some posts about shoes and horoscopes has minimal advertising, so how anyone could believe that Icing is a large portion of her income is beyond me. I just wish Gala would be honest. She's very, very selfish and it shows huge disrespect towards her readers that she has inadvertently lied about her life.”
“lauren x: at first i thought you were paraphrasing, or even exaggerating, but i went to her blog and saw that she actually wrote all that stuff. wow. what a narcissistic whore.
it's becoming more and more apparent how desperate she is for attention and acceptance, evident by her increasing superficial garbage like consumerism, bragging, name-dropping, and generally trying to be someone she's clearly not. anyone that constantly boasts about how fabulous their life is, leads a very unhappy one. this is psychological FACT.
but part of me wants her to keep going because i'm actually enjoying watching her little pink train slowly derail off the tracks of reality. lol she's so pathetic it's actually funny.”
it's becoming more and more apparent how desperate she is for attention and acceptance, evident by her increasing superficial garbage like consumerism, bragging, name-dropping, and generally trying to be someone she's clearly not. anyone that constantly boasts about how fabulous their life is, leads a very unhappy one. this is psychological FACT.
but part of me wants her to keep going because i'm actually enjoying watching her little pink train slowly derail off the tracks of reality. lol she's so pathetic it's actually funny.”
“That's it for me, I agree with Wyn J. I am hereby boycotting anything to do with Gala. I hope she either wakes up soon, or her fans do.”
“"I got a bunch of really slutty underwear in the mail yesterday. It was so exciting. No really, you think I’m exaggerating but I am not. I am talking one-pieces with lots of straps & o-rings & pink leopard-print mesh covered in sequins (NOT EXAGGERATING THAT IS THE EXACT DESCRIPTION OF ONE OF THE THINGS I GOT), & “wicked fairy” costumes (I am going to wear it today I think even though it is a bit ~*~goth~*~ but whatever, whatever, I love it, it is cute), & fishnets & sequinned suspender belts (FOR REAL) & other silly things. I also got a package from Charlotte Russe full of cute things, like two-tone over-the-knee socks, underwear, a t-shirt with a motorcycle on it (HA!), a dress, a cute zippered sweatshirt, etc. Yay. Yay. Yay. Consumerism is fantastic. So there."
All of this is just gross. She's just BRAGGING -- look at all this free shit I got! VERY pink-sparkly-cupcakes, I DON'T THINK. She's just shallow and frankly, disgusting. What does she give back to the world? Nothing. She just "consumes." Gross. Girls want to BE LIKE this person?!”
All of this is just gross. She's just BRAGGING -- look at all this free shit I got! VERY pink-sparkly-cupcakes, I DON'T THINK. She's just shallow and frankly, disgusting. What does she give back to the world? Nothing. She just "consumes." Gross. Girls want to BE LIKE this person?!”
“Lauren - the only other writing job Gala had was with Cosmo Australia but she got FIRED after 1 or 2 issues for obvious reasons. Gala Darling can NOT write to save her life. The Chinashop thread is what she had coming for her, away from her Icing safe haven.”
“PS: I'm also shocked that she hasn't addressed the issues we've all brought up here. She's swanning around pretending that everything's dandy... maybe because when she does have to "address issues," she fails big time. Check out her lame excuses on the Chinashop thread -- first she bashes her editor for her own inability to spell, then she claims that Chinashop should have a commenting policy (presumably so she can delete, delete, delete as usual). Basically, she criticises her employer to try and excuse her own shit writing/behaviour. And the other commenters, rightly, call bullshit. WAKE UP GALA. ”
“The Chinashop thing is getting VERY interesting. Seems when Gala is away from her tweenie-bopper fans, she can't cut it. Real adults won't put up with her shit: http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/08/necklush/
This thread even got a mention...?!
I am beginning to call bullshit on all Gala's "I do heaps of freelancing" claims, too. She mentions "freelancing projects" relatively frequently, but when you Google her... nada. This Chinashop thing is about the first substantial project she seems to have done outside iCing and some collaborations with her friends (Nubby, Star etc), and I'm not even sure whether it's a paying gig -- if it is, it won't be much at all. All the other stuff that comes up when you Google her is bullshit interviews on other people's blogs, daily outfits she's farmed out for other people to use in 'style posts' and other such obviously-non-paying fluff. Oh, and some product endorsements, for which she undoubtedly gets paid in kind. Free eyeliner doesn't pay the bills, though, does it?
It's obvious that iCing makes next-to-no cash and I am now thinking that Gala doesn't actually do much other paying "work." I think it's dodgy to claim she might be a high class hooker (although the moniker "international playgirl" does have connotations, and she flashes it around with abandon...), but there aint no way she is "fully self funded." I really am shocked by the dishonesty.”
This thread even got a mention...?!
I am beginning to call bullshit on all Gala's "I do heaps of freelancing" claims, too. She mentions "freelancing projects" relatively frequently, but when you Google her... nada. This Chinashop thing is about the first substantial project she seems to have done outside iCing and some collaborations with her friends (Nubby, Star etc), and I'm not even sure whether it's a paying gig -- if it is, it won't be much at all. All the other stuff that comes up when you Google her is bullshit interviews on other people's blogs, daily outfits she's farmed out for other people to use in 'style posts' and other such obviously-non-paying fluff. Oh, and some product endorsements, for which she undoubtedly gets paid in kind. Free eyeliner doesn't pay the bills, though, does it?
It's obvious that iCing makes next-to-no cash and I am now thinking that Gala doesn't actually do much other paying "work." I think it's dodgy to claim she might be a high class hooker (although the moniker "international playgirl" does have connotations, and she flashes it around with abandon...), but there aint no way she is "fully self funded." I really am shocked by the dishonesty.”
“Totes cracked. Trust fund just didn't seem as prevalent/obvious - a country of people who downplay wealth and embrace normality/humility I think.”
“i think everyone should go read the chinashop comments before they get deleted, especially gala's comment and the one after it: http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/08/necklush/”
“X X. you are either a liar or totally cracked, there are plenty of NZers living off family trusts.”
“Dearest Gala, please stop abusing the ampersand. That's all, thanks!
PS. To all you other ladies, trust funds aren't really a happening thing in New Zealand. ”
PS. To all you other ladies, trust funds aren't really a happening thing in New Zealand. ”
“i don't know about anyone else but i find gala's comments about nubby terribly offensive and insulting! "joining a gym, force-feeding her vitamins and whipping her into shape" - i'm sorry, does nubby need help with her weight or something? i don't understand? and gala's trying to get her a job? what does that even mean?? nubby doesn't NEED a job, and is leagues ahead of gala in every possible way - creativity, fashion, business, freelancing, writing, professionalism, maturity, style, vocabulary, and even manners. gala's the one who needs a makeover. BIG TIME. oh my goodness the whole thing is beyond ludicrous.
and what's the go with chinashop comments being deleted now?!?”
and what's the go with chinashop comments being deleted now?!?”
“Heather-- I thought her comment about getting N. a job was a bit offensive! I mean, Nubby already has a job, she's a kickass graphic designer, and does things which actually have substance.”
“Behold this 'gem' from Love Letter to the Universe:
"I am Nubby’s life coach. I made her join a gym (ahem, haunted mansion), I’m trying to get her a job (I will be successful) & I’ve been force-feeding her vitamins every morning. Whipping her into shape!!!"
I really don't know where to begin with this one as there are so many ridiculous statements. Gala, are you suddenly the hiring expert here in the United States? And as for the force feeding of the vitamins thing, that strikes me as a rude way to talk about someone you consider to be your close friend. Bitch please. Nubby is total confidence and has it in the bag. Her blog is FAR more substance with the right mix of style. Gala, you on the other hand are deleting comments left and delivering posts that are nothing more than a vague quote and a photo from Flickr.
There was definitely a time when I was a Gala devotee. I found her site on a rainy day and all of the pink colors and glitter just hypnotized me for awhile (I am sometimes pathetic when it comes to certain blogs).
I recommended the site to one of my friends who is an absolute fashionista for the ages and a critical reader. The first warning bell that made me reevaluate the site was when my friend admitted to liking one of her "Daily Outfits" but that was it and dismissed the site.
After reading these threads, I decided to Google the matter more in-depth and found her actual name (Amy Paape which as far as names go, isn't really all that terrible). If you look closely at the comments in some of the earliest Icing posts, two people by the names of Jonathan and Janet Paape show up writing occasionally. I assume they are her parents. Jonathan happens to be a poster for a thread about Ferrari cars so that ties in with GD's past and how she wrote about riding in one to school. Maybe she has a trust fund, maybe she doesn't. But she does have someone contributing to her lifestyle other than she alone because to live in New York and constantly be traveling and staying in "rad hotels" (I can't stand that word now) requires a great deal of dough which Icing could never, ever generate enough of. She really doesn't even post all that often either.
And as for style tips, no. Just don't. Gala sticks to a palette of bright pink and black almost exclusively. She's actually rather boring to me. I don't call a pair of 5 inch heels a fashion risktaker if you wear similar shoes all the time.
Poor "The Dish." Good God, does that boy even have a name or personality other than being a cute accessory?
”
"I am Nubby’s life coach. I made her join a gym (ahem, haunted mansion), I’m trying to get her a job (I will be successful) & I’ve been force-feeding her vitamins every morning. Whipping her into shape!!!"
I really don't know where to begin with this one as there are so many ridiculous statements. Gala, are you suddenly the hiring expert here in the United States? And as for the force feeding of the vitamins thing, that strikes me as a rude way to talk about someone you consider to be your close friend. Bitch please. Nubby is total confidence and has it in the bag. Her blog is FAR more substance with the right mix of style. Gala, you on the other hand are deleting comments left and delivering posts that are nothing more than a vague quote and a photo from Flickr.
There was definitely a time when I was a Gala devotee. I found her site on a rainy day and all of the pink colors and glitter just hypnotized me for awhile (I am sometimes pathetic when it comes to certain blogs).
I recommended the site to one of my friends who is an absolute fashionista for the ages and a critical reader. The first warning bell that made me reevaluate the site was when my friend admitted to liking one of her "Daily Outfits" but that was it and dismissed the site.
After reading these threads, I decided to Google the matter more in-depth and found her actual name (Amy Paape which as far as names go, isn't really all that terrible). If you look closely at the comments in some of the earliest Icing posts, two people by the names of Jonathan and Janet Paape show up writing occasionally. I assume they are her parents. Jonathan happens to be a poster for a thread about Ferrari cars so that ties in with GD's past and how she wrote about riding in one to school. Maybe she has a trust fund, maybe she doesn't. But she does have someone contributing to her lifestyle other than she alone because to live in New York and constantly be traveling and staying in "rad hotels" (I can't stand that word now) requires a great deal of dough which Icing could never, ever generate enough of. She really doesn't even post all that often either.
And as for style tips, no. Just don't. Gala sticks to a palette of bright pink and black almost exclusively. She's actually rather boring to me. I don't call a pair of 5 inch heels a fashion risktaker if you wear similar shoes all the time.
Poor "The Dish." Good God, does that boy even have a name or personality other than being a cute accessory?
”
“Lauren-- Yes, I felt really bad for all of the poor, gullible girls who commented on that post... Let's hope G.D never makes a post about how amazing it is to jump off a bridge (you know, without a bungee cord), haha.”
“Would just like to mention Gala's recent post on the magical pills...I feel almost bad for the huge number of girls who smacked down plenty of $$ shipping those stupid vitamins from Canada in the hopes of perfect skin.
1. If they had read any reviews from anywhere else they could see they're pretty much useless (hello Makeupalley for example, which Gala always praises...There they have like a 1.5 rating!)
2. They're ridiculously expensive and you have to take 4 a day...uh what?!
3. What happened to her perfect, glowing, amazing skin from eating totally raw and drinking huge amounts of water? :/
Ahhh dear I have a feeling the Gala train is starting to come off the rails a little, especially with this ChinaShop business.”
1. If they had read any reviews from anywhere else they could see they're pretty much useless (hello Makeupalley for example, which Gala always praises...There they have like a 1.5 rating!)
2. They're ridiculously expensive and you have to take 4 a day...uh what?!
3. What happened to her perfect, glowing, amazing skin from eating totally raw and drinking huge amounts of water? :/
Ahhh dear I have a feeling the Gala train is starting to come off the rails a little, especially with this ChinaShop business.”
“from gala's latest TiLT:
"Las Vegas from Monday the 31st of August to Wednesday the 2nd of September. Auckland, New Zealand (HOLLA!) from the 3rd of September to… well… I’m not sure. I will be there a week or so. Back to New York somewhere around my birthday (13th September!), & London from the 16th of September to the 23rd. Then I am going to come back to New York & sleep for a zillion years."
yeah. right. "fully self-funded" my ass! she also needs to stop talking like she's black. it's embarassing.”
"Las Vegas from Monday the 31st of August to Wednesday the 2nd of September. Auckland, New Zealand (HOLLA!) from the 3rd of September to… well… I’m not sure. I will be there a week or so. Back to New York somewhere around my birthday (13th September!), & London from the 16th of September to the 23rd. Then I am going to come back to New York & sleep for a zillion years."
yeah. right. "fully self-funded" my ass! she also needs to stop talking like she's black. it's embarassing.”
“What the hell? There were two politely critical comments at the end of the Chinashop article pointing out her grammatical errors. Now both of them are gone. Does Gala Darling delete blog comments on her EMPLOYER'S blog as well? ”
“http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/08/necklush/ -- Faced with a "real" audience, Gala is kinda failing miserably. ”
“gah! sorry lauren x, that comment wasn't AT you, it was in response to what you quoted from gala. x”
“lauren x: that is SUCH rubbish. if "honesty is very important to her" (HAH) then she wouldn't delete comments. & she's close with her parents so there's NO WAY they just wouldn't give her any money. there's also NO WAY anyone can live that lifestyle, esp in NYC, funded by a fluff blog, occasional podcasts & some freelancing. anyone who believes that needs a reality check. from her twitter: "Organising flights, hotels, visits from friends & parents, shopping trips." WAKE UP, PEOPLE.”
“I have had thoughts about how fake Gala was after I started following her on Twitter. It is very funny how once you notice one thing fishy about her, things start to unfold rapidly and next thing you know you don't want to follow her blog anymore. One day I decided to google "Gala Darling is" to find out if maybe others thought the same... and I'm so surprised to see that I'm not alone.
Anyway, I'm not going to bash her all up and down... but the one thing is she should stop messing with her comments. Fashion bloggers like Rumi, Karla and the the Queens from Kingdom of Style just let them up on their site. They address (or don't address!) the negative comments and move on.
I really love her mission to make everyone happy but it's not good advice if she herself doesn't deal with critism. One of the ways we grow is by admitting your faults and improving, and isn't she all about improving?
I know my comment is beating the long dead horse, but I'm assuming Gala is reading and I'm hoping that she really thinks about what we say. It would be great if she did a post about this: vulnerable and real. Admitting her faults and deciding that she's going to change. Her readers and people like me would love to see that journey.”
Anyway, I'm not going to bash her all up and down... but the one thing is she should stop messing with her comments. Fashion bloggers like Rumi, Karla and the the Queens from Kingdom of Style just let them up on their site. They address (or don't address!) the negative comments and move on.
I really love her mission to make everyone happy but it's not good advice if she herself doesn't deal with critism. One of the ways we grow is by admitting your faults and improving, and isn't she all about improving?
I know my comment is beating the long dead horse, but I'm assuming Gala is reading and I'm hoping that she really thinks about what we say. It would be great if she did a post about this: vulnerable and real. Admitting her faults and deciding that she's going to change. Her readers and people like me would love to see that journey.”
“I have had thoughts about how fake Gala was after I started following her on Twitter. It is very funny how once you notice one thing fishy about her, things start to unfold rapidly and next thing you know you don't want to follow her blog anymore. One day I decided to google "Gala Darling is" to find out if maybe others thought the same... and I'm so surprised to see that I'm not alone.
Anyway, I'm not going to bash her all up and down... but the one thing is she should stop messing with her comments. Fashion bloggers like Rumi, Karla and the the Queens from Kingdom of Style just let them up on their site. They address (or don't address!) the negative comments and move on.
I really love her mission to make everyone happy but it's not good advice if she herself doesn't deal with critism. One of the ways we grow is by admitting your faults and improving, and isn't she all about improving?
I know my comment is beating the long dead horse, but I'm assuming Gala is reading and I'm hoping that she really thinks about what we say. It would be great if she did a post about this: vulnerable and real. Admitting her faults and deciding that she's going to change. Her readers and people like me would love to see that journey.”
Anyway, I'm not going to bash her all up and down... but the one thing is she should stop messing with her comments. Fashion bloggers like Rumi, Karla and the the Queens from Kingdom of Style just let them up on their site. They address (or don't address!) the negative comments and move on.
I really love her mission to make everyone happy but it's not good advice if she herself doesn't deal with critism. One of the ways we grow is by admitting your faults and improving, and isn't she all about improving?
I know my comment is beating the long dead horse, but I'm assuming Gala is reading and I'm hoping that she really thinks about what we say. It would be great if she did a post about this: vulnerable and real. Admitting her faults and deciding that she's going to change. Her readers and people like me would love to see that journey.”
“Thought you guys might like to ponder over this, from the comments box of a recent post on iCing...
"#
Gala, I found another website that said that you were a fraud, and that most of your income is actually from your wealthy parents!! Please say it ain’t so!!! If this is partially true, I think you need to address this issue to your readers (maybe in a blog post?) You are such an inspiration to so many people who want to make a living doing what you do, so I think its important to let your fans know the truth if you are partially being supported by your parents. I swear I am not just trying to violate your “commenting policy”, but trying to open up a meaningful discussion!
xoxo
<3 miss B"
"miss B — I’m about to run out the door to go to dinner but no I do not have a trust fund & no my parents don’t give me any financial assistance… I was just talking about this on Twitter! twitter.com/galadarling I am fully self-funded, if it was any other way I’d say as much, because honesty is important to me! Hope this clears it up for you!
Gala"”
"#
Gala, I found another website that said that you were a fraud, and that most of your income is actually from your wealthy parents!! Please say it ain’t so!!! If this is partially true, I think you need to address this issue to your readers (maybe in a blog post?) You are such an inspiration to so many people who want to make a living doing what you do, so I think its important to let your fans know the truth if you are partially being supported by your parents. I swear I am not just trying to violate your “commenting policy”, but trying to open up a meaningful discussion!
xoxo
<3 miss B"
"miss B — I’m about to run out the door to go to dinner but no I do not have a trust fund & no my parents don’t give me any financial assistance… I was just talking about this on Twitter! twitter.com/galadarling I am fully self-funded, if it was any other way I’d say as much, because honesty is important to me! Hope this clears it up for you!
Gala"”
“Sorry guys, my bad. Had been reading Coilhouse as well, didn't realise I'd said that. It was indeed Chinashop and it's here: http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/08/sex-and-the-city-2-open-call
That "Stop Complaining" thing is a heap of bullshit. I was over there just after she first put it up and a healthy 50% of the comments were along the lines of "you call this a post?!" Now there are only about 20 comments left and naturally they're all saying "OMG GALA YOU'RE LIKE AMAZING!" Doesn't she feel like a ridiculous fraud doing that?! Surely?!
”
That "Stop Complaining" thing is a heap of bullshit. I was over there just after she first put it up and a healthy 50% of the comments were along the lines of "you call this a post?!" Now there are only about 20 comments left and naturally they're all saying "OMG GALA YOU'RE LIKE AMAZING!" Doesn't she feel like a ridiculous fraud doing that?! Surely?!
”
“she deleted my comment on that 'stop complaining' post of hers (i can't really call it an article, can i?). not cool!
i would respect her a lot more if she didn't delete comments all over the place. she deleted the comments above mine and they weren't even negative.
i've been following her website since she advertised it on a livejournal community for people who live in melbourne (australia) in december 2006. i used to adore it but it's pretty much been unreadable since she got all up in the 'o hay i'm lyke totally a celebrity' thing.
anyway i'm going to 'stop complaining' because what i've said has probably already been discussed here (i didn't read all the other posts). what saddens me most is that she hardly ever smiles in photos anymore. it's like she used to have this website that was fulfilling for both inside and out, which was enjoyable to read, but now it's all about the shoes and the glitter. which is hardly good for the soul at all.”
i would respect her a lot more if she didn't delete comments all over the place. she deleted the comments above mine and they weren't even negative.
i've been following her website since she advertised it on a livejournal community for people who live in melbourne (australia) in december 2006. i used to adore it but it's pretty much been unreadable since she got all up in the 'o hay i'm lyke totally a celebrity' thing.
anyway i'm going to 'stop complaining' because what i've said has probably already been discussed here (i didn't read all the other posts). what saddens me most is that she hardly ever smiles in photos anymore. it's like she used to have this website that was fulfilling for both inside and out, which was enjoyable to read, but now it's all about the shoes and the glitter. which is hardly good for the soul at all.”
“hey everyone - STOP COMPLAINING!
lolololol. i wonder how much "income" a blog post that contains nothing but an (uncredited) image generates?
(fyi: http://galadarling.com/article/stop-complaining)”
lolololol. i wonder how much "income" a blog post that contains nothing but an (uncredited) image generates?
(fyi: http://galadarling.com/article/stop-complaining)”
“
Haha, I just had my first comment deleted off her site. All I said was that I agreed with about 4 other comments before mine that said the "Stop Complaining" post was a cop-out and they expressed sadness that she doesn't post quality material anymore. Now, all those comments have disappeared! None of them were disrespectful. Blah.
Also, the SATC thing was written for Chinashop, not Coilhouse (because I tried looking it up there first). And, yes, it was atrociously written. Eight lines does not constitute an article. ”
Haha, I just had my first comment deleted off her site. All I said was that I agreed with about 4 other comments before mine that said the "Stop Complaining" post was a cop-out and they expressed sadness that she doesn't post quality material anymore. Now, all those comments have disappeared! None of them were disrespectful. Blah.
Also, the SATC thing was written for Chinashop, not Coilhouse (because I tried looking it up there first). And, yes, it was atrociously written. Eight lines does not constitute an article. ”
“Claire, I know some people who have trust funds or inheritances or come from wealthy backgrounds who are doing wonderful things. They live in foreign countries, do non-profit work, artistic work.... they do not need to explain and certainly not apologize for not making an income. I think the issue with Gala Darling is what you said.... that she is both claiming and suggesting that she is living her rich lifestyle BECAUSE of the "hard work" she puts into her blog. A lot of people are calling foul. At the very least, Gala should be more careful about what she says if she doesn't want to have this backlash.”
“Re: the money thing -- have you guys maybe thought there's more ways than a trust fund Gala could be living the lifestyle she does in NY without working (because iCing obviously isn't much "work" -- I do wonder what she's doing when she Tweets about "worked all day, so tired!", but I digress)? I have a friend whose grandmother left her a very substantial inheritance -- basically enough for her to travel and do whatever she likes for a long, long time. She's done a heap of internships so she can get a career but take advantage of the fact that she doesn't necessarily need to be paid while she works her way up the ladder. Maybe Gala has a similar set up? Like I said further down though, I think it might actually be beneficial to her to tell her readers the truth -- it's obvious that she isn't doing so now (at least not the whole truth), but I'd still read her if she did.”
“Can you even SAY "people of all colours"? Isn't that a tiny bit nonPC these days? I would've thought "people of all backgrounds" or something was more the thing. Not saying she's racist or anything but maybe thoughtless...”
“Have you guys seen the SATC thing she wrote for Coilhouse? I could not BELIEVE how badly written that shit was (seeing her writing outside of iCing when she can't put her "fuck yeah unicorns and pink shit!" sheen all over it really makes you realise how bland/unprofessional she sounds), plus she seemed almost kind of disdainful that "girls of all sizes" and "girls of all colours" showed up. I was kinda shocked.”
“For all of her talk about being a visionary businesswoman, I gotta call Gala Darling LAZY LAZY LAZY. Icing is hardly updated with substantial posts. A real professional blogger has to work her ass off like X.X. said under me. My 2 cents is that she barely makes 2 cents from her blog. As Maddy put it, Gala Darling could never survive in the real publishing world, without her parental lifeline”
“Lavinia: I wasn't looking for sympathy, I hope you realize that. You can definitely disagree with her suggesting it (and I would disagree with it being a CURE ALL) but it's an option, a different way of taking control of your situation, which can be very powerful when you are feeling out of control.
And I am healing, yes, and I'm growing happier and stronger every day. Thank you!”
And I am healing, yes, and I'm growing happier and stronger every day. Thank you!”
“Obviously I realise this is totally off topic but I just wanted to respond to Tierra who thinks that having an arts PhD means I "don't live in the real world" in the same way as Gala. I didn't go to an "annoying liberal arts school", I went to a University in the United Kingdom, and I took a PhD in order to become a lecturer in my subject. You're probably right that academics don't necessarily live in the same world as everyone else (generally we live in the library...), but I'm pretty sure that in teaching young people about literature I'm giving a damn sight more back to the "real world" than Ms Darling ever will. & to whoever it was expressed surprise at the fact that a doctor of Literature would read Gala's blog... I'm only 26, so I fall right into her demographic. And hey, I need some time off from reading Whitman, right?
That seemed like a long-ass explanation for something totally out of kilter, but when Tierra decided to get personal about my involvement in the real world, I felt the need. The people who are coming here and assuming that just because we don't like Gala we're sad trolls sitting in our black bedrooms and not having a functioning life need to quit! If anything, the more socially and politically involved you are, the more repugnant you're going to find iCing and its unrealistic, faux-feminist fluff.
Back to topic: I agree that this thread has become too catty. I realise I got very irate further down the board, probably stoked up by other people's ire. Talking about it with friends (in -- shock! -- the real world), I have come to the conclusion that anyone who's bothered by Gala's outlook (promoting vast and unethical consumerism, mercenary relationships, anti-education and a generally moronic outlook on the world re: "problems don't exist") should simply boycott her. She is an attention-seeker -- so don't give her the attention. She doesn't deserve it one bit, as we've apparently decided. So just un-follow everything to do with her -- that's my new direction. & that includes this thread. Adios.”
That seemed like a long-ass explanation for something totally out of kilter, but when Tierra decided to get personal about my involvement in the real world, I felt the need. The people who are coming here and assuming that just because we don't like Gala we're sad trolls sitting in our black bedrooms and not having a functioning life need to quit! If anything, the more socially and politically involved you are, the more repugnant you're going to find iCing and its unrealistic, faux-feminist fluff.
Back to topic: I agree that this thread has become too catty. I realise I got very irate further down the board, probably stoked up by other people's ire. Talking about it with friends (in -- shock! -- the real world), I have come to the conclusion that anyone who's bothered by Gala's outlook (promoting vast and unethical consumerism, mercenary relationships, anti-education and a generally moronic outlook on the world re: "problems don't exist") should simply boycott her. She is an attention-seeker -- so don't give her the attention. She doesn't deserve it one bit, as we've apparently decided. So just un-follow everything to do with her -- that's my new direction. & that includes this thread. Adios.”
“savannah: "A good therapist would tell you that." yes but gala isn't a good therapist. or any therapist. and even though she said EFT isn't for everyone, she didn't include any other options or links or resources that could help this person. i tried the whole "tapping your hand" shit that she "promised" would make depression, anxiety, etc disappear but what a surprise, it didn't work! she has plenty to say about superficial shit but when it comes to something serious she has no clue. ANYWAY. i am very sorry to hear about what happened to you and i hope you are getting help and healing and are happy. xx
audrey: business under the VWP is for visitors to america who intend to conduct business meetings, court hearings and engage in professional or commercial undertakings which will not result in financial gain. also, to enter america under the VWP you need to show evidence you intend to leave (i.e. return ticket). & my apologies, it sounded like you were attacking me/others who disagree with you. ”
audrey: business under the VWP is for visitors to america who intend to conduct business meetings, court hearings and engage in professional or commercial undertakings which will not result in financial gain. also, to enter america under the VWP you need to show evidence you intend to leave (i.e. return ticket). & my apologies, it sounded like you were attacking me/others who disagree with you. ”
“Oh, I have an issue here: every sex abuse survivor needs to deal with his or her pain in their very own way. A therapist does not solve things magically. I'm not saying that EFT will help everyone, and I'm not saying that a good therapist will not help you either. I did ten years of therapy for sex abuse that happened as a child but I had never really confronted the issue of deeply loving, forgiving, and accepting myself for what had happened to me. A lot of my therapists would pander to my victim hood and I enjoyed that; it was unfortunate that they never really confronted me on the fact that I used what had happened to me as an excuse to hate myself.
Find a good therapist, be pro-active in your healing of the issue, whatever it takes. I think some people use therapy as a passive way to heal trauma and can sink into the idea that the therapist is the one healing you, not yourself. For some people, EFT can really help them, even if it doesn't align meridians or whatever they say it does. This summer, I used EFT on a lot of my past sex abuse issues and no matter what it did or didn't do physically, it definitely helped me be honest about a lot of my broken thought processes. Identifying the problem is half of the battle.
As long as they are not hurting themselves or others in the process, there's no reason to criticize a coping mechanism. A good therapist would tell you that.”
Find a good therapist, be pro-active in your healing of the issue, whatever it takes. I think some people use therapy as a passive way to heal trauma and can sink into the idea that the therapist is the one healing you, not yourself. For some people, EFT can really help them, even if it doesn't align meridians or whatever they say it does. This summer, I used EFT on a lot of my past sex abuse issues and no matter what it did or didn't do physically, it definitely helped me be honest about a lot of my broken thought processes. Identifying the problem is half of the battle.
As long as they are not hurting themselves or others in the process, there's no reason to criticize a coping mechanism. A good therapist would tell you that.”
“Lavinia -- I don't understand your hostility, I wasn't attacking you or anyone else, just sharing my thoughts. I'm sorry if you thought I was attempting to insult your intelligence. I didn't mean my remark to insinuate that I've travelled more than anyone here, I was just merely making the point that that sort of behaviour is not uncommon amongst twentysomethings who travel and I was surprised that you guys weren't aware of that. I should've worded it better. Thank you for enlightening me about the VWP, although I was correct in saying that it can be used for short term business. I thought perhaps that that would have given Gala the ability to hire an intern, but like I said, I don't know what rights people who use the VWP for business have. Do you? (Not an accusatory question, you seem to know a lot about it and now I'm genuinely curious.)
About creeping you out, well nothing I can do about that really I actually said I wasn't really into iCing anymore, not that I'd stopped visiting the site completely. I still check it out sporadically but most of her articles to which I referred were older posts. I was really intrigued by her lifestyle and I found her a very inspiring person, so yes, I read them fairly extensively, and I have a pretty good memory... I'm sorry that that scares you.
The reason I had so much to say is because I've been keeping an eye on these comments for a while. I'd never viewed Gala in this light before reading all these allegations here, and while I mightn't agree with everything, but it's definitely interesting hearing your points of view. I really didn't mean my post to come across like I was dismissing what everyone said, and I definitely didn't "have an answer to everything", because I think a lot of what you guys are saying could be true. I just wanted to offer some other possibilities to speculate on.
And Eva, no that's not me.”
About creeping you out, well nothing I can do about that really
I actually said I wasn't really into iCing anymore, not that I'd stopped visiting the site completely. I still check it out sporadically but most of her articles to which I referred were older posts. I was really intrigued by her lifestyle and I found her a very inspiring person, so yes, I read them fairly extensively, and I have a pretty good memory... I'm sorry that that scares you.The reason I had so much to say is because I've been keeping an eye on these comments for a while. I'd never viewed Gala in this light before reading all these allegations here, and while I mightn't agree with everything, but it's definitely interesting hearing your points of view. I really didn't mean my post to come across like I was dismissing what everyone said, and I definitely didn't "have an answer to everything", because I think a lot of what you guys are saying could be true. I just wanted to offer some other possibilities to speculate on.
And Eva, no that's not me.”
“ms d. omg. is that article a joke?! please tell me it's a joke. please? "If you don’t want to try EFT, then please do yourself a favour & using the fingers of one hand, tap the padded side of your hand (under your little finger) whenever you have thoughts about what has happened to you. The anxiety, fear, anger or depression will lift, I promise." soooo basically if you don't want to try eft, try eft! and wtf is this?!? - "the best thing I think you can do is to use EFT to let your body know that you love, respect & forgive yourself for everything that has happened." um no, the best thing you can do is SEE A COUNSELLOR. omg my dislike for this ridiculous pink idiot just skyrocketed 100000 levels. jesus christ.”
“I still can't believe, after all this muck raking, that no one has mentioned the diamond in Gala's Crown Of Stupid... the article in which she recommended EFT as a cure-all to a girl who wrote to her saying she had been sexually abused...
http://galadarling.com/article/sexual-abuse
How does anyone take this woman seriously?”
http://galadarling.com/article/sexual-abuse
How does anyone take this woman seriously?”
“and ps - whoever it was that started this whole questioning Gala thing, I applaud you, I have been feeling the same way for ages but thought it would be catty of me to bring it up. Thank God I am not the only one who thinks she is a flake.
”
”
“Audrey, is this you?
http://galadarling.com/article/audreys-style-guide-for-tall-fellows
Maybe that's why you know so much about Gala, because you are actually mates?”
http://galadarling.com/article/audreys-style-guide-for-tall-fellows
Maybe that's why you know so much about Gala, because you are actually mates?”
“The comment deleting thing confuses me more than anything. If the comments are written in a polite and non-trolling manner, then why not simply engage with them? Even just saying 'well, that's your opinion, but I feel that...' is enough. Often it's nice to have differing opinions to get a discussion going, as long as everyone is being civilized.”
“
this comment deleting thing is absurd. i also wanted to go look at the comment mentioned by audrey b. on the new Love & Sequins article...ooo, but it isn't there anymore! ugh. now i am more put off than ever before about all this. of COURSE all the information Gala puts in the podcast can probably be found for free online, since it seems that ALL she does is surf the web for links and "inspiration" in between buying new outfits (the riding helmet, are you kidding me?) and graciously giving out promo codes to her readers. if i didn't have a job i could do the same thing. of course, i don't have a "cute" accent, pink hair, or a slight build, so i probably wouldn't be as "successful"...”
this comment deleting thing is absurd. i also wanted to go look at the comment mentioned by audrey b. on the new Love & Sequins article...ooo, but it isn't there anymore! ugh. now i am more put off than ever before about all this. of COURSE all the information Gala puts in the podcast can probably be found for free online, since it seems that ALL she does is surf the web for links and "inspiration" in between buying new outfits (the riding helmet, are you kidding me?) and graciously giving out promo codes to her readers. if i didn't have a job i could do the same thing. of course, i don't have a "cute" accent, pink hair, or a slight build, so i probably wouldn't be as "successful"...”
“oh surprise surPRISE... gala has once again deleted comments on her blog! my earlier comment on this site mentioned someone posting on gala's entry today saying that everything she talks about on her podcast can be found online elsewhere for free...and poof! comments gone! i can't believe how utterly pathetic that girl is. seriously.”
“ah audrey...if interns are paid then it would definitely have to be an established and registered business in the states. so no. free or not an intern (under general internship guidelines) cannot work for gala. also i've been in and out of america many times on a VWP - the maximum time you can stay there is 3 months. you cannot work under the VWP because it is basically a tourist visa. to obtain work one must need a social security number, which also requires residential status of some sort. gala is there on the VWP. if she has applied for work visa she is forbidden to leave the country until that visa is processed (with the exception of extenuating circumstances i.e. family matters). also the only way she can obtain a more permanent visa is through employer sponsorship, study, marriage, working in a specialised industry that america has a skill shortage for. so you are incorrect with your assumptions regarding her visa or status. also, underage girls, aka minors, also have sex and use sex toys too! amazing, huh?! p.s. i've travelled around this globe in the last 5 years more you probably will in your lifetime so please stop insulting our intelligence with your assumptions. by the way, steve pavolina is a professional writer with years of blogging experience who makes a full-time living through his blog while gala is still in the wading pool. and you know, it's funny that for someone who claims they're not an 'omg i love gala' fan you sure are defending her more than her self-proclaimed fans have been - you've had an answer to everything mentioned here (even though they're your own assumptions and not based on fact because you don't even know gala), and also, for someone who claims they haven't been to her site in ages, you sure do know a lot about what's been happening in her life. you creep me out.”
“First of all, great article. It's a shame that people seem to be using this place as an outlet to vent about Gala's lifestyle rather than discussing the piece of writing itself, but oh well.
I just want to clarify my stance on this issue before saying anything else. I am not a teenage omg-I-love-Gala fan who has come here to stick up for her, and accuse you guys of insecurity. I am not Gala herself. I found her website through her livejournal mid-2007, loved it at first, haven't been into it so much recently. As many others have said, the quality of her posts has definitely declined, I noticed this not long after she moved to NYC and began to veer iCing in a different direction. But that's okay, it's her project not mine. I think some of you have definitely roused some interesting points, I just wanted to make a few of my own because I have read just about all of her articles and there are some details that you guys seem to have missed (possibly intentionally ;)).
Maddy, not all interns work for nothing. There are many paid internships out there. If you're so familiar with US immigration laws then you should know that you can enter the States on the Visa Waiver Program for pleasure or business. I believe that would give Gala the right to work there, I must admit I'm not too sure if she'd be able to hire others to work for her though. However, I don't think that's what Gala's doing to stay there. I am pretty sure you can only use the VWP again after a certain period of time (not dissimilar to the Schengen countries in which you can spend any 90 days of a six month period). Besides, I'm sure you would also know that the States probably have the most strict border control in the world, all of Gala's travel in and out of the States would be recorded in her passport. I don't believe they would let her get away with entering and re-entering all the time under the VWP, and I don't think she's stupid enough to try. She also mentioned in a post ages ago about having to meet her lawyer in regards to obtaining a proper visa.
I'm surprised so many of you think Gala's target demographic is underage girls? She frequently writes about sex and erotic toys, and often links to similar articles. Also, whoever posted Gala's old name, really? What gives you the right to do that? That's plain disrespectful and a violation of privacy.
I was amused by the hooker comments. I guess most of you haven't done a lot of travelling in the last decade, it's really not uncommon to go and stay with someone you've never met before. Technology these days allows us to get to know people quite well before ever physically seeing them. For example, couchsurfing.com, livejournal, etc.
Something everyone seems to have neglected is that Gala has never said "you can all live my life too!". In fact, in one of her posts she said that when she first moved to Melbourne with Simon she was living off of his income and it was a huge struggle, she frequently wanted to give up and she doesn't know what she would have done without his support. From what I've gathered, they are still friends. She didn't go into too much detail on iCing, but she did say they both knew it was going to happen. That's her personal life and I don't really want to go sticky-beaking, I just thought all the accusations of her "getting bored" of him and just dumping him out of nowhere were a little absurd.
In regards to where she gets her money from. I must admit this threw me a little. I've never run a website before, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I thought gaining profit from ad revenue depends on how many visitors your site gets. Gala has thousands of loyal followers and iCing is getting more coverage every day. That in mind, is it THAT implausible that she is making an income solely off that (plus her other projects)? Does Steve Pavlina not do the same thing?
Regardless, at the end of the day she has a positive, energetic attitude and she inspires people. She's not doing any harm. The one thing that really bugged me was the accusations of censorship -- I'm all about free speech, I really hope it's not true that she deletes comments that she doesn't agree with.
Anyway, this was all I could think of off the top of my head, there were a few other points people made that irked me but hopefully I'll remember them another time. I'm sorry I didn't link to articles for reference, I know you probably want ~*proof*~ but it would've taken me such a long time to search for them and I'm too hungover right now. Besides I've seen them, I know they're there somewhere, if this is something you guys are really passionate about (which so many of you are, funnily enough...) I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding them on your own. I welcome anything anyone has to say about what I've discussed, please be mature about it though, and I don't really care if you have a PhD or not, I'll regard your opinions all the same”
I just want to clarify my stance on this issue before saying anything else. I am not a teenage omg-I-love-Gala fan who has come here to stick up for her, and accuse you guys of insecurity. I am not Gala herself. I found her website through her livejournal mid-2007, loved it at first, haven't been into it so much recently. As many others have said, the quality of her posts has definitely declined, I noticed this not long after she moved to NYC and began to veer iCing in a different direction. But that's okay, it's her project not mine. I think some of you have definitely roused some interesting points, I just wanted to make a few of my own because I have read just about all of her articles and there are some details that you guys seem to have missed (possibly intentionally ;)).
Maddy, not all interns work for nothing. There are many paid internships out there. If you're so familiar with US immigration laws then you should know that you can enter the States on the Visa Waiver Program for pleasure or business. I believe that would give Gala the right to work there, I must admit I'm not too sure if she'd be able to hire others to work for her though. However, I don't think that's what Gala's doing to stay there. I am pretty sure you can only use the VWP again after a certain period of time (not dissimilar to the Schengen countries in which you can spend any 90 days of a six month period). Besides, I'm sure you would also know that the States probably have the most strict border control in the world, all of Gala's travel in and out of the States would be recorded in her passport. I don't believe they would let her get away with entering and re-entering all the time under the VWP, and I don't think she's stupid enough to try. She also mentioned in a post ages ago about having to meet her lawyer in regards to obtaining a proper visa.
I'm surprised so many of you think Gala's target demographic is underage girls? She frequently writes about sex and erotic toys, and often links to similar articles. Also, whoever posted Gala's old name, really? What gives you the right to do that? That's plain disrespectful and a violation of privacy.
I was amused by the hooker comments. I guess most of you haven't done a lot of travelling in the last decade, it's really not uncommon to go and stay with someone you've never met before. Technology these days allows us to get to know people quite well before ever physically seeing them. For example, couchsurfing.com, livejournal, etc.
Something everyone seems to have neglected is that Gala has never said "you can all live my life too!". In fact, in one of her posts she said that when she first moved to Melbourne with Simon she was living off of his income and it was a huge struggle, she frequently wanted to give up and she doesn't know what she would have done without his support. From what I've gathered, they are still friends. She didn't go into too much detail on iCing, but she did say they both knew it was going to happen. That's her personal life and I don't really want to go sticky-beaking, I just thought all the accusations of her "getting bored" of him and just dumping him out of nowhere were a little absurd.
In regards to where she gets her money from. I must admit this threw me a little. I've never run a website before, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I thought gaining profit from ad revenue depends on how many visitors your site gets. Gala has thousands of loyal followers and iCing is getting more coverage every day. That in mind, is it THAT implausible that she is making an income solely off that (plus her other projects)? Does Steve Pavlina not do the same thing?
Regardless, at the end of the day she has a positive, energetic attitude and she inspires people. She's not doing any harm. The one thing that really bugged me was the accusations of censorship -- I'm all about free speech, I really hope it's not true that she deletes comments that she doesn't agree with.
Anyway, this was all I could think of off the top of my head, there were a few other points people made that irked me but hopefully I'll remember them another time. I'm sorry I didn't link to articles for reference, I know you probably want ~*proof*~ but it would've taken me such a long time to search for them and I'm too hungover right now. Besides I've seen them, I know they're there somewhere, if this is something you guys are really passionate about (which so many of you are, funnily enough...) I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding them on your own. I welcome anything anyone has to say about what I've discussed, please be mature about it though, and I don't really care if you have a PhD or not, I'll regard your opinions all the same
”
“hey i just found this page (yes i'm very quick on the uptake!) and i wanna say "HOLLA!" to all the non-gala fans here! you all make very good points which i agree with or wasn't aware of until now! i want to ask has anyone else noticed how completely phony her podcast's "customers" sound? and just how much the wording in every single "satisfied podcast customer" comment is exactly like the way she writes? oh gee, would she be making those comments up herself now would she?! *shock/horror* go read them for yourself! not only is she a joke of a farce but now she's LYING to her readers to make money. that is called a SCAM. i'd get more satisfaction by throwing $12 down a drainpipe than by listening to her insanely clueless & expensive podcast tripe. & to jasmine, the girl who posted comment #16 on the podcast blog entry itself, i hope you're reading this because i'm e-high-fiving you babe! anyone with half a brain can find all of gala's "self-help" crap elsewhere online - for FREE! ”
“This is stupid, senseless and sad.
To be honest I think that some of the people that have commented on here just to argue about who is "self-funded," right or wrong joined CO+K only for that... and that's just equally stupid, senseless and sad.
I just thought I'd share that with some of you, but I’m not going to reply back if anybody would like to question or test that theory.
”
To be honest I think that some of the people that have commented on here just to argue about who is "self-funded," right or wrong joined CO+K only for that... and that's just equally stupid, senseless and sad.
I just thought I'd share that with some of you, but I’m not going to reply back if anybody would like to question or test that theory.
”
“Pro-Gala, anti-Gala, whatever. There's like, over 100 comments of the same argument over and over again. I can't believe so many people are getting their panties in a twist over a blogger. (This argument couldn't have even existed 15 years ago- weird, huh?) Instead of arguing about my entitlement to information/glitter cupcakes/some blogger's integrity I think I'm going to worry about MYSELF for the rest of the evening. (Drink Franzia out of the box, laugh at cat videos on YouTube, have sex with my boyfriend and promptly fall asleep in a drooling heap. Come to think of it, that's a better investment of my time than remembering my thesis to this grand comment. Excuse me while I prematurely wrap this up and avoid contributing -even more- to this discussion which doesn't even concern me.)
Mekka lekka hi meka hiney ho!”
Mekka lekka hi meka hiney ho!”
“Yelia: Er, how is that lying about being self-funded? She's a freelancer. What did you mean by "self-funded", that she just makes money out of thin air?”
“Gala Darling has a new interview on Women Making History. She says her jobs are Icing, the blog Chinashop and trying to write a book. AKA "hi I am plainly lying when I claim to be self-funded. HOLLA new hair extensions!"
http://www.missomnimedia.com/2009/08/women-making-history-gala-darling/”
http://www.missomnimedia.com/2009/08/women-making-history-gala-darling/”
“Bunny G (and anyone else),
Check out Gala's ex Simon's blog, http://sidawson.org/
Obviously she got all of her good material from him. His blog is fantastic!”
Check out Gala's ex Simon's blog, http://sidawson.org/
Obviously she got all of her good material from him. His blog is fantastic!”
“you guys are all insane! i was just introduced to Gala a while ago and i think it's the best freakin blog i've ever seen! in addition to great content, Gala puts out a really positive energy. you guys are acting like you know who she is personally and are attacking her character, when all you've done is read her blog! GLASS HOUSES PEOPLE! remember that everyone looks bad under a microscope”
“I think the issue that I, and a lot of others evidently, have with G.D. is that she doesn't acknowledge that she comes from a position of considerable privilege. She has marketed herself as a 'self made' woman who just decided on a whim to drop out of the rat race and make a living from her site. Would this have been possible if she had not been living with her (older, well-off) boyfriend who supported her at the beginning? Or if she had not come from a wealthy background? I think it's fair enough for people to speculate about things like how she -actually- makes a living, especially when she seems to sell the whole 'oh, just go for it and do what you want and the universe will shower you with glitter!' idea about life, while not acknowledging the reality that most people are not in a position to do this. At least not without a lot of hard work and struggle if they don't have some kind of benefactor.
I feel that as readers of Icing we do have a right to question what is going on behind the scenes. If this site is her job then we are contributing to her lifestyle, if only through the site traffic which allows her to get ad revenue. I find it very rude that she seems to constantly ignore questions, or to brush people off when they approach her politely. Of course nobody needs to have an itemized tax statement, but at least she could be honest (or polite!) about reasonable questions. It's not just questions about her income either. I remember when she introduced the paid podcast section of her site, her attitude to people who said that it was too expensive she simply brushed them off.
I'm disappointed to see the site moving away from a lot of the things that originally made it have such a nice atmosphere. She pretty much lost my interest when she dismissed living in Australia as 'boring' and moved to NYC. Her Australian-ness (okay, she's from NZ but was living in Australia) really appealed to me, so I can't really relate to just another 'I'm in New York and it's fab' blogger. But oh well, I'll move on. Honestly there are hundreds of other bloggers who are much more inspiring and authentic who I would rather be giving my page hits to.”
I feel that as readers of Icing we do have a right to question what is going on behind the scenes. If this site is her job then we are contributing to her lifestyle, if only through the site traffic which allows her to get ad revenue. I find it very rude that she seems to constantly ignore questions, or to brush people off when they approach her politely. Of course nobody needs to have an itemized tax statement, but at least she could be honest (or polite!) about reasonable questions. It's not just questions about her income either. I remember when she introduced the paid podcast section of her site, her attitude to people who said that it was too expensive she simply brushed them off.
I'm disappointed to see the site moving away from a lot of the things that originally made it have such a nice atmosphere. She pretty much lost my interest when she dismissed living in Australia as 'boring' and moved to NYC. Her Australian-ness (okay, she's from NZ but was living in Australia) really appealed to me, so I can't really relate to just another 'I'm in New York and it's fab' blogger. But oh well, I'll move on. Honestly there are hundreds of other bloggers who are much more inspiring and authentic who I would rather be giving my page hits to.”
“I've been reading back on this article since it came out and there are still people banging on about this?!
It is just a person with a blog. yes her blog isn't as great as it used to be, yes she seems like she's changed, yes she's not being open about her finances, but so what? It's just another person on the interwebz with a blog. If you don't like it, go somewhere else, email her personally, start a site called ihategala.com and vent as much as you like there. I feel sorry for the person that put together this well-written article only to have haters all over it because they don't like Gala. I'm surprised to see how many people know Gala's movements so well, for people that claim not to like her.
I hope that people can move on, get over this article and find something real in their lives, like actual people as opposed to internet blogs. If not... well at least I had my 2cents worth.
”
It is just a person with a blog. yes her blog isn't as great as it used to be, yes she seems like she's changed, yes she's not being open about her finances, but so what? It's just another person on the interwebz with a blog. If you don't like it, go somewhere else, email her personally, start a site called ihategala.com and vent as much as you like there. I feel sorry for the person that put together this well-written article only to have haters all over it because they don't like Gala. I'm surprised to see how many people know Gala's movements so well, for people that claim not to like her.
I hope that people can move on, get over this article and find something real in their lives, like actual people as opposed to internet blogs. If not... well at least I had my 2cents worth.
”
“miss c: it's because every time i've questioned gala directly she has either ignored me or deleted my comments. with so many people into her i really did wonder if any others question her blog/behaviour too, so it was a bit of a relief to know i wasn't the only one! yes i did call some comments "immature" etc, but you'll notice that a lot of the comments here by gala's fans contain swearing and direct personal attacks. and about my hanna montana comment, i guess sarcasm doesn't translate well over the internet. and you are a very cheeky lady! ;)
liz: YES. i am very familiar with US immigration laws and you hit the nail right on the head. gala cannot "hire" an intern - firstly because interns work for free, and because if her intern is say, a journalism student, he or she would need approval from their college, and gala does not have an accredited, established business in the united states. she is going to london soon, conveniently around the 3 month mark.
lily: there is no such thing as an artist's visa.
tierra: i'm not going to say she's not pretty because everyone is beautiful. i think she is far from being a "fashionista" but that is the extent of my criticism with her appearance. and i've mentioned in a few comments here that i commend her for being an inspiration on the lives of so many and that is a GOOD thing. my issue with gala is she is presenting ideals and a magical life in a way that makes it look easy to obtain, when in reality it is very far from it, and that she also avoids questions and deletes comments and bans readers, which is pretty ironic when one of the most important elements of writing is free speech.
i think i've said all i need to say here...but if you want see which blog inspires ME, go here -- http://www.luxirare.com/ -- have a good day everyone! xx”
liz: YES. i am very familiar with US immigration laws and you hit the nail right on the head. gala cannot "hire" an intern - firstly because interns work for free, and because if her intern is say, a journalism student, he or she would need approval from their college, and gala does not have an accredited, established business in the united states. she is going to london soon, conveniently around the 3 month mark.
lily: there is no such thing as an artist's visa.
tierra: i'm not going to say she's not pretty because everyone is beautiful. i think she is far from being a "fashionista" but that is the extent of my criticism with her appearance. and i've mentioned in a few comments here that i commend her for being an inspiration on the lives of so many and that is a GOOD thing. my issue with gala is she is presenting ideals and a magical life in a way that makes it look easy to obtain, when in reality it is very far from it, and that she also avoids questions and deletes comments and bans readers, which is pretty ironic when one of the most important elements of writing is free speech.
i think i've said all i need to say here...but if you want see which blog inspires ME, go here -- http://www.luxirare.com/ -- have a good day everyone! xx”
“I also think it's interesting, Maddy, that when I mentioned Gala's intern you were quick to refute it, but Yelia was the one who assured everyone that was the case in the first place. Oh wait, but she's on your side. I get it.
The immaturity of this "discussion" is getting a little out of control; I won't be participating any more. Saves you some trouble, anyhow, you can now feel free to ignore my questions indefinitely! ;D
SUPER LOVE & CUPCAKES!!!!”
The immaturity of this "discussion" is getting a little out of control; I won't be participating any more. Saves you some trouble, anyhow, you can now feel free to ignore my questions indefinitely! ;D
SUPER LOVE & CUPCAKES!!!!”
“Tierra Y. - I sooo agree with you on the highway thing. The highway that I drive to and fro when I go to college has a 90 km/h limit. Sometimes, I have to go as fast at 140 km/h because I get beeped at and people throw their cars at me. And that's when I go on the low speed lane. And about her podcast, she sold one installment called "The smart girl's guide to business", that's what people here are mentioning.”
“On an unrelated note although nothing that trashes Gala in this article can be unrelated: the All Points West article she wrote was possibly the worst piece of journalism I've ever read. And I read Cosmo for kicks.
But Gala Darling, whatever her flaws may be, is an extremely inspirational person to a lot of people and does inspire them to make their lives better in a way only a very jaded person would disagree with. She does *not* tell them *how* to live their life, just encourages them to go through life with a better attitude. I think that's pretty rad. ”
But Gala Darling, whatever her flaws may be, is an extremely inspirational person to a lot of people and does inspire them to make their lives better in a way only a very jaded person would disagree with. She does *not* tell them *how* to live their life, just encourages them to go through life with a better attitude. I think that's pretty rad. ”
“(sorry clicked post comment by accident)
"The Triumph Of Magic Over The Brute"? C'mon. That's literally a filler article: she just C&Ped part of an interview.
But a lot of you guys are being critical for the sake of being critical. A lot of your criticism stems from you guys actively looking for things to criticize about the lady in question. She never called herself a feminist (although to be fair, a lot of self-proclaimed feminist are not so much feminists as women who don't like it when people trash women but buy into the Male Gaze; ugh yawn), and she only puts down her own personal experience as a goth kid and the negativity that is associated with that scene. I'm pretty sure she still digs goth fashion pretty hard.
iCiNG is a very heteronormative blog geared towards a very heteronormative audience, yes. Gala Darling is a very privileged person, yes, in that she is a white heterosexual able-bodied person who is fairly well-off. There is nothing wrong with either of those things. That is a status quo, as unfortunate as that status quo may be.
I can't say much about her podcast; I only skimmed through those posts, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't actually market it as a business advice podcast. It's marketed as "Making Magic Happen," no? That doesn't seem like a business podcast so much as a lifestyle one. Cause, you know, iCiNG is a lifestyle blog.
(Also, in regards to the breaking the speed limit thing? All of you are stupid. For serious. Everyone involved in the entire 'discussion.' You, Gala, everybody. Have you ever driven on a highway? I get beeped at all the time for driving at the speed limit and not faster than that.)
(PPS: You wanna talk about privileged and being disconnected from the real world? How about having a PhD in poetry? I mean, as someone who goes to Officially The Most Annoying Liberal Arts School in America, that's a pretty "not knowing the real world" kind of degree.) ”
"The Triumph Of Magic Over The Brute"? C'mon. That's literally a filler article: she just C&Ped part of an interview.
But a lot of you guys are being critical for the sake of being critical. A lot of your criticism stems from you guys actively looking for things to criticize about the lady in question. She never called herself a feminist (although to be fair, a lot of self-proclaimed feminist are not so much feminists as women who don't like it when people trash women but buy into the Male Gaze; ugh yawn), and she only puts down her own personal experience as a goth kid and the negativity that is associated with that scene. I'm pretty sure she still digs goth fashion pretty hard.
iCiNG is a very heteronormative blog geared towards a very heteronormative audience, yes. Gala Darling is a very privileged person, yes, in that she is a white heterosexual able-bodied person who is fairly well-off. There is nothing wrong with either of those things. That is a status quo, as unfortunate as that status quo may be.
I can't say much about her podcast; I only skimmed through those posts, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't actually market it as a business advice podcast. It's marketed as "Making Magic Happen," no? That doesn't seem like a business podcast so much as a lifestyle one. Cause, you know, iCiNG is a lifestyle blog.
(Also, in regards to the breaking the speed limit thing? All of you are stupid. For serious. Everyone involved in the entire 'discussion.' You, Gala, everybody. Have you ever driven on a highway? I get beeped at all the time for driving at the speed limit and not faster than that.)
(PPS: You wanna talk about privileged and being disconnected from the real world? How about having a PhD in poetry? I mean, as someone who goes to Officially The Most Annoying Liberal Arts School in America, that's a pretty "not knowing the real world" kind of degree.) ”
“I think she said something once about getting an artist's visa? ”
“Mm, you know what is a catty thing to do? Sitting around trashing a person without any institutional/political power and therefore cannot affect yours or any other person's life directly with a group of other like-minded people. Just throwing that out there.
(I'm seriously waiting for a, "Gala's not even that pretty!" comment.)
I agreed with a lot of the initial criticism about Gala's recent articles: all she posted for a while were TiLT and Carousel, and ”
(I'm seriously waiting for a, "Gala's not even that pretty!" comment.)
I agreed with a lot of the initial criticism about Gala's recent articles: all she posted for a while were TiLT and Carousel, and ”
“Maddy, you can sit there and say "finally we have a place to discuss this" but you still don't explain why exactly it's so important to you. You also accuse "Gala fans" of name calling, yet you too are insulting everyone who disagrees with you by calling them immature or naive just for disagreeing with you. And as for my "Hannah Montana vocabulary," I was being sarcastic..
I realize that I was a bit immature in my previous comments, I'll admit that. But I'm certainly not the only person guilty of that here. I would really just like to know one thing: WHY is this issue so important to you? If it isn't about you being jealous or unhappy with your own lives, explain to us all what it IS that makes you feel so strongly.”
I realize that I was a bit immature in my previous comments, I'll admit that. But I'm certainly not the only person guilty of that here. I would really just like to know one thing: WHY is this issue so important to you? If it isn't about you being jealous or unhappy with your own lives, explain to us all what it IS that makes you feel so strongly.”
“Maddy - Interesting point about the visa issue you brought up. As another foreigner currently living in the US, I can only speculate (as I don’t know for sure, although she does mention in the article that she needs a visa to live in the US permanently) that Gala is here either on a multiple entry tourist visa or she’s here under the 90 day visa waiver program. It certainly makes sense as she seems to leave the US at regular 3 month intervals, only to re-enter shortly thereafter for another 3 month period. I think that explains the Canada trip, rather than her being an ‘international playgirl’-AKA-hooker! And she seems to be off again in the coming months, no doubt because her current time is up. If this is true and she is neither a US citizen nor does she have an employer or partner sponsored visa which allows her to work, then my understanding is that she is not entitled to work and earn income here in the US – whether by blogging, ghost-writing, fashion curating for ChinaShop, or otherwise. Maybe she gets paid into offshore accounts in a bid to get around the system… but I’m only speculating and don’t know that for sure. Either way, I think it’s important for her readers and others to be aware that you can’t just live the life of an ‘international playgirl’ anywhere you want – especially if you are working to support yourself (as Gala claims she does) – at least if you want to do it in an ethical and legal manner. It is simply not that easy and in most cases you need to be a citizen, a resident or have the appropriate work visa. And if you yourself don’t have a legal right to work you certainly can’t hire an intern to work for you! Gala also bangs on about New York being her ‘adopted hometown’ – yet that is totally contrary to the non-immigrant intent she’s supposed to have if she is indeed here on a tourist visa/visa waiver. If she is cheating the system then it’s highly annoying because there are so many talented, qualified people who can’t stay in the US in the current economic climate because they can’t get an employer to sponsor their work visa. If she’s not cheating the system then how’s she getting the money to live her fabulous life? It wouldn’t surprise me if she cons that American boyfriend of hers to marry her to allow her to live/work in the US. It would only take a quick trip to City Hall!
As to Gala’s comment in the article that it “was a scary decision to become self employed” (and the comments that immediately follow it) – making that decision isn’t so scary when you have a partner, parents, benefactor, etc to rely on financially while you make that transition. These are also people who will pick you up if your luck hits the skids. Unfortunately, unlike Gala, not many people who dream of self-employment have/had this sort of financial backing.
”
As to Gala’s comment in the article that it “was a scary decision to become self employed” (and the comments that immediately follow it) – making that decision isn’t so scary when you have a partner, parents, benefactor, etc to rely on financially while you make that transition. These are also people who will pick you up if your luck hits the skids. Unfortunately, unlike Gala, not many people who dream of self-employment have/had this sort of financial backing.
”
“tana: because we've finally found somewhere we can discuss this without being censored. if you don't like that then don't read the comments, just like gala's fans tell us over and over again not to read her blog if we don't like it. btw it is not "understandable" for the quality of a writer's work to go downhill just because they are doing other projects. if the writer is professional and good at what they do then that quality will always transcend, not decline. but you got it in one - gala is just a person with a blog.”
“I think the quality of icing has gone down recently as gala gets other projects and carves a life for herself in a new place. Tt is understandable.
And while I don't agree with the commenting policy, it is her blog and peoples definition of constructive critisism might differ from her own.
I don't care where gala gets her money and it isn't my business. I am a reader of her blog, not her close friend lover or accountant. She owes no one an explanation. Even if she doesn't make all her money from her blog (which i do not think she does) it is still her profession. If you are an artist and a pizza delivery man it does not make you any less of an artist.
It is what it is. Gala is a person, I don't think she is the cats meow, i also don't think she is a horrible lying high class hooker.
I don't doubt that you guys have lives and do good/bad things in them. HOWEVER, if you dislike something or someone SO much why keep reading and debating about it? Why is it so important?
Gala is just a person with a blog.
”
And while I don't agree with the commenting policy, it is her blog and peoples definition of constructive critisism might differ from her own.
I don't care where gala gets her money and it isn't my business. I am a reader of her blog, not her close friend lover or accountant. She owes no one an explanation. Even if she doesn't make all her money from her blog (which i do not think she does) it is still her profession. If you are an artist and a pizza delivery man it does not make you any less of an artist.
It is what it is. Gala is a person, I don't think she is the cats meow, i also don't think she is a horrible lying high class hooker.
I don't doubt that you guys have lives and do good/bad things in them. HOWEVER, if you dislike something or someone SO much why keep reading and debating about it? Why is it so important?
Gala is just a person with a blog.
”
“poo: buh bye!”
“poo: it is utterly hilarious that you come in here and DEMAND that i tell you personal information about myself (which aint gonna happen). you weren't even at that school when i was so you wouldn't know who i am even if i told you. so you can drop your thinly-veiled, and failed attempt at reverse psychology. it is also hilarious that you have the audacity to call ME "rude & unhelpful" when you're the one bitching and swearing and name calling. i don't feed trolls so don't bother with your interrogation because i have nothing more to say to you, except go to http://www.dictionary.com and look up the word "hypocrite", then go "pour your energy into a positive cause". ”
“hahahahaahaha alrıght ım out of here
you are a fuckıng joke
”
you are a fuckıng joke
”
“poo: if it's so boring then leave and spread YOUR gospel elsewhere.”
“and ps youve just done what you accuse gala of doıng ı aksed you a questıon and youve been rude and unhelpful
whats your full name we went to the same school so we know eachother stop wımpıng out and brushıng me off as unıntellıgent because ım not an ınternet warrıor lıke yourself just answer the questıon or ıs ıt NOT MY BUSINESS”
whats your full name we went to the same school so we know eachother stop wımpıng out and brushıng me off as unıntellıgent because ım not an ınternet warrıor lıke yourself just answer the questıon or ıs ıt NOT MY BUSINESS”
“maddy d theres lıke 4 people on here repeatıng themselves anyway.
ıts gettıng borıng spread your gospel somewhere else”
ıts gettıng borıng spread your gospel somewhere else”
“poo: thank you for your insightful analysis.
leah: you are just saying exactly the same thing as gala's followers, word for word. we've heard it all before. just because we have an issue with someone/thing it doesn't make us bad people who leave negative lives, and we aren't here swearing or calling people names like gala fans are doing to us. until i read the comments here i had no idea other people have the same opinions i do because gala puts a lot of time and energy into making sure they're not expressed on her site. so it's good to know others think the same way, in a forum where we are not censored. so instead of coming here and bitching about how bitchy WE supposedly are, how about you "pour your energy" into "a cause that really matters" and inspire others the way gala inspires you.”
leah: you are just saying exactly the same thing as gala's followers, word for word. we've heard it all before. just because we have an issue with someone/thing it doesn't make us bad people who leave negative lives, and we aren't here swearing or calling people names like gala fans are doing to us. until i read the comments here i had no idea other people have the same opinions i do because gala puts a lot of time and energy into making sure they're not expressed on her site. so it's good to know others think the same way, in a forum where we are not censored. so instead of coming here and bitching about how bitchy WE supposedly are, how about you "pour your energy" into "a cause that really matters" and inspire others the way gala inspires you.
”
“maddy ı dıd and you are not a memorable person at all ı was there untıl 2000 when ı fınıshed ın 7th form ıt was a really small school and you must have eıther been a baby when gala was there or a mute so you have no fuckıng ıdea who she ıs”
“maddy ı dıd and you are not a memorable person at all ı was there untıl 2000 when ı fınıshed ın 7th form ıt was a really small school and you must have eıther been a baby when gala was there or a mute so you have no fuckıng ıdea who she ıs”
“Maddie D and Wyn J--Don't leave. You are major voices of reason in this discussion. Further more, all the people who blindly love Gala have millions of other places to discuss it on the net. This is one of the only places more reasonable people can bring up their concerns and freely discuss them.
And only bitchy people would stoop to calling others bitchy for stating their (valid) opinions in an open forum. ”
And only bitchy people would stoop to calling others bitchy for stating their (valid) opinions in an open forum. ”
“Wyn J and Maddy D - gosh, what self righteous, bitchy girls! As a regular persuer of Cut Out & Keep, I read these comments and was stunned by your venom. Why do you care so much? Why is your inclination to diss Gala so strong - not to mention your near bullying of other commenters - Maddy D, just because you put two kisses on the end of your comments doesn't mean you sound less acidic! You obviously need to look inside yourselves and realise that this anti Gala tirade you are on is much more to do with issues inside of you girls than anything to do with her, and all to do with your deficiencies. You both sound extremely envious, insecure and bitter. Get off this forum and go and pour some of your assertion into a cause that really matters. I am sure that Gala is off doing something fun/meaningful right now, lapping up life, rather than wasting her emotional energy bothering to defend herself to you.”
“Miss C -- If all you can do to defend Gala is pick up on miniscule and irrelevant threads of this discussion, I suggest you go elsewhere. That, or try to defend the actual issue here: the lies, deception and censorship that surround her blog. Now THAT would be "really enlightening."
And if I want to tell people to what level I am educated, I don't see why I shouldn't. After being accused of being a "loser" who "does nothing positive with their life," I don't see any harm in refuting that claim. I am a Doctor of Contemporary American Poetics. If that makes you feel uncomfortable... well, hey, I'm not surprised. What does the "C" stand for, anyway?”
And if I want to tell people to what level I am educated, I don't see why I shouldn't. After being accused of being a "loser" who "does nothing positive with their life," I don't see any harm in refuting that claim. I am a Doctor of Contemporary American Poetics. If that makes you feel uncomfortable... well, hey, I'm not surprised. What does the "C" stand for, anyway?”
“miss c: gala is in america on a tourist visa, no one can intern for her. & here you go, knock yourself out with enlightenment -- http://galadarling.com/article/your-first-perfume -- http://galadarling.com/article/i-was-a-teenage-goth -- it took me less than 2 minutes to find those links, which you could've easily done yourself instead of coming here with your "like omg totally!!1" hanna montana vocabulary and swearing like a banshee, once again defending someone you have never met. btw, having a PhD or any form of higher education is an "automatic win" in every aspect of life. you should try it sometime. xx”
“It's really easy to continue this anti-gala brigade when you just make stuff up. For example:
>> I'll ask again, since no one cared to respond the first time (basically doing the same thing you're accusing Gala of, ignoring the questions you're uncomfortable with.) how is the intern Gala hired "some poor girl" doing "menial work without pay" UM, you CHOOSE to be a part of an internship, it's not something you're sold into off a ship.
>>When has Gala EVER dissed the gothic lifestyle or aesthetic? She fucking writes for Haute Macabre. Links to tweets or blog posts where she has done this would be really enlightening.
Also, yeah, when we can't think of anything to back us up, let's just drop "I have a Ph.D" Cuz, like, that's totally an automatic internet win.”
>> I'll ask again, since no one cared to respond the first time (basically doing the same thing you're accusing Gala of, ignoring the questions you're uncomfortable with.) how is the intern Gala hired "some poor girl" doing "menial work without pay" UM, you CHOOSE to be a part of an internship, it's not something you're sold into off a ship.
>>When has Gala EVER dissed the gothic lifestyle or aesthetic? She fucking writes for Haute Macabre. Links to tweets or blog posts where she has done this would be really enlightening.
Also, yeah, when we can't think of anything to back us up, let's just drop "I have a Ph.D" Cuz, like, that's totally an automatic internet win.”
“Nerys -- You mean in their "I'd hit that" section?! Haha I bet she'd be THRILLED (despite the fact she's like such a RADFEM of course and should technically find that stuff kind of offensive... hm.)
I agree that the censorship issues are utterly repugnant and an issue Gala really should address. She may be able to go "your curiosity about my finances is not my problem!", but when she's actually censoring totally legitimate viewpoints just because they paint her in a bad light (ie, a worse light than her usual brainless, fluffy, consumerist bs does), that's a real issue.”
I agree that the censorship issues are utterly repugnant and an issue Gala really should address. She may be able to go "your curiosity about my finances is not my problem!", but when she's actually censoring totally legitimate viewpoints just because they paint her in a bad light (ie, a worse light than her usual brainless, fluffy, consumerist bs does), that's a real issue.”
“Shes been linking to Boner Party a lot recently...I think she's hoping theyll feature her some day. Just an observation.”
“Oh, that's not the one she links to at the bottom of an article so I guess it's the older version?”
“I don't see the part about constructive criticism?
http://galadarling.com/static/commenting
Is that the page you're viewing?”
http://galadarling.com/static/commenting
Is that the page you're viewing?”
“joanne - wow i just read the commenting policy for the first time, and she actually does welcome criticism! "I’m a big girl, & I welcome constructive criticism & suggestions." see? but realistically, "welcome" means ignore, defend, delete, or block. she doesn't crave criticism, she craves attention, validation, and ego boosting. unless your comment says "omg i love you gala you're such an inspiration", don't bother. and yes, this bothers me more than where her money comes from.”
“This discussion about deleting comments and blocking IPs is far more interesting than the one about her finances. Any restriction of freedom of expression I find very distasteful, even on the level of a blogger deleting comments that disagree with her. Upon reading the commenting policy, I feel like she's not welcoming constructive criticism which, as a writer, she should be craving, no?
I'm not interesting in any mud-slinging here, I think some of the discussion on this page has descended into bitchiness but I'd never really looked at the commenting policy before and I'm slightly perturbed.”
I'm not interesting in any mud-slinging here, I think some of the discussion on this page has descended into bitchiness but I'd never really looked at the commenting policy before and I'm slightly perturbed.”
“my name is maddy. and i don't believe you did, so don't even bother. xx”
“so maddy d who are you ı went to that hıgh school aswell ım real curıous”
“Elizabeth -- I have a blog and would never DREAM of deleting comments without entering into at least a little discussion with the person in question, unless they were expressing views which could seriously offend people (racism, etc). I was making A VALID POINT that encouraging people to break the speed limit for kicks is a) dangerous b) could land them in shit and c) it's just a plain airhead-like, idiotic thing to suggest. I said all this in a civilised way and hoped Gala would at least explain why she decided to post something illegal as 'something to do before you're 50.' But no... my comment just disappeared (the most irritating thing is it obviously bothered her -- she changed the damn article. So why couldn't she just say "OK, you have a point"? & then to actually ban my IP? That proves for me beyond all doubt that she's here reading along with all these comments, and doing FUCK ALL -- would she have deleted my IP re: a tiny comment like that, had she not seen my same username on this message board? I think not. And if she's even half the business woman she pretends (and that is the correct word, right Gala?) to be, she'll be monitoring this situation. Trust me.
Maddy -- wow, how silly. There weren't even any serious comments (although I'm guessing there were angrier responses that got disappeared of course?). Closing the comments box? All of this is ridiculous -- it's called CENSORSHIP, how does that fit in with iCing's sweet pretty pink everyone-do-what-they-want image?! So much for 'everyone has the freedom to embrace the Universe' -- more like 'everyone has the freedom to embrace the Universe BUT ONLY IF THEIR OPINIONS MATCH MINE.' Nice.
I also love the fact that in that closing comment she says that iCing is all about "polarising opinion." Um... on what, candy hearts and shoes? She thinks she's a neo-punk feminist who's polarising opinion. As an academic... just KILL ME.”
Maddy -- wow, how silly. There weren't even any serious comments (although I'm guessing there were angrier responses that got disappeared of course?). Closing the comments box? All of this is ridiculous -- it's called CENSORSHIP, how does that fit in with iCing's sweet pretty pink everyone-do-what-they-want image?! So much for 'everyone has the freedom to embrace the Universe' -- more like 'everyone has the freedom to embrace the Universe BUT ONLY IF THEIR OPINIONS MATCH MINE.' Nice.
I also love the fact that in that closing comment she says that iCing is all about "polarising opinion." Um... on what, candy hearts and shoes? She thinks she's a neo-punk feminist who's polarising opinion. As an academic... just KILL ME.”
“elizabeth - you're entitled to your opinion just as much as we are, but i'm glad you find inspiration from gala's blog. many people find it hard to get inspired and motivated by anything, so if gala does that for you then that's really great! however it's not the same for everyone. also i have met her more than once, i went to high school with her so i know what she's like... it's not as though i saw her in person for 5 minutes and she didn't talk to me now i'm on an internet tirade to talk shit about her. and in regard to meeting your idol comment, i don't know about anyone else but in the past when i've met some of my favourite bands, some of them turned out to be utter snobs, which totally put me off their music.
wyn j. - she's deleted my comment and blocked my IP too. one post that sticks out in my mind is this: http://galadarling.com/article/dali-atomicus read all the comments, especially the last one. she deleted a lot of them and disabled the comment feature after her final comment. her response/excuse was pathetic, avoidant, and very unprofessional. whenever someone calls her out on her bullshit she has no defense whatsoever and backpedals about "the purpose of her website". so many people strongly voiced how wrong that picture is and how wrong gala is but most of those comments conveniently disappeared. she's proven time and time again she is not mature and intelligent enough to handle and respond to criticism, hiding it under the guise of her site being a magical pink fantasy land void of negativity. there's nothing wrong with not wanting negativity in your life but there is plenty wrong with having a public blog that relies heavily on its readers' interaction but not allowing any form of subjectivity. deleting comments is silencing someone's right to free speech.
it also bothers me how she used to be goth but now that she's grown out of it she continues to openly diss the gothic lifestyle & asthetic, which totally contradicts her "dress up, love everyone, wear what you feel comfortable in, be daring" motto, don't you think?”
wyn j. - she's deleted my comment and blocked my IP too. one post that sticks out in my mind is this: http://galadarling.com/article/dali-atomicus read all the comments, especially the last one. she deleted a lot of them and disabled the comment feature after her final comment. her response/excuse was pathetic, avoidant, and very unprofessional. whenever someone calls her out on her bullshit she has no defense whatsoever and backpedals about "the purpose of her website". so many people strongly voiced how wrong that picture is and how wrong gala is but most of those comments conveniently disappeared. she's proven time and time again she is not mature and intelligent enough to handle and respond to criticism, hiding it under the guise of her site being a magical pink fantasy land void of negativity. there's nothing wrong with not wanting negativity in your life but there is plenty wrong with having a public blog that relies heavily on its readers' interaction but not allowing any form of subjectivity. deleting comments is silencing someone's right to free speech.
it also bothers me how she used to be goth but now that she's grown out of it she continues to openly diss the gothic lifestyle & asthetic, which totally contradicts her "dress up, love everyone, wear what you feel comfortable in, be daring" motto, don't you think?”
“Oh, no, I'm not trying to convince anyone to like her. Like I said, I know everyone here is entitled to their opinion, I was only here to state mine. I'm surprised, though, that so many people who are being negative towards her spend so much time and energy on it - that's exactly the kind of thing Gala tries to discourage, maybe that's why so many people here dislike her. /:
As for Gala deleting your comment and blocking your IP address, that's just her site's policy. It's the same on pretty much every blog you'll ever visit, ever.
But I've said my piece, I'm not trying to convince anyone to see things my way, I'm only offering a different perspective, and I'm displeased with the negative response I've received. Moving on now. (:”
As for Gala deleting your comment and blocking your IP address, that's just her site's policy. It's the same on pretty much every blog you'll ever visit, ever.
But I've said my piece, I'm not trying to convince anyone to see things my way, I'm only offering a different perspective, and I'm displeased with the negative response I've received. Moving on now. (:”
“Elizabeth -- it's very sweet of you to write 3000-word essays in defense of Gala, but please... enough now, yeah? You aren't going to convince us that she's just misunderstood by us. We're intelligent ladies (I have a PhD. Hear that, Jennoe-you-have-no-lives-you-losers-S?), we've made up our own minds about Gala. Your testimonal was lovely, but pretty defunct as far as I'm concerned.
Just swung back to tell you guys... that 'breaking the speed' limit thing shocked me so much that I had to go over there and request that it be changed. I go back today and guess what? Comment has been disappeared AND my IP address is blocked from the site! (I was totally civilised in my language and manner, by the way.) WAY MATURE MS PAAPE. That just seals it for me. She's an airhead, she's a coward and she's a fake, and she doesn't give a shit about what her readers actually think.
Also I notice she quotes that Boner Party article on her Carousel this week -- how can she do that with a straight face?! They're calling for a politically active neo-punk generation and basically saying they're sick of vegan girls in skinny jeans who rave about Etsy and Polyvore and can't change a tire. And she's there quoting that shit like she agrees... sweetie, you're the EPITOME of everything they're protesting against! Think you're some neo-punk feminist? OH MY GOD.”
Just swung back to tell you guys... that 'breaking the speed' limit thing shocked me so much that I had to go over there and request that it be changed. I go back today and guess what? Comment has been disappeared AND my IP address is blocked from the site! (I was totally civilised in my language and manner, by the way.) WAY MATURE MS PAAPE. That just seals it for me. She's an airhead, she's a coward and she's a fake, and she doesn't give a shit about what her readers actually think.
Also I notice she quotes that Boner Party article on her Carousel this week -- how can she do that with a straight face?! They're calling for a politically active neo-punk generation and basically saying they're sick of vegan girls in skinny jeans who rave about Etsy and Polyvore and can't change a tire. And she's there quoting that shit like she agrees... sweetie, you're the EPITOME of everything they're protesting against! Think you're some neo-punk feminist? OH MY GOD.”
“I think that for Gala, life really is the glittery fairytale that she gushes about, b/c she comes from a rich family, and honestly I doubt that she's ever really known what it's like to struggle in life. Unfortunately this privileged lifestyle doesn't allow her to provide the realism that most of the girls commenting here crave.”
“Maddy - I've read some of those comments, actually, and like I said, just because someone is unfriendly once doesn't mean that they always are. I've never met Gala in person nor was I there so I can't defend her supposed actions, but also, if you met someone you admired and didn't like their attitude, wouldn't you want to make it seem as bad as possible so that people get your point? Just saying, because that's what tends to happen with other experiences I've encountered. "Oh, I love so and so, they're my idol!" turns into "GOD I hate her, she's such a bitch!" when, realisitically, it's kind of silly to decide that you hate someone based on only one experience. I'd be disappointed if I met her and she was less than kind, but it wouldn't compell me to say nasty things about her online. /:
Miss D - I don't see why you think horoscopes would take away from someone's self-assuredness and confidence? They're not for everyone, I don't even really read them except for once in a while, but they're a neat little tool to help plan your life, if you buy into them. As for EFT, different people use different mechanisms to feel good about themselves and gain confidence. I've never heard Gala say that she relied only on herself for her confidence and strength. She gets it from a lot of places and EFT is one of them, and if it makes her a better person I don't see what's wrong with it. It never worked for me personally but that's probably because I was skeptical. (:
I agree that her initial videos showed some awkwardness, but I don't remember her making a video before them so she was a beginner and she was trying something new. She calls herself a successful businesswoman NOW, but when iCiNG started off - especially when she wrote about EFT - I don't think she would have necessarily said the same. She was just starting out.
I agree, though. It's a fun blog that I enjoy reading, and if everyone's accusations are that it's fake, I guess the idea still doesn't bother me that much. I know what I take from it and how I see it and that's all that really matters, to me.”
Miss D - I don't see why you think horoscopes would take away from someone's self-assuredness and confidence? They're not for everyone, I don't even really read them except for once in a while, but they're a neat little tool to help plan your life, if you buy into them. As for EFT, different people use different mechanisms to feel good about themselves and gain confidence. I've never heard Gala say that she relied only on herself for her confidence and strength. She gets it from a lot of places and EFT is one of them, and if it makes her a better person I don't see what's wrong with it. It never worked for me personally but that's probably because I was skeptical. (:
I agree that her initial videos showed some awkwardness, but I don't remember her making a video before them so she was a beginner and she was trying something new. She calls herself a successful businesswoman NOW, but when iCiNG started off - especially when she wrote about EFT - I don't think she would have necessarily said the same. She was just starting out.
I agree, though. It's a fun blog that I enjoy reading, and if everyone's accusations are that it's fake, I guess the idea still doesn't bother me that much. I know what I take from it and how I see it and that's all that really matters, to me.”
“Personally, I loved iCing when I saw it first. I loved the positivity, the light-heartedness, the fashion advice. It looked fun and had little pink hearts on it.
The author sounded like a pretty confident girl - and daring enough to carry off pink hair.
The first red flash was the Mystic Medusa mentions... If you are so confident, self assured, and cocky enough to give advice on it, why need horoscopes? The psychic mentions seemed to be frequent on every other post.
Then came the EFT. This was the SHOCK
Gala Darling, international partygirl, aka I-am-so-confident-and-happy-with-myself, using finger tappings on her armpits to achieve inner peace?
On her videos she sounds so incredibly immature and insecure. She barely speaks, she mumbles terribly, there are a lot of uhms and 'like's - so not like the business woman she portraits herself to be.
Also, she has mentioned that she is confident businesswoman who makes money with blogging and having fun and doing what she likes doing, like taking pictures in her outfits all day (this is an actual quote)
I like the website, and polyvore outfits posts are great, and she makes up fun stories behind them - but that's nothing more than a glossy mag for preteens that 20somethings (24..ahem) like me occasionally indulge in.
There is nothing real about it.
Inspirational yes, but who says we have to be expired by reality anyway? =)”
The author sounded like a pretty confident girl - and daring enough to carry off pink hair.
The first red flash was the Mystic Medusa mentions... If you are so confident, self assured, and cocky enough to give advice on it, why need horoscopes? The psychic mentions seemed to be frequent on every other post.
Then came the EFT. This was the SHOCK
Gala Darling, international partygirl, aka I-am-so-confident-and-happy-with-myself, using finger tappings on her armpits to achieve inner peace?
On her videos she sounds so incredibly immature and insecure. She barely speaks, she mumbles terribly, there are a lot of uhms and 'like's - so not like the business woman she portraits herself to be.
Also, she has mentioned that she is confident businesswoman who makes money with blogging and having fun and doing what she likes doing, like taking pictures in her outfits all day (this is an actual quote)
I like the website, and polyvore outfits posts are great, and she makes up fun stories behind them - but that's nothing more than a glossy mag for preteens that 20somethings (24..ahem) like me occasionally indulge in.
There is nothing real about it.
Inspirational yes, but who says we have to be expired by reality anyway? =)”
“elizabeth - maybe you should've taken the time to read the other comments first? a few people who know/have known gala have given examples why she's fake through their personal experience(s) with her.”
“J M - I've never listened to any of her Love & Sequins podcasts, so I don't think it would be fair for me to defend or criticise them either way. ): I'm just not a podcast kind of person so I opted out of that particular experience. I suppose I just pushed them to the back burner, but I can see why her lack of "business advice" would then make people question her source of income. Thanks for the insight. (:
Still, I don't think that there's anything sinister or unsavory about her finances. I think her money is her business and it should stay that way. If she's proclaiming herself as self-employed and -sufficient I don't feel compelled to question that, I'm sure plenty of people donate to her blog, whether that's where the bulk of her money comes from I don't know, but I don't know that it's right to call her fake and ingenuine over assumptions.
(These are my interpretation of other people's words, I'm not trying to put them in your mouth.)”
Still, I don't think that there's anything sinister or unsavory about her finances. I think her money is her business and it should stay that way. If she's proclaiming herself as self-employed and -sufficient I don't feel compelled to question that, I'm sure plenty of people donate to her blog, whether that's where the bulk of her money comes from I don't know, but I don't know that it's right to call her fake and ingenuine over assumptions.
(These are my interpretation of other people's words, I'm not trying to put them in your mouth.)”
“Elizabeth - Hi! I think that you are very right on your opinion. However, I think that when someone sells a podcast about business advice but never mentions ACTUAL business advice it's a compete rip off. I think that's what many people are so upset about, she's not being 100% honest about how she's doing it (blogging, writing, modeling, acting, whatever) and yet she sells a podcast that it's about her amazing journey into self-employment and "how to make MAD BLING". That's when questions like this arise.
In it's time, iCiNG helped me a lot and yes it inspired me a lot and I'm never going to forget that. I grew up and now find iCiNG to be something I cannot relate to anymore.”
In it's time, iCiNG helped me a lot and yes it inspired me a lot and I'm never going to forget that. I grew up and now find iCiNG to be something I cannot relate to anymore.”
“I don't think it's fair to say that she's being dishonest about it, unless her tax forms have been published no one knows how much money she makes from iCiNG, or how much she gets from other sources, whatever they may be. It's all speculation. Then again, I haven't taken the time to read every single comment posted here, but that didn't strike me as the focal point of the argument from what I read. I covered as much as I thought was really important.
And I can promise you I'm not Gala. But thanks.”
And I can promise you I'm not Gala. But thanks.
”
“that's all very fascinating elizabeth a but you're missing the point. (and actually i wouldn't be surprised if gala herself signed up under a different name and wrote that because it sounds like the same bull that she'd write.) she has been dishonest about how she earns a living in order to achieve fame and is the very opposite of everything she has encouraged others to be: authentic. i don't think that most people care if she was rude 6 months ago or whatever - i only mentioned that because i'd heard the same thing but of course people change, no one is arguing with that. but she isn't telling the truth and for someone who has always claimed to, its crap and its fake and she should just come clean. oh and of course she's reading these comments, jennoe s is her best friend. ”
“I think that everyone who isn't a fan of hers is completely and totally entitled to their opinion, I only signed up to express mine.
I read and enjoy iCiNG. I don't try to follow Gala's advice word-for-word or emulate her lifestyle or anything about her in general (and I think anyone who does needs to seriously re-evaluate whether or not they should be using the Internet).
I find her inspiring because her style and philosophies are different than my own - I work full-time straight out of high school and don't have the freedom to flaunt cupcake tattoos and flamingo-colored hair. However, a lot of the things she talks about aren't income- or lifestyle-specific, they're very broad and general and I think a lot of women can take a lot from them.
I don't know anything about her life before iCiNG and to be honest I don't really care, because I understand that as people live their lives they grow and mature and just because she was unhappy or possibly unfriendly at one point in her life doesn't mean that still is or always will be. Her past is her business and I don't really feel like it's anyone's place to pry into or judge her for it.
I am certainly not the person I was even six months ago, and I would much prefer people see me for who I am now, not who I was then.
Just speaking from personal experience, when I was in a dark place a few years ago, I set myself on a collision course for happiness by making huge, drastic changes in my life and doing things that really, honestly scared the living shit out of me – because even though I wasn't yet the person that I wanted to be, I was giving myself the courage to get there in time (even if I had to fake it in the beginning). Not that it's my place to speculate, but maybe that's what Gala was doing for a while? I'm not saying she definitely did, I'm just offering an explanation for why people might have made certain interpretations. I think Gala is very happy with her life, both in what she is given and what she has created for herself, and I don't feel any sort of need to question that.
I've been reading iCiNG for over a year now, and after having read every article on the site I don't at all think she's trying to make herself out to be completely and totally flawless and perfect in the eyes of the world. As for people's speculation into why she hasn't commented on anyone's statements here, not only would that contradict the self-assurance and confidence she encourages people to have through her blog, I think she knows that not everyone is going to love her all the time, and she's okay with that. I know I am, and if I can be I'm sure someone with Gala's level of exposure can be (times a million).
In addition, I could care less where she gets her money from or how much of it she has. It isn't a vital part of her blog or her overall message so I don't really care. The only time I can remember her ever explicitly talking about spending money is in an article about buying the best jeans for your body type, where she encourages people to spend “as much as they can afford” to guarantee the quality of their purchase, not the glamour.
I certainly can't afford to spend a thousand dollars on a Balenciaga handbag or pair of Manolo Blahnik pumps, but that doesn't mean I won't shop around to find the most comfortable and stylish (pertaining to my personal style, that is) pair of $15 flats that I can find.
It's all about taking it in perspective. I think it's great that she can afford to spend so much money on surrounding herself with things that make her happy. More power to her. But not everyone has that kind of luxury and no one should ever trick themselves into thinking they do or faulting themselves for not having it. That's not the message she's trying to convey.
Her message isn't about having major $$$ and designer ensembles, it's about being comfortable in your own skin and being happy with your life and who you are. For her, that means outwardly expressing who she is inside, which manifests itself in the shape of tattoos that she loves, hair that makes her stand out in a crowd and big sparkly... everything. If for you that means spending $20 on a dress at Target that really makes you feel good about yourself, then that's what iCiNG should mean to you.
The way I interpret iCiNG is that, while I can't up and quit my job because I have the same if not more responsibilities than most people my age, I can do the best with what I have. I don't have to live the same caliber of life as Gala to be happy with it. I can treat myself to something nice from LUSH every once in a while to keep myself going and make my life a happier, more magical place one bath bomb at a time.
This wasn't meant to incite any argument or disrespect anyone's opinion, but I do admire Gala. These are only my sentiments and observations. I didn't think that anyone who disliked her would spend time reading her blog so there were just a few points I wanted to raise.”
I read and enjoy iCiNG. I don't try to follow Gala's advice word-for-word or emulate her lifestyle or anything about her in general (and I think anyone who does needs to seriously re-evaluate whether or not they should be using the Internet).
I find her inspiring because her style and philosophies are different than my own - I work full-time straight out of high school and don't have the freedom to flaunt cupcake tattoos and flamingo-colored hair. However, a lot of the things she talks about aren't income- or lifestyle-specific, they're very broad and general and I think a lot of women can take a lot from them.
I don't know anything about her life before iCiNG and to be honest I don't really care, because I understand that as people live their lives they grow and mature and just because she was unhappy or possibly unfriendly at one point in her life doesn't mean that still is or always will be. Her past is her business and I don't really feel like it's anyone's place to pry into or judge her for it.
I am certainly not the person I was even six months ago, and I would much prefer people see me for who I am now, not who I was then.
Just speaking from personal experience, when I was in a dark place a few years ago, I set myself on a collision course for happiness by making huge, drastic changes in my life and doing things that really, honestly scared the living shit out of me – because even though I wasn't yet the person that I wanted to be, I was giving myself the courage to get there in time (even if I had to fake it in the beginning). Not that it's my place to speculate, but maybe that's what Gala was doing for a while? I'm not saying she definitely did, I'm just offering an explanation for why people might have made certain interpretations. I think Gala is very happy with her life, both in what she is given and what she has created for herself, and I don't feel any sort of need to question that.
I've been reading iCiNG for over a year now, and after having read every article on the site I don't at all think she's trying to make herself out to be completely and totally flawless and perfect in the eyes of the world. As for people's speculation into why she hasn't commented on anyone's statements here, not only would that contradict the self-assurance and confidence she encourages people to have through her blog, I think she knows that not everyone is going to love her all the time, and she's okay with that. I know I am, and if I can be I'm sure someone with Gala's level of exposure can be (times a million).
In addition, I could care less where she gets her money from or how much of it she has. It isn't a vital part of her blog or her overall message so I don't really care. The only time I can remember her ever explicitly talking about spending money is in an article about buying the best jeans for your body type, where she encourages people to spend “as much as they can afford” to guarantee the quality of their purchase, not the glamour.
I certainly can't afford to spend a thousand dollars on a Balenciaga handbag or pair of Manolo Blahnik pumps, but that doesn't mean I won't shop around to find the most comfortable and stylish (pertaining to my personal style, that is) pair of $15 flats that I can find.
It's all about taking it in perspective. I think it's great that she can afford to spend so much money on surrounding herself with things that make her happy. More power to her. But not everyone has that kind of luxury and no one should ever trick themselves into thinking they do or faulting themselves for not having it. That's not the message she's trying to convey.
Her message isn't about having major $$$ and designer ensembles, it's about being comfortable in your own skin and being happy with your life and who you are. For her, that means outwardly expressing who she is inside, which manifests itself in the shape of tattoos that she loves, hair that makes her stand out in a crowd and big sparkly... everything. If for you that means spending $20 on a dress at Target that really makes you feel good about yourself, then that's what iCiNG should mean to you.
The way I interpret iCiNG is that, while I can't up and quit my job because I have the same if not more responsibilities than most people my age, I can do the best with what I have. I don't have to live the same caliber of life as Gala to be happy with it. I can treat myself to something nice from LUSH every once in a while to keep myself going and make my life a happier, more magical place one bath bomb at a time.
This wasn't meant to incite any argument or disrespect anyone's opinion, but I do admire Gala. These are only my sentiments and observations. I didn't think that anyone who disliked her would spend time reading her blog so there were just a few points I wanted to raise.”
“Ha, I don't know where the high class hooker rumours came from but they're hilarious. V. surprised she's not ex-suicide girls TBH”
“miss c: i really doubt gala isn't here because "she doesn't have time to prove herself" - she isn't here because there's no way she would ever answer the questions and doubts that are posed in this discussion. ”
“ah it's funny that the pro-gala commenters here are the ones being immature and catty, have no substance to their argument, and trying to defend someone they have never met. here's the college candy article for those interested: http://collegecandy.com/2008/02/14/pink-hair-success-gala-darling/#more-7072 i'd also like to point out that i could care less how much money gala has; i'm not after a number, i'm after an explanation. it also irks me a lot that gala is a self-proclaimed "international playgirl". there's an episode of sex & the city where carrie meets up with an old friend (i forget her name) who lives a life of glamour and parties and travel by leeching off rich men who pay for her lifestyle. gala is so immersed in narcissism, approval, and attention seeking that she has created this faux-persona for herself without even realising just how bad an example she is setting - carrie's friend isn't an international playgirl, she's an international hooker.”
“& also for everyone bringing up the fact that Gala isn't participating in this discussion, are you forgetting that GALA HERSELF is the one who first tweeted about Yelia's comment? For real, how many of you got here through her? Chances are she just sees this as stupid and doesn't have time to prove herself to a bunch of catty women.”
“Yelia - Some poor girl? UM, it's not as if she's a SLAVE, she could certainly choose NOT to work for Gala. As usual, you are blowing tiny details out of proportion in order to prove your UBER IMPORTANT point.”
“I must say, she's upped her game in the last few days while these discussions have been going. Nice one.
I agree it's noones as business as to what figures she earns, but claiming it all comes from the site is just silly. You can blog and travel the world - seriously, it's what I do with my life But portraying it as magic kind of sucks. It takes hard work, and whether that's G's hard work or someone else's (the bill payer) it should be acknowledged.
Man, wish this site didn't have a sign up/extra barrier for comments - I would love to read everybody's thoughts on this (oh so nosey am I, love internet dramz).”
I agree it's noones as business as to what figures she earns, but claiming it all comes from the site is just silly. You can blog and travel the world - seriously, it's what I do with my life
But portraying it as magic kind of sucks. It takes hard work, and whether that's G's hard work or someone else's (the bill payer) it should be acknowledged.Man, wish this site didn't have a sign up/extra barrier for comments - I would love to read everybody's thoughts on this (oh so nosey am I, love internet dramz).”
“Emily--- Gala hired an INTERN, meaning some poor girl is transcribing her podcasts and doing other menial work without pay. How typical of her "use people and discard" personality that many people have experienced firsthand.
A producer saw her photo in Time Out New York and asked her to audition for a film but it appears she blew the audition and did not get a call back. All of Gala Darling's "secret projects" are unpaid collaborations with other bloggers and websites.
Whoever commented in College Candy told the true story. AMY PAAPE used Simon and dumped him after moving to New York, then figured out she could not survive on her own. She got her rich parents to subsidize her spendhappy lifestyle and passes this off as "independent self-funded blogging success." The fictional "Gala Darling" touches souls (barf) but AMY PAAPE leaves many people who personally know her with vomit in their mouth. ”
A producer saw her photo in Time Out New York and asked her to audition for a film but it appears she blew the audition and did not get a call back. All of Gala Darling's "secret projects" are unpaid collaborations with other bloggers and websites.
Whoever commented in College Candy told the true story. AMY PAAPE used Simon and dumped him after moving to New York, then figured out she could not survive on her own. She got her rich parents to subsidize her spendhappy lifestyle and passes this off as "independent self-funded blogging success." The fictional "Gala Darling" touches souls (barf) but AMY PAAPE leaves many people who personally know her with vomit in their mouth. ”
“Well I'm glad there are other people questioning this whole Gala Darling image too. And it's nice to find somewhere that these questions can be raised without them being deleted : S
There seems to be a whole other hidden aspect of her life, which I find odd since she shares other parts of it in so much detail.
And while it is none of my business to know absolutely everything about her (finances, relationships etc.) it does bother me that something appears to have affected her quality of writing in recent months.
But I must admit, I am a nosy cow and would love to know what happened in Canada that made her suddenly leave...”
There seems to be a whole other hidden aspect of her life, which I find odd since she shares other parts of it in so much detail.
And while it is none of my business to know absolutely everything about her (finances, relationships etc.) it does bother me that something appears to have affected her quality of writing in recent months.
But I must admit, I am a nosy cow and would love to know what happened in Canada that made her suddenly leave...”
“p.s.
didn't gala recently hire an assistant? i remember this because she said her psychic had told her to hire this specific person and OMG, she actually met them and hired them!!!
i don't remember her mentioning it since, however. who is this person? what exactly are they assisting her with? i'm thinking maybe they are more of a publicist...remember the indian headdress pics for a "special project" and her saying that she auditioned for a movie? and i hate to bring it up, but if that is true, how is she paying for them?”
didn't gala recently hire an assistant? i remember this because she said her psychic had told her to hire this specific person and OMG, she actually met them and hired them!!!
i don't remember her mentioning it since, however. who is this person? what exactly are they assisting her with? i'm thinking maybe they are more of a publicist...remember the indian headdress pics for a "special project" and her saying that she auditioned for a movie? and i hate to bring it up, but if that is true, how is she paying for them?”
“
people were leaving messages about the "break the speed limit" thing on that entry, so it is possible that maybe she isn't reading the comments here...who knows though?”
people were leaving messages about the "break the speed limit" thing on that entry, so it is possible that maybe she isn't reading the comments here...who knows though?”
“oh & i just had a look around, and this is a really cool site!”
“whoever said gala isn't reading these comments, well, funny how "break the speed limit" on that "50 things a girl should do in her lifetime" has now been changed to "drive quickly". i also just noticed "forgive your parents for whatever they did wrong". man, is this girl on crack? her naivety never ceases to astound me - what if your parent(s) are sexually/physically/emotionally/mentally abusive? yes, forgive them!! the universe will blow you kisses! jesus, she needs to actually start thinking before she types, which, you know, GOOD writers do.”
“but then again... maybe if you will it the Universe will just make you a rocket scientist...”
“ohh i missed that whole part about me being a "stalker". jennoe/sarah/whatever your fake name is, i don't know how you came to that conclusion when gala constantly posts links to every blogging/social networking site she's on (twitter, facebook, myspace, livejournal, blogger, digg, flickr, etc), but being a gala fan i'm sure you check those sites religiously, which kinda makes you more of a stalker than the rest of us.
jane g: thank you! that is a perfect analogy....for people who DON'T consider university a "waste of time"...but for argument's sake, let's replace hitler with paris hilton. you know, because anyone who's ever said a bad word about paris is, according to gala's fans' redundant theory, a "jealous, bitter person with no life". well if gala doesn't want to be criticised, or can't accept criticism (which she's proven countless times over the years (grow a thicker skin, honey)), then she should not put herself in the spotlight TO be criticised. it's not rocket science... but then again you need a uni degree to understand rocket science anyway.”
jane g: thank you! that is a perfect analogy....for people who DON'T consider university a "waste of time"...but for argument's sake, let's replace hitler with paris hilton. you know, because anyone who's ever said a bad word about paris is, according to gala's fans' redundant theory, a "jealous, bitter person with no life". well if gala doesn't want to be criticised, or can't accept criticism (which she's proven countless times over the years (grow a thicker skin, honey)), then she should not put herself in the spotlight TO be criticised. it's not rocket science... but then again you need a uni degree to understand rocket science anyway.”
“I hate it when people say someone else is "bitter" or "jealous" because a negative thing is said about their idol. This is the real world lovelies. Just because someone doesn't agree or doesn't like something Gala has done does not mean they are jealous. In an extreme example most of the world despise and do not agree with Hitlers policies and opinions and I'm pretty sure most of these people would not be considered jealous. Now before I get bombarded with comments saying that Hitler was a terrible person and Gala brings joy ( which may be the case for some people) , i did same extreme example. And girls supportive of Gala don't come in here telling people off for being bitchy and "catty" , when you come in here doing the same. That's called being a HYPOCRITE. And jennoe s. , I don't think you understand what a stalker is if your calling Maddy one. A) Maddy grew up with her.B) I don't think Maddy is doing anything harmful or following Gala. The information is easily accessible as Gala has a globally viewed blog. It's not like she is looking through her trash or anything creepy. Remember Gala is putting her self out in a public domain , and with that comes the burden of criticism. ”
“lol @ "losing sleep over the fact she doesnt have a job as boring as yours". firstly, i didnt realise she even had a job? more importantly, you don't even know what any of us do for a living, so how would you know if it's boring? oh wait, you don't, just like all the other pro-galas who sing the same old song that any and all negative comments about her come from "bitter, jealous, miserable people with no life". *yawn*”
“The whole thing about University being a waste of time and only done by stupid people (um, yeah) -- just want to point out that Gala WENT to University in 2005. So um... stupid people?”
“oh and btw sarah h/jennoe s, of course she isn't going to come in here or mention it on her website - coming in here would mean that she'd actually have to address the questions she's been avoiding/hoping would never come up, and linking to it on her website would be bad publicity (she wants to publish a book and is looking for a publisher - why on earth would she advertise something that shatters her image?) and would again just prompt more questions from her readers............... which she doesn't want and has repeatedly tried to wipe off her site before.
i also find it funny that while you continue to hurl abuse around at other commenters, not once have you ever denied anything that's been said. ”
i also find it funny that while you continue to hurl abuse around at other commenters, not once have you ever denied anything that's been said. ”
“and I suppose jennoe s doesn't find it kind of creepy to comment as two different people in a matter of minutes.......... right...............
”
”
“I personally thınk ıts awesome
the websıte is fun and lıght hearted
dont care what her name was before or when she changed it
The only losers around here are you negatıve creeps for losing sleep over the fact she doesnt have ajob as boring as yours.
its so obvious how bitter and jelous you are and look she hasnt even come ın here or mentioned it on her website...
i agree that you should all go and get real lives and stop being so mıserable
maybe a councillor isnt a bad idea hahaha ;)
”
the websıte is fun and lıght hearted
dont care what her name was before or when she changed it
The only losers around here are you negatıve creeps for losing sleep over the fact she doesnt have ajob as boring as yours.
its so obvious how bitter and jelous you are and look she hasnt even come ın here or mentioned it on her website...
i agree that you should all go and get real lives and stop being so mıserable
maybe a councillor isnt a bad idea hahaha ;)
”
“maddy d youre lıke a gala darlıng stalker
ıts kınd of creepy”
ıts kınd of creepy”
“emily l - It is possible to make positive change in your personal life and community (I like to think that I do both) and yet share an opinion about someone whom you believe to be dishonest. What is 'vile' (as you said) to me is knowing something or believing something yet being made to feel that you can't express it for fear of being attacked by people that are obviously affiliated with Gala. ”
“emily: just because we don't ride the gala bandwagon doesn't mean we don't make positive changes and contributions in our lives/workplace/whatever. you don't know any of us or anything about our lives yet you assume we don't do anything positive. i'm sorry, and what exactly do YOU do? (defending someone you've never met doesn't count.)
jennoe: after reading your insightful, intelligent comment the only thing one can discern is that the "catty loser" here is you. why on earth would i need to "see a counsellor" just because i don't agree with you/gala? that's the funniest thing i've read since gala suggested making hats out of vegetables.
wynn: i loled so hard @ "break the speed limit" being on that list. i can see it now - girl endangers her life (and others) by speeding, cop pulls her over, girl says "but gala told me to!" ...just like bills being "a gift from the universe"!
veronica: i noticed she deleted all the old posts on her other blog, but livejournal must've slipped her mind: http://galadarling.livejournal.com entries go back to 2005. some very interesting reading right there.”
jennoe: after reading your insightful, intelligent comment the only thing one can discern is that the "catty loser" here is you. why on earth would i need to "see a counsellor" just because i don't agree with you/gala? that's the funniest thing i've read since gala suggested making hats out of vegetables.
wynn: i loled so hard @ "break the speed limit" being on that list. i can see it now - girl endangers her life (and others) by speeding, cop pulls her over, girl says "but gala told me to!" ...just like bills being "a gift from the universe"!
veronica: i noticed she deleted all the old posts on her other blog, but livejournal must've slipped her mind: http://galadarling.livejournal.com entries go back to 2005. some very interesting reading right there.”
“Actually, I am, emily. Just not through bullshit.”
“wow.. what vile you guys are capable of. How many folks in here are actively working to make positive change in their own communities or even in the webspace to inspire others?”
“PS: to be fair to her, she may get a bunch of her designer stuff from her Mom's business: http://www.shedesigner.co.nz/Merchant2/about_us.htm”
“Know her from NZ. Her parents are basically $$$$ and always USED to give her a lot anyway. Probably still do from the sounds? Her real name is Amy Paape... knew her years ago. She really wasn't all that...”
“Veronica, your comment said everything I was thinking of saying. Thank you!
Re: wah wah you're anonymous boo - the sad truth is that Gala has such a large amount of deluded fans that we'd all probably loose business (if that is our line of work) by revealing who we are.
Still, it's great that a) at least there are a couple of places where the comments won't be deleted and b) not so many rabid fans after all, uh? How unexpected (and how this feels me with hope for humanity)”
Re: wah wah you're anonymous boo - the sad truth is that Gala has such a large amount of deluded fans that we'd all probably loose business (if that is our line of work) by revealing who we are.
Still, it's great that a) at least there are a couple of places where the comments won't be deleted and b) not so many rabid fans after all, uh? How unexpected (and how this feels me with hope for humanity)”
“whoa. why the argument over an article? :/
can't we just appreciate it?”
can't we just appreciate it?”
“jennoe s., you could have expressed your opinions intelligently and thus actually made an interesting point, but instead your childish slurs make you appear to be the only 'catty loser' around here who needs to 'go see a councillor or something'.
I stopped admiring Gala because she portrays herself to be something that she isn't AT ALL. If anyone actually found Love Letter To The Universe before she publicized it, they would have seen the real Gala... the one whose posts were written in an entirely different tone from Icing and contained lines such as 'today I remembered that my life isn't all bad' after months of wallowing posts where she moaned about her relationship dramas. Of course, once she shared the link with everyone almost 9 months after she started writing it, those posts were deleted and now the website only contains posts where she says 'I AM SO HAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY'. She's good at marketing, I'll give her that. She obviously knows that the over-the-top-fake-happy/I-started-my-own-business-and-I'm-entirely-self-funded gig is a lot more marketable than the truth, which is that she's actually a stuck-up ice queen and that Icing wasn't/isn't her sole income. Samantha H, I know the events you're talking about... I remember seeing comments on another blog about the Icing/Sex And The City Movie meet-up, and that was that Gala was quiet, uninterested and awkward. I haven't heard any reports about her birthday other than your own, but admit that you could see through hers and Nubby's photos that they and the crowd looked bored and weren't interacting. ”
I stopped admiring Gala because she portrays herself to be something that she isn't AT ALL. If anyone actually found Love Letter To The Universe before she publicized it, they would have seen the real Gala... the one whose posts were written in an entirely different tone from Icing and contained lines such as 'today I remembered that my life isn't all bad' after months of wallowing posts where she moaned about her relationship dramas. Of course, once she shared the link with everyone almost 9 months after she started writing it, those posts were deleted and now the website only contains posts where she says 'I AM SO HAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY'. She's good at marketing, I'll give her that. She obviously knows that the over-the-top-fake-happy/I-started-my-own-business-and-I'm-entirely-self-funded gig is a lot more marketable than the truth, which is that she's actually a stuck-up ice queen and that Icing wasn't/isn't her sole income. Samantha H, I know the events you're talking about... I remember seeing comments on another blog about the Icing/Sex And The City Movie meet-up, and that was that Gala was quiet, uninterested and awkward. I haven't heard any reports about her birthday other than your own, but admit that you could see through hers and Nubby's photos that they and the crowd looked bored and weren't interacting. ”
“"she stood out from everyone even back then...and nobody could handle ıt even then."
Yeeeah because she's like SO non-conformist you just can't handle it!! Dude, she has pink hair and easily-covered tattoos, and she's just published a list of 'stuff you should do before you're 50' in which she calls dating a guy with visible tattoos and breaking the speed-limit "daring." Please. She's excruciatingly mainstream.”
Yeeeah because she's like SO non-conformist you just can't handle it!! Dude, she has pink hair and easily-covered tattoos, and she's just published a list of 'stuff you should do before you're 50' in which she calls dating a guy with visible tattoos and breaking the speed-limit "daring." Please. She's excruciatingly mainstream.”
“See guys... told you Gala's friends would eventually arrive to close ranks. I agree 100% with Jane G!”
“Jennoe s. , you call everyone catty losers but you yourself sound pretty catty as well. I'm not attacking you but it's hard to take your argument seriously when you sound like a hypocrite. Just because Maddy has a different opinion of growing up with gala does not mean she has to go to a councilor. It's her right of having a free speech, and if you don't like it tough luck. It sounds like you need to grow up. I am one person who also likes the old layout better. It doesn't mean I'm scared of change it just means i simply preferred something different. That's my opinion only and I'll be damned if any one will tell me its wrong to think that.”
“what a bunch of catty losers
maddy ı went to school wıth her aswell and what ı remember from that horrıble place was a bunch of stuck up snobs who had nothıng better to do than talk trash about everyone who was there and constantly wanted to be admıred and fıt ın
ı met gala 12 years ago and she stood out from everyone even back then. she never trıed to fıt ın and be fake or false she ıs the least fake person ı have ever met and has always stayed true to herself and nobody could handle ıt even then
so ı dont know who you are but ım guessıng we do know eachother and youve got a rather massıve chıp on your shoulder go see a councıllor or somethıng sort your shıt out loser and grow up for gods sake
ı thınk the websıtes great and gala contınues to entertaın and ınspıre and shes an amazıng frıend of mıne an old frıend and a loyal frıend and ıts hard to fınd people lıke that out there
people lıke her for the same reason ı dıd when ı fırst met her all those years ago and ıf her websıtes changıng who cares everyones so afraıd of change but you know what
thats lıfe
love you gala xxx”
maddy ı went to school wıth her aswell and what ı remember from that horrıble place was a bunch of stuck up snobs who had nothıng better to do than talk trash about everyone who was there and constantly wanted to be admıred and fıt ın
ı met gala 12 years ago and she stood out from everyone even back then. she never trıed to fıt ın and be fake or false she ıs the least fake person ı have ever met and has always stayed true to herself and nobody could handle ıt even then
so ı dont know who you are but ım guessıng we do know eachother and youve got a rather massıve chıp on your shoulder go see a councıllor or somethıng sort your shıt out loser and grow up for gods sake
ı thınk the websıtes great and gala contınues to entertaın and ınspıre and shes an amazıng frıend of mıne an old frıend and a loyal frıend and ıts hard to fınd people lıke that out there
people lıke her for the same reason ı dıd when ı fırst met her all those years ago and ıf her websıtes changıng who cares everyones so afraıd of change but you know what
thats lıfe
love you gala xxx”
“Samantha H! I am so glad to read your comment! I had a similiar experience when meeting her. I had just discovered icing and while I didn't find it brilliant I thought it was interesting. I was out one night in Melbourne at a gig and I noticed Gala in the crowd. I thought I'd say a quick hello and tell her I liked her blog; well, she couldn't have been ruder, she was so cold and bloody ungrateful. I was shocked, all that bull shit on her blog about loving her 'non pariels' (or whatever sickening name she gives them). The people I were with were like "Who was that? Why the fuck were you talking to that sour cow?" After that I was really disappointed, but not really surprised. She is fake no bones about it.”
“
interesting (and touching!) video, but i don't think it will have any effect, sadly enough. this is just a really good lesson of how the desire for fame and/or money can go to someone's head, imo.”
interesting (and touching!) video, but i don't think it will have any effect, sadly enough. this is just a really good lesson of how the desire for fame and/or money can go to someone's head, imo.”
“Hi, a group of us girls (and friends) who have been reading iCiNG from the very beginning made a video about how we miss the old iCiNG and how Gala has changed. We just uploaded it and you can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZM3jvZbrw”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZM3jvZbrw”
“all this talk about who gala 'is' or 'isn't' is simply irrelevant. because i can randomly check her blog and be inspired. which in the end is what its about. Embracing your own life, moving forward, being inspired. why waste your time focusing on someone else when you can be out doing your own thing? i could make a list some of the world's most enlightened folks over the centuries and their 'issues'.. but i'd rather embrace every moment of my own life with everything in my being. emily, 41 years young, florida.”
“Also, someone here mentioned that LadyBloggers might start coming here to blow you up. They haven't! LMAO. Instead of her fans backing her up, why isn't people who know her trying to defend her? LOL.
Maddy also mentioned how Gala name drops so much. ERM, that is so true!!! I've followed Gilda's blog since foever, and I know Gilda is the one who invite her to Patricia Field's (ZOMG!) party. But on iCing, Gala wrote on her TILT that she flirted with Patricia Field, had a conversation, etc etc. She made it seem as though she was the one invited to the party, that she was living such a Carrie lifestyle, etc. It made me wonder how long that "conversation" actually lasted and what kind of actual "Flirting" went on.
”
Maddy also mentioned how Gala name drops so much. ERM, that is so true!!! I've followed Gilda's blog since foever, and I know Gilda is the one who invite her to Patricia Field's (ZOMG!) party. But on iCing, Gala wrote on her TILT that she flirted with Patricia Field, had a conversation, etc etc. She made it seem as though she was the one invited to the party, that she was living such a Carrie lifestyle, etc. It made me wonder how long that "conversation" actually lasted and what kind of actual "Flirting" went on.
”
“Someone just told me of this article and I had to come and read it. OH MY GOD hahahahahahhahaha! I just want to add this: I had two friends who went to a meet-up that Gala organized for her fans, where she clearly had no interest in talking to them or getting to know them, leaving the socializing to the other bloggers who were also there. She then made up some random excuse to leave early, even though her readers wanted to go for a drink or dinner, which was disappointing considering some of them had to travel a distance to go to meet up with her.
In spite of her distant and aloof attitude, she later wrote on her blog that she had an amazing time with her nonpareils, blah blah blah, which was nonsense and literally, a complete icing to cover up and make a whole lot of nothing look pretty. Of course the comments came pouring in that everyone wished they could have been there!! Little did they know, they were lucky they were not there.
On Gala's birthday, I went with a friend to her birthday party at Central Park. She was all dressed and fancy, but even though there were quite a number of people there, everyone stood around awkwardly. Gala was the one who organized her party for her fans, but she stuck to talking with her own friends and some of the bloggers she knew. That tattoo artist was also there and they appeared to be dating at that time. (In retrospect, now I am wondering after reading all these comments, if she was dating him to get her tattoos done for free.) It was the other LadyBloggers who were there that day who came around and got to know some of us and had proper conversations with us. The only time Gala bothered to speak to us was when the photographer wanted pictures. I guess we were there for show, to make the party look happening on the surface and in pictures for her blog. I left that party not knowing why I bothered going all the way to Central Park from Brooklyn.
Recently I have also had the pleasure of making friends with some real fashion bloggers, who apparently are acquainted with Gala and have met her at NYFW etc. I cannot name names, but let us just say that these people have a large enough following of their own that proves they are certainly not jealous of her "fame", and while I was excited to know how she is really like, no one had anything nice to share.
It surprised me.
However, after reading some of the comments here, I guess I'm no longer surprised. Especially after recalling the experience that my 2 friends and I had myself with her.
It appears she does seem nice, but only if you are of use to her. I do not know about her money issues and I agree with her fans here that it is no one's business. But you fans are defending her as if you have met her or you know her. I stopped reading her blog a little while after her birthday party. I mean, what's the point? She obviously isn't the same person she makes herself to be on her blog.”
In spite of her distant and aloof attitude, she later wrote on her blog that she had an amazing time with her nonpareils, blah blah blah, which was nonsense and literally, a complete icing to cover up and make a whole lot of nothing look pretty. Of course the comments came pouring in that everyone wished they could have been there!! Little did they know, they were lucky they were not there.
On Gala's birthday, I went with a friend to her birthday party at Central Park. She was all dressed and fancy, but even though there were quite a number of people there, everyone stood around awkwardly. Gala was the one who organized her party for her fans, but she stuck to talking with her own friends and some of the bloggers she knew. That tattoo artist was also there and they appeared to be dating at that time. (In retrospect, now I am wondering after reading all these comments, if she was dating him to get her tattoos done for free.) It was the other LadyBloggers who were there that day who came around and got to know some of us and had proper conversations with us. The only time Gala bothered to speak to us was when the photographer wanted pictures. I guess we were there for show, to make the party look happening on the surface and in pictures for her blog. I left that party not knowing why I bothered going all the way to Central Park from Brooklyn.
Recently I have also had the pleasure of making friends with some real fashion bloggers, who apparently are acquainted with Gala and have met her at NYFW etc. I cannot name names, but let us just say that these people have a large enough following of their own that proves they are certainly not jealous of her "fame", and while I was excited to know how she is really like, no one had anything nice to share.
It surprised me.
However, after reading some of the comments here, I guess I'm no longer surprised. Especially after recalling the experience that my 2 friends and I had myself with her.
It appears she does seem nice, but only if you are of use to her. I do not know about her money issues and I agree with her fans here that it is no one's business. But you fans are defending her as if you have met her or you know her. I stopped reading her blog a little while after her birthday party. I mean, what's the point? She obviously isn't the same person she makes herself to be on her blog.”
“Ah, well, to each their own. I'm grateful we could actually have an adult conversation about it!”
“Savannah, your comment would be very insightful if she had actually gotten better at blogging. The thing is, even her fans think the quality of iCing (and even the podcasts) has declined. This isn't about evolving - it's about the mask slipping when you don't need to appear enlightened anymore.”
“I understand how you feel, Cat. You want people to not be following her blindly.
I just would like to point out that people grow and get better at their job over time. Blogging is her job. It's not surprising to me at all that she is more finely tuned now that she has been at it for a while. The way she posts one year will be different than the way she posts another year as she changes her style, her skill set, etc.
And as a person grows, they learn new things, new coping mechanisms, their interests change, etc. So what if Simon introduced her to a spiritual side of life? We learn from other people, we take what we can get and toss what doesn't work for us. Because I learned from my mother or my therapist doesn't mean that I do not have any personality.
Anyway, like I said, if it doesn't do it for you, then no worries. ”
I just would like to point out that people grow and get better at their job over time. Blogging is her job. It's not surprising to me at all that she is more finely tuned now that she has been at it for a while. The way she posts one year will be different than the way she posts another year as she changes her style, her skill set, etc.
And as a person grows, they learn new things, new coping mechanisms, their interests change, etc. So what if Simon introduced her to a spiritual side of life? We learn from other people, we take what we can get and toss what doesn't work for us. Because I learned from my mother or my therapist doesn't mean that I do not have any personality.
Anyway, like I said, if it doesn't do it for you, then no worries. ”
“I should probably point out that Gala had a Twitter account which she didn't actively use in the early days of iCing. I must admit that when I found it, I thought it completely bizarre and very very different from the articles she was writing and the image she was trying to project - I doubt that back then she would talk about batteries and vibrators while watching episodes of House Md on iCing.
The self help, spiritual, up with people side clearly came from Simon. She seems to have no personality whatsoever, being instead defined by who she's dating, which becomes obvious when you read her posts around the time she had no stable relationship in her life.
Yes, her early posts were interesting. They were also very carefully constructed, and Gala Darling is a character, a marketing ploy, part of a plan. Follow her advice and be inspired by her by all means (people do it all the time with film and book characters), but please be aware that there is nothing "real" about her and her blog. I think the fishy something everyone seems to be smelling is that you're finally seeing Amy through the Gala Darling sparkles, and it ain't pretty.
Once more: I have no problem with people liking her. Really. I just think that people that do should be entirely aware that it's the same as being inspired by a fictional character, as opposed to a real person. That everything is sort of fake bothers me, but to each their own.”
The self help, spiritual, up with people side clearly came from Simon. She seems to have no personality whatsoever, being instead defined by who she's dating, which becomes obvious when you read her posts around the time she had no stable relationship in her life.
Yes, her early posts were interesting. They were also very carefully constructed, and Gala Darling is a character, a marketing ploy, part of a plan. Follow her advice and be inspired by her by all means (people do it all the time with film and book characters), but please be aware that there is nothing "real" about her and her blog. I think the fishy something everyone seems to be smelling is that you're finally seeing Amy through the Gala Darling sparkles, and it ain't pretty.
Once more: I have no problem with people liking her. Really. I just think that people that do should be entirely aware that it's the same as being inspired by a fictional character, as opposed to a real person. That everything is sort of fake bothers me, but to each their own.”
“Well Said Savannah F. (=
Regardless of weather or not to like her or not- Gala is here in all her pink glory.
While I am at it- i have to say that Gala really is a positive and inspiring person in my life.
I also admire Doe Deere, Audrey Kitching, Nubby Twiglet and others.
I think debasing a person simply because you don't know their origins or financial situation is amazingly rude.
I am sure there are things in your life that you may prefer others not to know- and that is your business- no one will hold a fault in your reasons for doing that.
So why criticize someone you apparently claim to dislike, yet will endlessly comment on?
All I can say is, as a 27 year old woman- I find her insight, thoughts and writing refreshing and fun.
I hope you guys will find something that inspires you, as Gala does me.
Love, Hugs and Happiness
xo
Ezz”
Regardless of weather or not to like her or not- Gala is here in all her pink glory.
While I am at it- i have to say that Gala really is a positive and inspiring person in my life.
I also admire Doe Deere, Audrey Kitching, Nubby Twiglet and others.
I think debasing a person simply because you don't know their origins or financial situation is amazingly rude.
I am sure there are things in your life that you may prefer others not to know- and that is your business- no one will hold a fault in your reasons for doing that.
So why criticize someone you apparently claim to dislike, yet will endlessly comment on?
All I can say is, as a 27 year old woman- I find her insight, thoughts and writing refreshing and fun.
I hope you guys will find something that inspires you, as Gala does me.
Love, Hugs and Happiness
xo
Ezz”
“
i personally don't feel that it should be that big of a deal for her to tell us where her income is coming from...i don't care how much she makes, i just want to know how she makes it when it is obvious that it cannot be from the ad revenue of icing, etc. it is none of my business or anyone else's what her exact dollar amount is and i would never expect her to disclose it...but i don't understand why, if she is writing for other sources or modeling like some theories suggest, we aren't allowed to know about it?
when i first started reading icing (at the very beginning), gala seemed to be pretty open and genuinely sweet & awesome. the last couple months have had me reconsidering this due to many different instances & different debates that have been popping up online. i think it is sad that i have lost a lot of respect for her when i really liked the person she was when she started blogging (this, however, is just my opinion! i would never tell anyone else not to read her site or think less of them for looking up to her...i am just venting on how i've been feeling lately about the site and gala's attitude towards certain things).
i know the quality of articles/amount of articles is really up to her to decide, but i feel like she has abandoned her readers, especially the ones who were with her from the start, in pursuit of this "awesome sparkly international play-girl" lifestyle. if gala doesn't have time to focus on the blog as in the past due to other prospects and activities in her life, that's her decision, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth that she has never formally stated (to my knowledge) that she is not as into writing for the site as she used to be. maybe a hiatus from icing would help?
i just feel it would be fair for her to re-brand the icing site at this point as it does not seem to live up to what it was orginally marketed as (remember "international dress up days" and "weekly resolutions"?). maybe just use it for product reviews and for people to purchase the podcast (which i will never spend money on from what i have heard about it)...i don't know, i am just speculating and i don't seriously think my advice is even good--just brainstorming.
whew, i am drained. all this "ladyblogger" drama and cattiness surrounding it lately has been a real shame...
”
i personally don't feel that it should be that big of a deal for her to tell us where her income is coming from...i don't care how much she makes, i just want to know how she makes it when it is obvious that it cannot be from the ad revenue of icing, etc. it is none of my business or anyone else's what her exact dollar amount is and i would never expect her to disclose it...but i don't understand why, if she is writing for other sources or modeling like some theories suggest, we aren't allowed to know about it?
when i first started reading icing (at the very beginning), gala seemed to be pretty open and genuinely sweet & awesome. the last couple months have had me reconsidering this due to many different instances & different debates that have been popping up online. i think it is sad that i have lost a lot of respect for her when i really liked the person she was when she started blogging (this, however, is just my opinion! i would never tell anyone else not to read her site or think less of them for looking up to her...i am just venting on how i've been feeling lately about the site and gala's attitude towards certain things).
i know the quality of articles/amount of articles is really up to her to decide, but i feel like she has abandoned her readers, especially the ones who were with her from the start, in pursuit of this "awesome sparkly international play-girl" lifestyle. if gala doesn't have time to focus on the blog as in the past due to other prospects and activities in her life, that's her decision, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth that she has never formally stated (to my knowledge) that she is not as into writing for the site as she used to be. maybe a hiatus from icing would help?
i just feel it would be fair for her to re-brand the icing site at this point as it does not seem to live up to what it was orginally marketed as (remember "international dress up days" and "weekly resolutions"?). maybe just use it for product reviews and for people to purchase the podcast (which i will never spend money on from what i have heard about it)...i don't know, i am just speculating and i don't seriously think my advice is even good--just brainstorming.
whew, i am drained. all this "ladyblogger" drama and cattiness surrounding it lately has been a real shame...
”
“"I think the idea is that I am not a legit businesswoman if I am mostly funded by my parents. Which I would agree with." - I believe what she is saying is that she would agree that is wouldn't be a legit businesswoman if she were funded by her parents. She is not saying that she is funded by her parents; she would be agreeing with the criticism, if that were the case.
Look: if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. If you disagree with her lifestyle, her hair, her name...move on. Find something that does speak to you. For some people, Gala is very inspirational. I don't read her blog for tips on how to live my life exactly like hers and she doesn't ever claim that her life is perfect for everyone. What is inspiring is that she is living a life that she loves, instead of dragging her feet through a life in which she feels horribly unhappy. Some people read celebrity gossip and snark; others read Gala and think about what they love about their lives, what they want to change, what they can do today to change it.
Everyone has their something. My something is Gala. Maybe someday I'll grow out of it and find inspiration is someone/something else, but for now, Gala and sparkles and cupcakes and hot pink brightens my mornings, makes me think about the beauty in my life, and makes me hopeful for my future.”
Look: if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. If you disagree with her lifestyle, her hair, her name...move on. Find something that does speak to you. For some people, Gala is very inspirational. I don't read her blog for tips on how to live my life exactly like hers and she doesn't ever claim that her life is perfect for everyone. What is inspiring is that she is living a life that she loves, instead of dragging her feet through a life in which she feels horribly unhappy. Some people read celebrity gossip and snark; others read Gala and think about what they love about their lives, what they want to change, what they can do today to change it.
Everyone has their something. My something is Gala. Maybe someday I'll grow out of it and find inspiration is someone/something else, but for now, Gala and sparkles and cupcakes and hot pink brightens my mornings, makes me think about the beauty in my life, and makes me hopeful for my future.”
“great interview, shes very inspirational. I just visited her blog and shes very lucky to be able to earn a living working from home and doing that, I wish i could.”
“Okay, saying for just one second that she IS funded by her parents (which I don't personally think is true). iCiNG is still a very very successful blog with a huge fanbase and readership. Which, if you ask me, makes her pretty damn well placed to talk about how to run a successful blog. She's never said "Everything I have and everything I've earned has been funded by blogging"
As regards the point about her somehow hurting impressionable teenage girls... anyone stupid enough to drop out of uni because a blogger did it, or who will buy a podcast over food is clearly a moron who deserves everything that comes to them.”
As regards the point about her somehow hurting impressionable teenage girls... anyone stupid enough to drop out of uni because a blogger did it, or who will buy a podcast over food is clearly a moron who deserves everything that comes to them.”
“Gala Darling HERSELF said on her Twitter--- "I think the idea is that I am not a legit businesswoman if I am mostly funded by my parents. Which I would agree with."
When people politely ask Gala about finances on her blog---a legit question because she sells podcasts giving business advice based on her own "success"---she deletes the comments or snaps at them. No wonder that people are frustrated.
My issue with Gala is not about if her blog is any good. It is about her ethics. If Gala claims to be self-funded and sells podcasts based on this claim---- which a lot of people know is shady---- then she has a professional and ethical obligation to be more upfront about her income.
Also---- if she keeps making this claim like she does in this interview, journalists WILL and SHOULD ask her about it for verification. ”
When people politely ask Gala about finances on her blog---a legit question because she sells podcasts giving business advice based on her own "success"---she deletes the comments or snaps at them. No wonder that people are frustrated.
My issue with Gala is not about if her blog is any good. It is about her ethics. If Gala claims to be self-funded and sells podcasts based on this claim---- which a lot of people know is shady---- then she has a professional and ethical obligation to be more upfront about her income.
Also---- if she keeps making this claim like she does in this interview, journalists WILL and SHOULD ask her about it for verification. ”
“I just said this on a different blog, but I feel it merits mentioning here as well - Gala Darling doesn't owe anyone anything - a lower priced podcast, a budget version of her style posts or whatever, more quality posts, more posts at all, and LEAST of all an explanation of her finances. The idea that anyone is getting harmed by her lack of response is absolutely absurd.
”
”
“She reminds me of audrey kitching,
Maybe because of the pink hair”
Maybe because of the pink hair”
“Great interview!!! You're the best,so positive!! ”
”
“Sara:
English is my third language, but does that not mean that she is subletting from someone, and once he goes to England, she is renting the whole apartment from him? So this roommate situation is only for 2 weeks.
Anyway, I don't care about her money and I think she is not worth enough for us to care so much about here. We should just find better blogs with real LadyBloggers who have talent, and who share some of their lives on their blogs. For me, I will be sticking to Marie, Nubby and Gilda's cute blogs. I would rather follow their stories.
”
English is my third language, but does that not mean that she is subletting from someone, and once he goes to England, she is renting the whole apartment from him? So this roommate situation is only for 2 weeks.
Anyway, I don't care about her money and I think she is not worth enough for us to care so much about here. We should just find better blogs with real LadyBloggers who have talent, and who share some of their lives on their blogs. For me, I will be sticking to Marie, Nubby and Gilda's cute blogs. I would rather follow their stories.
”
“" I am moving into my new place tomorrow. Well, kind of, it’s weird, I am moving into the second room which becomes available on the 1st, & then the guy whose place it is goes to England on the 13th & then I’ll have it to myself."”
“So thanks folks, you showed me her other blog and proved my point, she has roommates. Yes she does other gigs, but the blog started it all. And feeling sorry for young girls is lame, you know their parents give them money. Its not like they are starving on the street so they can listen to Gala.
I don't see why I should be bashed for defending her, I have just done my research rather than making up stupid lies.
Gala does have a job: she is a consultant, and a contract writer. I have tons of friends who are writers, tech writers, novelists, occult writers, and roleplaying game authors, even a journalist. These are real professions that make people some money. She is doing the job she wants to do, just as many of the other lady bloggers do. Nubby is a graphic artist, so is Queen Marie, Winona wrote for National Geographic for a while.”
I don't see why I should be bashed for defending her, I have just done my research rather than making up stupid lies.
Gala does have a job: she is a consultant, and a contract writer. I have tons of friends who are writers, tech writers, novelists, occult writers, and roleplaying game authors, even a journalist. These are real professions that make people some money. She is doing the job she wants to do, just as many of the other lady bloggers do. Nubby is a graphic artist, so is Queen Marie, Winona wrote for National Geographic for a while.”
“Wyn - if you meant that we were copycats for using the name then I apologise. I thought you were personally calling me a copycat blogger.
I wouldn't say we used the name proudly in that we are particularly striving to be associated with Nubby and company, but no I don't think anyone's ashamed of the title I gave the group. For my part I chose it as a simple catch-all phrase for female bloggers that happens to be a bit of a buzzword, not because I want to emulate anyone else.”
I wouldn't say we used the name proudly in that we are particularly striving to be associated with Nubby and company, but no I don't think anyone's ashamed of the title I gave the group. For my part I chose it as a simple catch-all phrase for female bloggers that happens to be a bit of a buzzword, not because I want to emulate anyone else.”
“to the those who keep saying why gala should answer questions about where all her magical money comes when people are nasty and rude about it, well i've seen many times on her blog people genuinely and politely asking the same questions only to have gala respond exactly the same way: "umm, like, it's like, none of yr business, mmkay?!" so whether you're nice or rude she'll still try and brush you off like the lying spoilt brat she is...call her out on something and she'll delete your comment(s). oh and a big fat LOL to the girl on her blog who said "it is illegal to post untruths about someone" - if that was true then gossip mags wouldn't exist, but hey it just goes to show that a lot of gala's readers are as clueless as she is.”
“Vixel -- I didn't intend my comment to be "catty" at all, actually. I assumed you were at the forefront of the UK Ladybloggers because you organised the meet, and you guys do use the name proudly... what exactly was catty about what I said? S I G H.”
“Wyn J, catty much? I've never tried to copy Gala or anyone else (yes, I like posting Things I Love Thursday but I find them fun to write and that's basically just a meme started by Gala). I'm far from the "head" of anything (I'm willing to bet my blog receives far fewer hits than the majority of other similar UK blogs) but I assume you're referring to the recent meetup? I used the term UK Ladybloggers because it was used to describe Nubby, Agent Lover, et al, yes. Why? Because the more people who attended, the better, so I hoped that by using a term coined by the more popular bloggers more people might find out about the meetup through search engines etc. I guess you could call it very crude SEO? However you want to describe it, pigeon-holing everyone who expressed interest in the meetup into the same niche would be impossible,
I don't really feel qualified to comment on the issue as a whole, like I said, I'm not involved in any movement, I wouldn't call my blog popular, it's just something I write for fun that has helped me interact with some great people. My opinion on Gala and co. is this: these womens' blogs are heavily-dependant on their individual personalities or at least, the side of them they want the public to see. Online as in real life, you can't like everyone. I do read all the blogs mentioned and the posts I enjoy, I comment on. Those I find bland I ignore, and if any of them posted anything that made me angry or upset, I'd comment also. I would have posted my opinion on Agent Lover's recent reaction to being called fat, but I read it very late after the discussion was dying down.
My point was this, whether Gala gets all her money from blogging or not, being nasty and insulting isn't going to make her want to explain herself to you. ”
I don't really feel qualified to comment on the issue as a whole, like I said, I'm not involved in any movement, I wouldn't call my blog popular, it's just something I write for fun that has helped me interact with some great people. My opinion on Gala and co. is this: these womens' blogs are heavily-dependant on their individual personalities or at least, the side of them they want the public to see. Online as in real life, you can't like everyone. I do read all the blogs mentioned and the posts I enjoy, I comment on. Those I find bland I ignore, and if any of them posted anything that made me angry or upset, I'd comment also. I would have posted my opinion on Agent Lover's recent reaction to being called fat, but I read it very late after the discussion was dying down.
My point was this, whether Gala gets all her money from blogging or not, being nasty and insulting isn't going to make her want to explain herself to you. ”
“Track This
I read her blog now and then because it's kind of interesting. I never heard of her til a few months ago and at first I thought it was pretty cool, but now I see it as being fluffy nonsense about nothing important. I started to question why she thinks she can give anyone advice like she does, but then I thought about this advice and realised it's all very superficial and not really actual advice at all (I don't know how "Go and be fabulous and wear fancy hats" is actually legit advice. But since I've not known her to be anything but what she is now, I guess I can't really hate her or anything. I'm curious as to what funds her lifestyle but at the same time I think 90% of it is just talk and she lives a less-than-fabulous life like most of her readers. People used to think my life was super amazing and glam when I lived in London. But I was poor all the time and had to drink cheap cider before going to free/cheap gigs on weekends and catch night buses in order to have any fun at all. Being in a big city like NY just makes everything more exciting by default.”
I read her blog now and then because it's kind of interesting. I never heard of her til a few months ago and at first I thought it was pretty cool, but now I see it as being fluffy nonsense about nothing important. I started to question why she thinks she can give anyone advice like she does, but then I thought about this advice and realised it's all very superficial and not really actual advice at all (I don't know how "Go and be fabulous and wear fancy hats" is actually legit advice. But since I've not known her to be anything but what she is now, I guess I can't really hate her or anything. I'm curious as to what funds her lifestyle but at the same time I think 90% of it is just talk and she lives a less-than-fabulous life like most of her readers. People used to think my life was super amazing and glam when I lived in London. But I was poor all the time and had to drink cheap cider before going to free/cheap gigs on weekends and catch night buses in order to have any fun at all. Being in a big city like NY just makes everything more exciting by default.”
“PS: Vixel, since you're the head of the copycat Ladyblogging contingent in the UK (a name you proudly give yourselves, right?), maybe you'd like to comment on the whole Ladyblogging thing? It's a pretty interesting issue, after all.”
“Tiara -- Just because Nubby is involved with Gala doesn't mean we can't admire her, right?”
“Has nobody considered that if the original poster was a little more polite and a little less nasty she may have been more willing to answer the question? I think many sensible people would consider there being no point in answering someone so wholly bent on causing upset who has firmly made up their own mind anyway and doesn't seem open to any kind of discussion that may be contrary to what they believe. ”
“Yes, it's a shame Gala no longer writes articles of any substance, and it is unfortunate that her blog is one big advertisement now, but you know what, at the end of the day I doubt she could care less that a few hundred people have given up reading about how much shit she owns - she has got it MADE. She's loaded as shit, lives in an amazing apartment in NYC and has everything she wants.
People hassling her about 'lying' about how she makes her money is not not going to faze her, because what the hell does she care about any of them? Obviously her saying 'not my probz' to any people who are curious about her business is not exactly responsible, professionally speaking, but she is NOT a professional - she is just some girl who has had everything go her way. ”
People hassling her about 'lying' about how she makes her money is not not going to faze her, because what the hell does she care about any of them? Obviously her saying 'not my probz' to any people who are curious about her business is not exactly responsible, professionally speaking, but she is NOT a professional - she is just some girl who has had everything go her way. ”
“also I find the Nubby love here really amusing - y'all do know she and Gala are practically married ;)”
“FWIW, I never called her, or anybody, a Lady Blogger. (My post was a question, not an article.) Nubby, Star, Gilda, and Marie called *themselves* that in response to my Mefi query and the term kinda took off.
Like Tera, I'm personally not so fussed; the main reason I read them is because they find interesting links every so often! (Though that Oh Haaaale No debacle was really offputting mainly because of how vicious the comments were getting.)
Though I have to say I'm not impressed with how Gala calls herself a visionary. Firstly I feel that's something history and society gets to call you based on your legacy; following that, I don't feel like Gala's really done anything so extraordinary to be considered a visionary. She's a fashion/lifestyle blogger with content that's not even that unusual. She hasn't created anything on the level of Da Vinci, Einstein, Buckminister Fuller, or any other _actual_ visionaries. It doesn't mean that she hasn't changed lives or that she hasn't helped people; it does mean that she hasn't quite reached "visionary" status yet.”
Like Tera, I'm personally not so fussed; the main reason I read them is because they find interesting links every so often! (Though that Oh Haaaale No debacle was really offputting mainly because of how vicious the comments were getting.)
Though I have to say I'm not impressed with how Gala calls herself a visionary. Firstly I feel that's something history and society gets to call you based on your legacy; following that, I don't feel like Gala's really done anything so extraordinary to be considered a visionary. She's a fashion/lifestyle blogger with content that's not even that unusual. She hasn't created anything on the level of Da Vinci, Einstein, Buckminister Fuller, or any other _actual_ visionaries. It doesn't mean that she hasn't changed lives or that she hasn't helped people; it does mean that she hasn't quite reached "visionary" status yet.”
“I don't see what the big deal is on where Gala gets her money from. I mean, sure she gets money from her blog, and sure, it's probably not enough to fund her lifestyle, but I wouldn't go so far as to say she's equivelent to Paris Hilton. I think it's highly common that she has other writing jobs that she does, or even non-writing jobs, whatever. I don't think you can really expect someone to tell you how much they make, regardless of their job.
I'm not saying that Gala has all the best articles nowadays or that she's the best person ever or whatever. I initially found her blog when she posted an article several times a week and it was more about self-esteem and reviews than fashion or tilt or carousel. I look at her web site as a habit, I guess. And if there's anything interesting I link it to my friends. I do enjoy seeing her talk about fashion sometimes, but I don't think looking at a blog for fashion is a bad thing, either. I don't think Gala Darling is bad to look at for inspiration.
Also, I'm just wondering.. what is the source of "Gala Darling solicits money from young girls, many poor and unemployed, by selling them a lie."? I'm not trying to attack you or anything, Yelia, I'm just genuinely curious. How do you know who specifically buys her podcasts or who donates money to her through paypal? The only person who can truely know that is Gala herself or someone she told. There's technically no way anyone can know if the people who buy her podcasts are unemployed or poor or drop out of school to start a blog, even if you do go by the comments on her articles. It can only be an assumption.
Oh, and I just felt I had to say this one thing after reading Maddy's comment. I'd suggest donating money to a much better cause than PETA if you're going to do that. PETA isn't all that great of a cause and they're practically the definition of hypocrite. If you don't believe me, research PETA or even watch the episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit about PETA.”
I'm not saying that Gala has all the best articles nowadays or that she's the best person ever or whatever. I initially found her blog when she posted an article several times a week and it was more about self-esteem and reviews than fashion or tilt or carousel. I look at her web site as a habit, I guess. And if there's anything interesting I link it to my friends. I do enjoy seeing her talk about fashion sometimes, but I don't think looking at a blog for fashion is a bad thing, either. I don't think Gala Darling is bad to look at for inspiration.
Also, I'm just wondering.. what is the source of "Gala Darling solicits money from young girls, many poor and unemployed, by selling them a lie."? I'm not trying to attack you or anything, Yelia, I'm just genuinely curious. How do you know who specifically buys her podcasts or who donates money to her through paypal? The only person who can truely know that is Gala herself or someone she told. There's technically no way anyone can know if the people who buy her podcasts are unemployed or poor or drop out of school to start a blog, even if you do go by the comments on her articles. It can only be an assumption.
Oh, and I just felt I had to say this one thing after reading Maddy's comment. I'd suggest donating money to a much better cause than PETA if you're going to do that. PETA isn't all that great of a cause and they're practically the definition of hypocrite. If you don't believe me, research PETA or even watch the episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit about PETA.”
“Wyn:
I would rather not have Nubby in there too. Actually, I think Gala is the only "Ladyblogger". That word seems negative in Tiara's metapost, but the rest of the bloggers mentioned all seem rather down to earth and 'Real'. Their blogs are personal blogs with content worth reading, instead of an income churning venue. I think so.
Marie and Gilda's blog make me laugh all the time because they are funny and I feel like I am listening to a friend's conversation. Marie does these amazing and artistic photography shots with superb color that I admire. Gilda does not even update often because she's busy doing fashion design, going to Parsons and working for my idol, Patricia Field! And Nubby is surely an amazing artist!! Her eye for typography is out of this world. Her style is not mine but I love her work still. I respect the three of them and I keep up with their blogs on my google reader. I do not know Doe and Star's blogs well so I cannot comment on them. Is Glda and Marie the only ones who use their real name?
I think it's funny Gala's fans say we are publishing untruths about people. Maddy knew her from high school so it can't be all fake. And I knew Gala's name was Amy too because once, very long ago, someone who knew her before she changed her name, left a comment on her blog which was deleted because it had her name.
Anyway, there are so many people I know who make use of others to get to where they are and pay the rent or buy new shoes. This is nothing new. But at least my friends who do it are open about having sugar daddies! And I accept them because they are not fake about it! Unlike what some of her fans think, I am not jealous of Gala. I do not want to be like her. I have a successful real career and I enjoy my "international (non)playgirl" life that I pay for myself!
Tiara:
I have seen Paris in Vegas before. I think she is a fake bimbo. I overheard her talking with some business looking people and she seemed surprisingly smarter than how the media makes her look. Well, whether or not she is smart or stupid, she's getting paid to appear dumb 24Hours. She loves the cameras anyway, so good for her!”
I would rather not have Nubby in there too. Actually, I think Gala is the only "Ladyblogger". That word seems negative in Tiara's metapost, but the rest of the bloggers mentioned all seem rather down to earth and 'Real'. Their blogs are personal blogs with content worth reading, instead of an income churning venue. I think so.
Marie and Gilda's blog make me laugh all the time because they are funny and I feel like I am listening to a friend's conversation. Marie does these amazing and artistic photography shots with superb color that I admire. Gilda does not even update often because she's busy doing fashion design, going to Parsons and working for my idol, Patricia Field! And Nubby is surely an amazing artist!! Her eye for typography is out of this world. Her style is not mine but I love her work still. I respect the three of them and I keep up with their blogs on my google reader. I do not know Doe and Star's blogs well so I cannot comment on them. Is Glda and Marie the only ones who use their real name?
I think it's funny Gala's fans say we are publishing untruths about people. Maddy knew her from high school so it can't be all fake. And I knew Gala's name was Amy too because once, very long ago, someone who knew her before she changed her name, left a comment on her blog which was deleted because it had her name.
Anyway, there are so many people I know who make use of others to get to where they are and pay the rent or buy new shoes. This is nothing new. But at least my friends who do it are open about having sugar daddies! And I accept them because they are not fake about it! Unlike what some of her fans think, I am not jealous of Gala. I do not want to be like her. I have a successful real career and I enjoy my "international (non)playgirl" life that I pay for myself!
Tiara:
I have seen Paris in Vegas before. I think she is a fake bimbo. I overheard her talking with some business looking people and she seemed surprisingly smarter than how the media makes her look. Well, whether or not she is smart or stupid, she's getting paid to appear dumb 24Hours. She loves the cameras anyway, so good for her!”
“Gala Yawning's Style Tips:
Buy lots of pink and gold glitter; roll around in it like a crazy lady. Eat food starting with the letter B for a week. Blah blah blah,
HOLLA!!!”
Buy lots of pink and gold glitter; roll around in it like a crazy lady. Eat food starting with the letter B for a week. Blah blah blah,
HOLLA!!!”
“Oh btw guys, we're getting some free PR over at Gala's Carousel comments box right now: http://galadarling.com/article/carousel-week-ending-31st-july-2009#comment
I particularly love "it is illegal to publish untruths about people"! WTF ironic?”
I particularly love "it is illegal to publish untruths about people"! WTF ironic?”
“Keiko -- I'm not saying these people necessarily call themselves "Ladybloggers," but they've been put into that category by the article and it seems a good collective noun for them. Basically Gala, Star, Gilda, Marie and Doe, plus some hangers-on. I think some people would put Nubby in there but personally I'd rather not (see the rest of my comment)!
Tiara -- Damn right. Having pink hair and tattoos that are easy to cover does not an unconventional gal make. Basically she's Paris Hilton with an NZ accent.
Cat V -- The more points people make the more I agree that Gala is all bullshit. All your points had me nodding furiously.
Maddy and Keiko -- you guys are so so right about Nubby, I freaking adore her. She's properly professional in everything she does, she doesn't overshare and you can really see the hard work she's put in to get where she is. She also wears designer clothes but she really does wear her few gorgeous pieces all the damn time, she makes them earn their keep! Plus her work is phenomenal, she really deserves all the success she gets.”
Tiara -- Damn right. Having pink hair and tattoos that are easy to cover does not an unconventional gal make. Basically she's Paris Hilton with an NZ accent.
Cat V -- The more points people make the more I agree that Gala is all bullshit. All your points had me nodding furiously.
Maddy and Keiko -- you guys are so so right about Nubby, I freaking adore her. She's properly professional in everything she does, she doesn't overshare and you can really see the hard work she's put in to get where she is. She also wears designer clothes but she really does wear her few gorgeous pieces all the damn time, she makes them earn their keep! Plus her work is phenomenal, she really deserves all the success she gets.”
“Sara:
I never knew she had another blog. I saw photographs of her apartment in there. When I lived in New York, I used to live in the East Village too, so I can tell you, Sara, that I lived in a tinier space than that, and definitely NOT so nice and decorated. And my rent was $2765.
Tiara:
Thank you for telling me the link to your Meta post. I remember reading from somewhere that Gala didn't like Doe and did not want to be associated with her back then. I think someone who went to her birthday party mentioned it on their blog a very long time ago. Now that Doe Deer has done so well and established her own make up line, Gala is hanging out with her and doing reviews for her. I hope Doe Deer is aware of this!
Maddy:
I agree!! Nubby is so talented, I wish she can design my namecard!! One day I will ask her. And Marie is so funny and has so kawaii personal style and confidence. And I want to buy Gilda's clothes, I hope she sells clothes in Japan soon.”
I never knew she had another blog. I saw photographs of her apartment in there. When I lived in New York, I used to live in the East Village too, so I can tell you, Sara, that I lived in a tinier space than that, and definitely NOT so nice and decorated. And my rent was $2765.
Tiara:
Thank you for telling me the link to your Meta post. I remember reading from somewhere that Gala didn't like Doe and did not want to be associated with her back then. I think someone who went to her birthday party mentioned it on their blog a very long time ago. Now that Doe Deer has done so well and established her own make up line, Gala is hanging out with her and doing reviews for her. I hope Doe Deer is aware of this!
Maddy:
I agree!! Nubby is so talented, I wish she can design my namecard!! One day I will ask her. And Marie is so funny and has so kawaii personal style and confidence. And I want to buy Gilda's clothes, I hope she sells clothes in Japan soon.”
“if people want a REAL style/fashion/intelligent role model they should go read nubby's blog. that girl is pure class, resourceful, grounded, and don't need an ego boost 5000 times a day from 12 year olds. nubby is style; gala is just..bleugh..vile.”
“cat v. - "bills are a blessing because they are a sign the Universe trusts in your ability to pay them!" hahahah i had completely forgotten about that. what an absolute JOKE. such an easy thing to say for someone that's probably never paid a bill in their life because they've mooched off everyone else. ahh i have an overdue electricity bill...maybe if i eat a raw carrot then tap my head and elbows it will magically go away? ”
“You know, I never thought she had a trust fund (though she mentions her father's Porsche often), I just simply assumed that, as in Sex and the city, an international party girl is a hooker with a passport. Simon, her ex, seems to have supported her financially for a few years, and then summarily dumped as soon as possible.
Perhaps I'm being unfair, but her second blog is a little sad and shows her, for example, flying to Canada to stay with a man she's never met before, something going wrong, and her having to escape back to the States. There are other hints, but if she is a high class prostitute she should just own it, no?
I stopped enjoying her blog when the New Age bollocks started taking over, with her recommending EFT for every single problem, boasting about being an avid reader and then listing only self-help books, and all the Virgo Power idiocy. Not to mention the advice that stated that going to University is really pointless, the "bills are a blessing because they are a sign the Universe trusts in your ability to pay them!" crap, and the "OMG Steve Pavlina is so totally right in blackmailing his wife into a polyamorous relationship because he's clearly going through a midlife crisis, but as he states this in new age psychobabble about having too much love to give it's totally ok" malarky.
The "here's a Polyvore set I made for a girl who sleeps with a married man and gets money and travel tickets from him" sealed the deal for me. This is a role model? Really?”
Perhaps I'm being unfair, but her second blog is a little sad and shows her, for example, flying to Canada to stay with a man she's never met before, something going wrong, and her having to escape back to the States. There are other hints, but if she is a high class prostitute she should just own it, no?
I stopped enjoying her blog when the New Age bollocks started taking over, with her recommending EFT for every single problem, boasting about being an avid reader and then listing only self-help books, and all the Virgo Power idiocy. Not to mention the advice that stated that going to University is really pointless, the "bills are a blessing because they are a sign the Universe trusts in your ability to pay them!" crap, and the "OMG Steve Pavlina is so totally right in blackmailing his wife into a polyamorous relationship because he's clearly going through a midlife crisis, but as he states this in new age psychobabble about having too much love to give it's totally ok" malarky.
The "here's a Polyvore set I made for a girl who sleeps with a married man and gets money and travel tickets from him" sealed the deal for me. This is a role model? Really?”
“Keiko: The Metafilter saga would be this:
http://ask.metafilter.com/99641/PersonalityBased-DesignArtsFashion-Blogging-new-trend
It was a post I made last year when I started following all those blogs and wondered if it was some sort of trendy thing to do, like fanlistings or vexels or TCGs or whatever it was that all the kids with personal websites did in the early 2000s. I didn't realise at the time that most of them actually knew each other.
I can understand being frustrated at being asked how you earn your money - I wrote a blog promoting options on alternative education, and so many people tried to dismiss me as a "rich man's daughter" (I'm no millionaire, but my dad has worked hard to provide for all of us) and claimed that my options only worked if you were rich and privileged. Never mind that I worked hard to find free and accessible opps, as well as advocate for ways to make them more accessible. It's a tiring question that is a total red herring.
But I do see the point that if you're aiming to market your lifestyle as achievable, there is a certain onus to present what's achievable how, and how much of your privilege is present in making the life you're in. How much of Gala's life would have been possible if she was of a minority race living in the outskirts of a developing country whose currency doesn't really stack up internationally (e.g. someone like me)? How much is she able to get away with for being "conventionally unconventional" - just quirky enough to not be dismissed as mainstream, but not really pushing the boundaries and making people uncomfortable either? How much of her fame is self-made and how much is due to society support and privilege that she likely doesn't realise exists?
But that's a political argument that's far wider than the scope of Cut Out & Keep and this article. I've done enough speculating on her life
I'd have to say on her defence though that flights are cheap, her podcast is relatively cheap compared to other pay-for podcasts (though I can see that if her target market is under 18 than they're slightly out of reach), she probably has enough clout now that designers send her stuff for free/cheap/loan, and many people still live off their parents - I'll admit to trying to wean off my parents unsuccessfully while I go crazy jobhunting in a foreign country. It's hard!”
http://ask.metafilter.com/99641/PersonalityBased-DesignArtsFashion-Blogging-new-trend
It was a post I made last year when I started following all those blogs and wondered if it was some sort of trendy thing to do, like fanlistings or vexels or TCGs or whatever it was that all the kids with personal websites did in the early 2000s. I didn't realise at the time that most of them actually knew each other.
I can understand being frustrated at being asked how you earn your money - I wrote a blog promoting options on alternative education, and so many people tried to dismiss me as a "rich man's daughter" (I'm no millionaire, but my dad has worked hard to provide for all of us) and claimed that my options only worked if you were rich and privileged. Never mind that I worked hard to find free and accessible opps, as well as advocate for ways to make them more accessible. It's a tiring question that is a total red herring.
But I do see the point that if you're aiming to market your lifestyle as achievable, there is a certain onus to present what's achievable how, and how much of your privilege is present in making the life you're in. How much of Gala's life would have been possible if she was of a minority race living in the outskirts of a developing country whose currency doesn't really stack up internationally (e.g. someone like me)? How much is she able to get away with for being "conventionally unconventional" - just quirky enough to not be dismissed as mainstream, but not really pushing the boundaries and making people uncomfortable either? How much of her fame is self-made and how much is due to society support and privilege that she likely doesn't realise exists?
But that's a political argument that's far wider than the scope of Cut Out & Keep and this article. I've done enough speculating on her life
I'd have to say on her defence though that flights are cheap, her podcast is relatively cheap compared to other pay-for podcasts (though I can see that if her target market is under 18 than they're slightly out of reach), she probably has enough clout now that designers send her stuff for free/cheap/loan, and many people still live off their parents - I'll admit to trying to wean off my parents unsuccessfully while I go crazy jobhunting in a foreign country. It's hard!”
“At the end of the day whether Gala makes all her money from writing or not (and from her tweets it's clear that she frequently has other paid writing gigs - perhaps she ghost-writes some things and that's why she has to be vague about them?) the original poster didn't constructively question her income sources, she went on the offensive and outright accused Gala of being a liar and a cheat.
Whatever the truth is, I really can't blame Gala for not rolling over and giving the trolls what they want. Such hostility and rudeness doesn't really deserve a response.”
Whatever the truth is, I really can't blame Gala for not rolling over and giving the trolls what they want. Such hostility and rudeness doesn't really deserve a response.”
“---The reason to care--- Gala Darling solicits money from young girls, many poor and unemployed, by selling them a lie. Gala sells podcasts about how to be independent and "make a living as a blogger"--- when any person without stars in their eyes can see she is LYING about being entirely self-funded.
Sara and others defending Gala--- even if all you say is true, the story does not add up. This is her other blog--- http://lovelettertotheuniverse.com/
Gala Darling is flying from New York to Vegas, London, LA, Canada and New Zealand this year. Her daily adsense earnings couldn't pay for the designer juice she gets delivered every day to her door.
Gala said it best herself on her Twitter-- "I am not a legit businesswoman if I am mostly funded by my parents." I urge her to come clean and stop pretending she supports her lifestyle 100% through her blog income and related work---- because it HURTS young girls. They pay for her podcasts and drop out of school to try to be like her until their dreams are inevitably crushed. Now that's positive.
”
Sara and others defending Gala--- even if all you say is true, the story does not add up. This is her other blog--- http://lovelettertotheuniverse.com/
Gala Darling is flying from New York to Vegas, London, LA, Canada and New Zealand this year. Her daily adsense earnings couldn't pay for the designer juice she gets delivered every day to her door.
Gala said it best herself on her Twitter-- "I am not a legit businesswoman if I am mostly funded by my parents." I urge her to come clean and stop pretending she supports her lifestyle 100% through her blog income and related work---- because it HURTS young girls. They pay for her podcasts and drop out of school to try to be like her until their dreams are inevitably crushed. Now that's positive.
”
“Wyn:
Who are the rest of the so-called Lady Bloggers? I know a couple of them, but some of them seem to have been sort of thrown into this group that they never asked to be in. I have heard something about some meta-filter saga that brought this about, and I know some were merely defending their blogs.
I agree that blog post on Agent Lover brought about a lot of crazy commenting, but both parties had a point, don't you think? For example, I have a high metabolism rate and pig-out all the time, but people ask me if I have bulimia, which hurts. So I felt like I could relate to how Marie felt.
I used to follow Gala's blog myself, but after a few months, I stopped because it was airy and had no real content. But not all bloggers are like that; the rest of them have real jobs, real school, and I like reading their blogs because they seem to be real people without airs. Gala went to New York with her ex-boyfriend on his work trip and stayed at a beautiful hotel with him, and promptly broke up with him after he clearly paid for her lifestyle, when she found a way to move here. After I pieced the puzzle together, I stopped reading her blog because I could not believe that someone could do something like that to a person she claimed to love.
I'm not sure what she is up to now and I don't really care. Her finances are no one's business but her own, but still, I'm amused that people still think she's "all that".”
Who are the rest of the so-called Lady Bloggers? I know a couple of them, but some of them seem to have been sort of thrown into this group that they never asked to be in. I have heard something about some meta-filter saga that brought this about, and I know some were merely defending their blogs.
I agree that blog post on Agent Lover brought about a lot of crazy commenting, but both parties had a point, don't you think? For example, I have a high metabolism rate and pig-out all the time, but people ask me if I have bulimia, which hurts. So I felt like I could relate to how Marie felt.
I used to follow Gala's blog myself, but after a few months, I stopped because it was airy and had no real content. But not all bloggers are like that; the rest of them have real jobs, real school, and I like reading their blogs because they seem to be real people without airs. Gala went to New York with her ex-boyfriend on his work trip and stayed at a beautiful hotel with him, and promptly broke up with him after he clearly paid for her lifestyle, when she found a way to move here. After I pieced the puzzle together, I stopped reading her blog because I could not believe that someone could do something like that to a person she claimed to love.
I'm not sure what she is up to now and I don't really care. Her finances are no one's business but her own, but still, I'm amused that people still think she's "all that".”
“Folks, anyone who has followed Gala's blog from the beginning knows she started out wearing all vintage, with complete support from her boyfriend in her pro-blogging venture. Simon designed her site, he or another friend gave her the server space.
People like Gala as a personality that keeps people interested, she is very upbeat and inspiring.
Now, perhaps Gala has roommates in her apartment, maybe she is housesitting, seriously--if you read like every single thing she ever posts you would probably figure it out.
I skim everything most days, it is clear she has moved her quality content to her podcast, which honestly I can't afford. But if she can fetch a high price for it, then go for it, I'm not a charity case. I can get inspiring books from the library or other blogs, she doesn't have to donate her best stuff to me.
Sure she wears a lot of really nice clothes, but if you follow her a lot, you will also notice that she wears the same items over and over again. Some bloggers who live more on the cheap, buy heaps and heaps of vintage clothes and hardly ever wear the same skirt twice.
If Gala wears even her Forever 21 finds in a hundred photos with her like five pairs of designer shoes, she certainly is still not living the life of a ton of teenage bloggers with rich parents who get five new designer shoes per month!
If you want to know how Gala affords it all, its clear she invests in good pieces and makes her clothes last, lives in a tiny apartment and makes it look good, and advertises herself a lot to get a variety of work and customers.”
People like Gala as a personality that keeps people interested, she is very upbeat and inspiring.
Now, perhaps Gala has roommates in her apartment, maybe she is housesitting, seriously--if you read like every single thing she ever posts you would probably figure it out.
I skim everything most days, it is clear she has moved her quality content to her podcast, which honestly I can't afford. But if she can fetch a high price for it, then go for it, I'm not a charity case. I can get inspiring books from the library or other blogs, she doesn't have to donate her best stuff to me.
Sure she wears a lot of really nice clothes, but if you follow her a lot, you will also notice that she wears the same items over and over again. Some bloggers who live more on the cheap, buy heaps and heaps of vintage clothes and hardly ever wear the same skirt twice.
If Gala wears even her Forever 21 finds in a hundred photos with her like five pairs of designer shoes, she certainly is still not living the life of a ton of teenage bloggers with rich parents who get five new designer shoes per month!
If you want to know how Gala affords it all, its clear she invests in good pieces and makes her clothes last, lives in a tiny apartment and makes it look good, and advertises herself a lot to get a variety of work and customers.”
“If Gala was smart, she'd read these comments and realize that some of her fans aren't happy with her blog. But all she'll do is go OH WELL NOT MY PROB and keep doing mediocre work. Her fans are all 15 anyway, so they won't notice how lame the blog is getting. Shame, it actually used to be cool.”
“PS: Why is Gala a "fashion" person? She wears black. And black. And some pink. And black. Every single outfit looks exactly the ssaaaaaaaameeee!”
“joanne m. - if she was upfront and honest about it instead of lying and trying to always cover it up, people really wouldn't give a shit. and i don't know about the other commenters here but i 'screech' about plenty of worthwhile causes - PETA being one of them (though you'll never see me posing for photos wearing fur, unlike some people). ”
“I have no interest one way or another in whether Gala Darling has a trust fund or how the hell she makes her money. I simply do not care. I'm just baffled at the venom it's prompting from some of you guys. If it were true, if she were on a huge allowance from Mum and Dad, BIG DEAL! As far as injustices go it's pretty damn minor. Why don't you use some of that energy and self-righteous anger to screech about a worthwhile cause.”
“also, after she announced her new (& insanely overpriced) podcast, many people voiced that they simply could not afford it. so instead of listening to her readers (who according to her, are her employers too) and lowering her price, she defended and tried to justify why the price was so high. and then she went on to gloat about her latest shoes and accessories and other things than young girls simply cannot afford, especially now with the recession going on. many of her readers comment saying "wow those shoes are so pretty but i could never afford them" and what does gala do? boasts about how she got them or who she knows who got them for her blah blah blah...instead of compiling an article on how to look good and wear what you want on a tight budget...which clearly says that her blog is about HER, not her readers. what a shame.”
“wyn j. - in the eyes of many she can do no wrong, but when anyone says anything negative about her it automatically makes them 'an insecure, unhappy person'. if you're going to put yourself out there then be prepared for negative comments and criticism, and just because someone doesn't like what you do or say it does not mean there is something wrong in their life. i hate the way a lot of laws and politics are run and how my government lies about its funding etc, but that doesn't make me insecure or unhappy, it just means im not content in sitting silent while something is clearly wrong and people are clearly covering things up. to a much lesser extent this applies to gala. what if a professional journalist interviewed her and asked about her income? is she just gonna giggle and say "none of your business" and "not my issue!"? she has as much professionalism as paris hilton does intelligence, and if gala's naive theory of people's insecurity and/or personal issues leading them to criticise her, there would be no film/food/wine/book/fashion critics, or even an opposition party to your country's government. she's an insecure, self-absorbed trust fund baby who goes crying to her underage fans whenever someone says anything negative and relies on them to defend her and stroke her ego and give her reassurance... evident by her 'other blog'. she is a scam, a phony, a fake. anyone with half a brain can figure that out, and you don't need to be dr phil to see how insecure and desperate she is for attention.”
“I'm keeping quiet on the filler-posts/how good is Gala actually? comments, but I have a theory on this money issue.
I think Gala SHOULD give us at least an insight into how she got started/how she earns her income. Yes, fair enough, it's nosy of us all to be interested, but she overshares EVERYTHING else so it does feel weird for her to be private (secretive?) about this. Personally I think she has NOTHING to lose from giving some details -- about 99% of her readers would still follow and be loyal to her, even if she admitted to receiving $$$ from her parents/being a high class hooker (something I saw suggested on another blog somewhere once) or whatever. I know I'd still read her stuff! I'd probably like her even more, in fact, and I think that'd be the case with most people.”
I think Gala SHOULD give us at least an insight into how she got started/how she earns her income. Yes, fair enough, it's nosy of us all to be interested, but she overshares EVERYTHING else so it does feel weird for her to be private (secretive?) about this. Personally I think she has NOTHING to lose from giving some details -- about 99% of her readers would still follow and be loyal to her, even if she admitted to receiving $$$ from her parents/being a high class hooker (something I saw suggested on another blog somewhere once) or whatever. I know I'd still read her stuff! I'd probably like her even more, in fact, and I think that'd be the case with most people.”
“...in fact I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of Ladybloggers don't land/get sent over here before too long to start ripping us up just for stating the obvious. That, or all these comments will just mysteriously disappear...”
“Maddy D -- Um, burn! But I totally agree about "appalling grammar and punctuation that make English lit Masters rip their hair out."
I felt kind of bad about all these mean comments, but knowing that Gala is reading them and has just responded with "not my issue!" (ie, I don't want to address this because it would require telling the truth to my readers -- who, if she IS so successful off the back of the blog, freaking PUT her there!) makes me kind of sad and annoyed. I started to go off her big time when the US elections were going on -- after Obama was elected (she was in NYC, who'd have killed for that?!) she took to Twitter not to celebrate, but to bitch about how the cellphone networks were blocked and she couldn't make calls (wtf airhead!). Then when someone called her on being "self absorbed," she bitched about it to her readers and naturally, they all closed ranks against this person, who totally HAD A POINT. That really disappointed me and I've never seen her in the same light since.
This bullshit drama that's been going on at Agent Lover recently (see the comments thread of the post called "Oh Haaaale No") has also totally turned me off this Ladyblogging rubbish. Apart from being meaningless and overly commercial and consumerist (does Gala ever give anything back to the community? Not really... she just shops and then goes "look I bought shoes!" Heckof worthwhile), if one of their fold ever gets the slightest criticism levelled at them, they and their readers blindly close ranks, descending on the critical party and essentially ripping them to shreds. It's a far cry from "hey everyone lets all sit around and eat cupcakes and be friends forever!", isn't it...?”
I felt kind of bad about all these mean comments, but knowing that Gala is reading them and has just responded with "not my issue!" (ie, I don't want to address this because it would require telling the truth to my readers -- who, if she IS so successful off the back of the blog, freaking PUT her there!) makes me kind of sad and annoyed. I started to go off her big time when the US elections were going on -- after Obama was elected (she was in NYC, who'd have killed for that?!) she took to Twitter not to celebrate, but to bitch about how the cellphone networks were blocked and she couldn't make calls (wtf airhead!). Then when someone called her on being "self absorbed," she bitched about it to her readers and naturally, they all closed ranks against this person, who totally HAD A POINT. That really disappointed me and I've never seen her in the same light since.
This bullshit drama that's been going on at Agent Lover recently (see the comments thread of the post called "Oh Haaaale No") has also totally turned me off this Ladyblogging rubbish. Apart from being meaningless and overly commercial and consumerist (does Gala ever give anything back to the community? Not really... she just shops and then goes "look I bought shoes!" Heckof worthwhile), if one of their fold ever gets the slightest criticism levelled at them, they and their readers blindly close ranks, descending on the critical party and essentially ripping them to shreds. It's a far cry from "hey everyone lets all sit around and eat cupcakes and be friends forever!", isn't it...?”
“Also, Gala didn't have to worry about money when she was first starting her blog. She was living with a boyfriend at the time, who funded her lifestyle. Where do you think she got the money to pay for her high-rise Melbourne apartment, black Macbook, etc etc? Not from the meager income from beginner blog, that's for sure. I won't drop her ex's name, but I know him, so this isn't just bs. ;)”
“i'd also like to point out that gala saying that her parents don't give her anything and that she is "entirely self-funded" is the biggest lie since the bill clinton denied having sexual relations with that woman. her parents are extremely wealthy and own a very successful business in NZ. she is very close with her family so her parents not giving her anything is just bullshit. think about it...there is NO way anyone can live that lifestyle in NYC merely on the income of a few site ads and podcasts. wake up.”
“I also agree with the other comments. iCiNG is full of fluff, shout-outs, celebrity name dropping, links, and syntax akin to that of a French language drop-out crossed with an underage hood-rat. her "writing" is filler and nowhere near a professional level, with appalling grammar and punctuation that make English lit Masters rip their hair out. everything about her is a farce (even her name); she claims to be unique and original but she is self-admittedly a carbon copy of carrie bradshaw. she supports a raw/vegan diet yet goes out and eats steak. she hates fur in fashion but wears it anyway. she is a walking, talking, blogging hypocrite and there is absolutely nothing unique about her. the only reason she's successful is because teenage girls lap up everything she says and does because they are naive and impressionable. i do commend her for being a positive influence in the lives of many, but she can't expect people to be true to themselves when she isn't, because everything she is and has built is a farce. she would not and has not survived a second in the real publishing world (cosmo didn't fire her for nothing) because her site rarely contains anything of substance that would permit it to generate the insane amounts of money required to fund her excessive lifestyle. and the fact she avoids any questions about her financial status and deletes comments on her blog that challenge or question her shows nothing but sheer unprofessionalism and covering up lies. if you are in the spotlight for whatever reason then expect to be asked personal questions about everything...answering "it's none of your business" is bullshit and only shows you have something to hide. the public have a right to know because apparently they are the ones generating this magical full-time income. and before more people step up for defend their precious faux-idol, yes, she does have a trust fund. and her real name is amy. we were friends in high school.”
“I have to agree with some of the other posters and call bullshit that iCiNG would either be a full time job, or generate a full time income. The site is good, but I agree with Kate J - there's very little original content in the postings, which are mostly either links or promos for companies. Fair enough Gala shouldn't feel the need to justify her source of income to anyone, but it is disingenuous to portray iCiNG as a major venture when the content is far less rich, or frequently posted, than other blogs where the authors work and/or study.”
“Yelia -- I don't understand why Gala would need to clarify exactly how she makes money. As far as I've read (and I've been reading her blog for about a year) she's never actually tried to say that anyone can go out and definitely make a living out of BLOGGING -- just that yes, you are in fact in control of your life and can find ways to make money doing what you enjoy. What's the worst that can happen from that advice? If someone does indeed try to make a living off of blogging and finds that it's not working out, then they will find another way to make money. I'm not seeing the problem.”
“What perplexes me about Gala is that if icing is her full time job, why are there so few posts with actual content?, not just fillers like promos for makeup companies etc. I read hundreds of blogs and most of these are rich in content and their authors work jobs and study. The whole thing reeks of bullshit.”
“Shannon hit the nail on the head! Gala is a grown-ass woman and doesn't have to explain herself to anyone. You'd never dream of walking up to someone on the street and being like "Excuse me, how much do you make an hour and how do you do so?" (or I should hope not!). Jeez. If you don't like what she does, don't look. Not hard. I'm personally more worried about the motives of someone who's apparently stalking the internet for mentions of Gala so she can leave comments like that...since I've seen at least three!
On to more pleasant things: great article! "Supersonic tiger orgasm" made me giggle like mad. I think Gala is an awesome role model for young girls especially, who are exposed to so much negativity and pressure about everything - I'm really glad she has a pretty well-known website and can show these girls a different POV! ”
On to more pleasant things: great article! "Supersonic tiger orgasm" made me giggle like mad. I think Gala is an awesome role model for young girls especially, who are exposed to so much negativity and pressure about everything - I'm really glad she has a pretty well-known website and can show these girls a different POV! ”
“I'm pretty sure that Gala does more than just iCiNG. If you read the article, or her blog bio, she has written numerous articles for magazines, contributed to several books, and has recently made Love&Sequins. Plus she has probably done many other "jobs" that no one knows about. Why? Because its none of our business. If you notice on her website, Gala discloses bits and pieces of her personal life on her website. Thats most likely because iCiNGs is meant to inspire you to be successful and happy within your own life. Not to teach you how to live hers. Just my thoughts ”
”
“I am disappointed with Gala. I read her blog too and I like most of what she does....... but it is obvious that she is lying about not having financial help. ”
“I'm a long-time reader of Gala's blog... but I have to admit, what Yelia says makes a lot of sense. There are heaps of girls out there blogging about fashion, love, life and positivity -- almost all with Blogads, other projects going on and whatnot. But not many of them are surviving without also having a "real" job. No question, Gala has a definite je ne sais quois... but je ne sais quois does not pay the bills! & when she refuses to tell us her secrets, you do wonder...”
“A lovely article about a lovely lady.”
“Yelia D. - I have seen you post this comment on three different blogs. I just don't really understand why you're so intent on trying to call Gala out. Get over it. How she makes money is none of your business and she doesn't owe anyone an explanation.”
“I don't feel the need to explain the intricacies of my business to an anonymous commenter. What else can I say? If you believe me, you believe me. If you don't, you don't. Not really my issue!”
“I love Gala, I have been following her forever”
“Hey Again, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it sweets- no worries hey?. xo
Just wanted to say- Gala you rock my world, and you really helped me out when I was at my lowest ebb, your reply to my email really changed my way of thinking and I am doing a lot better thanks to your fantastic guidance, Inspiration and Love for everyone you touch.
I am now on a path to achieving my design goals and I owe part of my focus and happiness to you for showing me that I am worthy of Self-Love
P.s
thanks Cat for an awesomely written article on the one and only Gala
Love, Hugs and Happiness
xo
Ezzimo
http://thejourneyofezz.blogspot.com”
Just wanted to say- Gala you rock my world, and you really helped me out when I was at my lowest ebb, your reply to my email really changed my way of thinking and I am doing a lot better thanks to your fantastic guidance, Inspiration and Love for everyone you touch.
I am now on a path to achieving my design goals and I owe part of my focus and happiness to you for showing me that I am worthy of Self-Love
P.s
thanks Cat for an awesomely written article on the one and only Gala
Love, Hugs and Happiness
xo
Ezzimo
http://thejourneyofezz.blogspot.com”
“Gala Darling deletes all comments on her blog that bring up relevant questions like these that should be answered truthfully.
Pro bloggers who *really* make a living from blog income do so through affiliate programs, direct ad sales and stuff such as book deals and ebooks. People like Seth Godin, John Chow, Shoemoney.
With her amount of traffic, Gala makes a few hundred a month from adsense. Nobody is paying her through Blogads. I will be generous and say this plus Gala Darling's podcasts and other work net her $4000 a month. Probably closer to 1-2K.
Do you believe Gala affords a new york apartment she says is close to 3K a month in rent? Plus massages, shopping, plane tickets, eating out every day?
Calling a spade a spade. ”
Pro bloggers who *really* make a living from blog income do so through affiliate programs, direct ad sales and stuff such as book deals and ebooks. People like Seth Godin, John Chow, Shoemoney.
With her amount of traffic, Gala makes a few hundred a month from adsense. Nobody is paying her through Blogads. I will be generous and say this plus Gala Darling's podcasts and other work net her $4000 a month. Probably closer to 1-2K.
Do you believe Gala affords a new york apartment she says is close to 3K a month in rent? Plus massages, shopping, plane tickets, eating out every day?
Calling a spade a spade. ”
“Hey Yelia, Gala worked so hard to establish it all for herself, she doesn't have a trust fund.
One of the messages she tells young chicks is to find what you love and do it for yourself.
Maybe you should consider sourcing and researching your info before posting in future
xo”
One of the messages she tells young chicks is to find what you love and do it for yourself.
Maybe you should consider sourcing and researching your info before posting in future
xo”
“Yelia D., that is the funniest thing I've ever heard! I do not now, & have not ever, had a trust fund. My parents don't give me anything. I am entirely self-funded. If you'd like, I can give you their email address so you can ask them yourself!”
“Gala Darling has a positive impact on many girls but I think she has an obligation to clarify that she does NOT entirely sustain her lifestyle through her blog. Gala should not mislead young girls into thinking they can attain her lavish lifestyle from selling a few podcasts and ads doing a little freelancing. Truth is that Gala Darling has a trust fund. There is nothing wrong with it except that her 'business advice' gives girls false expectations about how much money they can make. ”
“I love her! Thanks for this article, it's really inspiring <3”
People are mostly liars and hide their real intention
I think i am a little bit lucky, because i met my hero on a dating site
http://www.erisdating.com or http://www.angelreturn.com do not be hopeless,
There are still nice and honest people who can give you the love you deserve
Life is short and it has no meaning without love...”