Thank you for chatting Arden, this was an excellent angle re: homogeneity on substack. So much of the sameness rn among fashion substacks feel like a repackaged version of the Christian girl autumn that’s theoretically just a joke now but swap the brown hats and plaid scarves for barn jackets and burgundy bags and it’s like hmm her spirit is very much alive lol.
OMG this is exactly it. I find the barn jackets particularly confusing as imho they were worn by farmers in my town. Like, what now? Definitely Christian girl autumn vibes. And if you want ill fitting pants and basic ugly flats, you can get them far cheaper than from The Row 🫠. We don’t need to share everything , especially when it all starts looking and sounding the same.
thank you for writing this and pulling these perspectives together. i think about this a lot, especially with the trend on substack notes that’s like “my target market is X,” surprisingly no one mentions race. i actually don’t know if substack has yet develop racial “safe” havens the same way twitter has (ie. black twitter) for folks to find community in and have a shared lexicon / writing style / dialect and dialogue but i do see a different in metrics when i write about an experience that lives outside of the prevailing US cultural identity (im a black guy from canada who lives in NY) vs something that maybe a white woman would find interesting. it’s also not lost on me that 3 out of the top 5 performing essays ive written have featured white women on the cover photos. i don’t think this is a bad thing — this is just information. i think the way forward is to keep writing ourselves and, with it, our identities into existence and hope the the right audience will find it. white women and beyond. im unclear if we can simply rely on the substack algo to diversify the readership which is why recommends and reader sharing is so vital. 🫶🏿
Brother, we are here and thriving. So many of us are doing great things on Substack. My notes and inbox are full of writers who look like us. The platform may not celebrate our beauty, but we do what we do best: add a little spice, take up space, and now we are not only here, but we have also created space for each other to be seen. If you are looking for community here, please check out:
Such a great read. When I first joined Substack, it felt like a PWI, but I have reimagined the space with others to be what I wanted to see, and now it feels like home. I go and spend time where I am celebrated - I cannot depend on the white gaze to hold the beauty we carry.
Arden, your in-depth critique on Substack's white-centered writing culture is amazing! I often find myself trying to replicate and alter my writing to fit what I think suits Substack's algorithm. The perspectives you included were also refreshing.
I was just wondering if it was a cultural thing in that sharing that much personal stuff especially the negative stuff isn't part of the culture...so for example in a culture of "saving face" you're not going to have much activity in diary sharing ..also the difference between the highly individualistic and now possibly narcissistic western culture vs the collective Asian one where may not lead one to valuing diary writing.
So saying that ...maybe a more hidden avenues like fan fiction platforms where inner and outer stories are shared via fictional characters may be more acceptable..
This is a great point which I think is worth further exploring! I’ve been thinking similar, less eloquent thoughts about the “personal essay” genre where people (WW, mainly?) write rather self-indulgently. Journalling for the public?
I’ve also been reflecting on Japanese fiction (be it translated or written by Japanese-heritage authors), and how it often seems rather detached from the concept of the « self » that we are used to in Western literature.
Interesting take! I was also thinking about western individualism and Asian collectivism. I wonder how applicable that dichotomy is though, when considering Asian Americans?
Hm, recent reads include Convenience Store Woman, The Tatami Time Machine Blues, and Rental Person Who Does Nothing (this one isn’t fiction, but was the book that helped form these thoughts).
I realised that I really liked Japanese fiction and wanted to challenge myself to read more broadly, instead of being an Asian person who just likes Asian literature. But then I realised what I liked about Japanese fiction, which is that the main characters are weird and wacky, or in general not like the rest of society, but there’s no need to explore why they are this way. The weirdness of the character is only one aspect of the story. In western fiction, there’s a compulsion to examine why one is the way they are (perhaps in a way that relates to personal essays?).
The other thing I realised is that Japanese fiction has this wackiness about it that I enjoy, that is outside of the convention of western literature. And your post, Arden, has made me wonder if we (non white? Non mainstream?) in the western world curate our styles to fit the conventions of whiteness.
I loved your questioning the whereabouts of our individual weirdness. It made me consider my criticism of my own fiction writing, and to an extent I realise I dislike the parts of it that are outside western norms. And I think, because of this post, I’m going to own it! Who cares if it doesn’t fit within the confines of convention? I’m particularly inspired by one of the commenters’ musing on Xanga. Humans are creative beings, and we have always come up with spaces to accommodate different communities, online or otherwise. Who’s to say that a traditional publishing route is the best for every piece of work? Exciting thoughts for the start of my day, on the opposite end of the world. Thank you :)
Disclaimer: I am not American. I live in a western country now, but many childhood years were spent in Asia.
From an outsiders point of view it feels like the japanese are indeed more comfortable with the weird and are more individualistic and women are more powerful then the other Asian nations...therefore would feel better in sharing their inner thoughts.
And you never know what ends up being mainstream...Just look at 50 shades...
I’m not sure that Japanese women are more powerful than the other Asian countries but it certainly is interesting to exchange thoughts on this topic! Thanks for your comment, LH, which helped shape my thoughts 😊
What I mean is ,that they seem to be less bothered by the patriarchy than for example Korean or Chinese women, where the price of sharing intimate thoughts which go against the grain will have harsher consequences. I feel one probably writes from a certain position of power (or ability to bear the consequences ) if going public. Does that make sense?
This is an interesting point. I don’t know enough about Japanese, Korean, or Chinese cultures to take up a viewpoint here but I can see where you’re coming from. :)
I'm in the UK and work in schools with quite a few Asian pupils. I am very interested in the Asian diaspora and how best to support pupils living in both cultures.
something i’ve found so interesting about substack is that even though the algorithm still serves me predominantly white voices, there’s also space for everyone else, too. so often when i walk into a space like substack (online or in reality), there’s this very visceral feeling of i do not belong here (and if you bring up this feeling, you will get told that “it’s in your head”) sometimes, this feeling still comes up on substack, but it’s much rarer and also much easier to avoid (although, to be fair, i have carried over my very-liberal-with-muting-people philosophy from other social media sites, so maybe i have just fixed my own algorithm).
Thanks for a great piece. I'm new to Substack (coming from Medium.com) and have also noticed a ton of white women on here, as well as a lot of similarity around the topics/genres addressed in the Substacks that show up in my feed. I've found Medium.com to be far more international and appreciate that writers don't assume an American audience, although Medium has its own issues too. I wish you all the best in your writing!
YES there was always something i couldnt quite place when i read substack articles (or at least, the more popular ones) and it was that they were always a very specific reflection of the experiences of the White Woman. none of them explicitly discussed or mentioned race, but maybe that's part of what gave it away too.
Well, as a Brazilian living in Belgium and writing in English on Substack, I can 100% relate to this. The conversation is very much skewed towards US culture, but that happens everywhere online. It gets tiring. I find myself reading and watching less and less essays.
So, firstly, I loved this piece and it's super dope that I'm already following some of the people you talked to for this piece. And it's also interesting because I've been telling someone off handedly about the content and how I seem to be reading white women most of the time. But I hadn't scrutinised it and I'm glad you are. There was a great piece the other day on how lots of people writing about similar things isn't necessarily a bad thing but you've added another couple of layers for me so thank you
You pulled these threads together so well - great piece
I really dove headfirst into subscribing to marketing/culture substacks but I'm realizing the network effect has led me to a feed filled with the homogenous NY/coastal perspective you describe. I'm not from the US and don't live in the US but at first reading about restaurants/brands/gossip that have no relevance to me was interesting, now it feels too parasocial
I want to pare it back + find some more intl voices but ofc... the network!
Yes, I have been writing like a WW. It's taken almost two decades of writing and publishing for me to understand how deeply WW sensibilities have invaded my subconscious. This is the insidious nature of racism USA style. In re-examining some of my early writing, I see that I've erased my blackness, erased myself, in the same way American culture eraces me. Climbing out of this paradigm of passive self-destruction is torturous. Two steps forward, putting "I'm black" back into my own story, and then two steps back into the realization I'm choosing particular phrases to avoid upsetting white readers. It requires constant vigilance (and editing) to avoid complicity in my own erasure.
You've very succinctly put together EXACTLY what I've been thinking lately- where are voice like mine and something feels off in the voices I follow. Brilliantly written 👌🏽
i agree that race is not the first thing on one's mind when creating something like a Substack publication, and it can be really hard seeing that most of these people are in fact American or at least live there. living outside of the US and only being exposed to their culture through media just makes you feel... unnatural. i am so glad you wrote this. thank you
Thank you for chatting Arden, this was an excellent angle re: homogeneity on substack. So much of the sameness rn among fashion substacks feel like a repackaged version of the Christian girl autumn that’s theoretically just a joke now but swap the brown hats and plaid scarves for barn jackets and burgundy bags and it’s like hmm her spirit is very much alive lol.
She lives on forever…I still think about infinity scarves
OMG this is exactly it. I find the barn jackets particularly confusing as imho they were worn by farmers in my town. Like, what now? Definitely Christian girl autumn vibes. And if you want ill fitting pants and basic ugly flats, you can get them far cheaper than from The Row 🫠. We don’t need to share everything , especially when it all starts looking and sounding the same.
yes! someone else said - the manual labor origins of the jacket have gotten erased
THIS. 👆🏻
This!!!!
No one’s forcing you to wear barn jackets and flats? Be different then
thank you for writing this and pulling these perspectives together. i think about this a lot, especially with the trend on substack notes that’s like “my target market is X,” surprisingly no one mentions race. i actually don’t know if substack has yet develop racial “safe” havens the same way twitter has (ie. black twitter) for folks to find community in and have a shared lexicon / writing style / dialect and dialogue but i do see a different in metrics when i write about an experience that lives outside of the prevailing US cultural identity (im a black guy from canada who lives in NY) vs something that maybe a white woman would find interesting. it’s also not lost on me that 3 out of the top 5 performing essays ive written have featured white women on the cover photos. i don’t think this is a bad thing — this is just information. i think the way forward is to keep writing ourselves and, with it, our identities into existence and hope the the right audience will find it. white women and beyond. im unclear if we can simply rely on the substack algo to diversify the readership which is why recommends and reader sharing is so vital. 🫶🏿
Love this comment, writing our identities into existence.
Brother, we are here and thriving. So many of us are doing great things on Substack. My notes and inbox are full of writers who look like us. The platform may not celebrate our beauty, but we do what we do best: add a little spice, take up space, and now we are not only here, but we have also created space for each other to be seen. If you are looking for community here, please check out:
https://substack.com/@blackstack
https://substack.com/@lockedin
Good places to start.
I think about the white women on cover photos things A LOT!
Such a great read. When I first joined Substack, it felt like a PWI, but I have reimagined the space with others to be what I wanted to see, and now it feels like home. I go and spend time where I am celebrated - I cannot depend on the white gaze to hold the beauty we carry.
That’s awesome.
Arden, your in-depth critique on Substack's white-centered writing culture is amazing! I often find myself trying to replicate and alter my writing to fit what I think suits Substack's algorithm. The perspectives you included were also refreshing.
<333333
so relatable!
I was just wondering if it was a cultural thing in that sharing that much personal stuff especially the negative stuff isn't part of the culture...so for example in a culture of "saving face" you're not going to have much activity in diary sharing ..also the difference between the highly individualistic and now possibly narcissistic western culture vs the collective Asian one where may not lead one to valuing diary writing.
So saying that ...maybe a more hidden avenues like fan fiction platforms where inner and outer stories are shared via fictional characters may be more acceptable..
This is a great point which I think is worth further exploring! I’ve been thinking similar, less eloquent thoughts about the “personal essay” genre where people (WW, mainly?) write rather self-indulgently. Journalling for the public?
I’ve also been reflecting on Japanese fiction (be it translated or written by Japanese-heritage authors), and how it often seems rather detached from the concept of the « self » that we are used to in Western literature.
Thanks for bringing this up!
Thank you for reading! Public diaries is definitely resonant. What Japanese fiction?
Interesting take! I was also thinking about western individualism and Asian collectivism. I wonder how applicable that dichotomy is though, when considering Asian Americans?
Hm, recent reads include Convenience Store Woman, The Tatami Time Machine Blues, and Rental Person Who Does Nothing (this one isn’t fiction, but was the book that helped form these thoughts).
I realised that I really liked Japanese fiction and wanted to challenge myself to read more broadly, instead of being an Asian person who just likes Asian literature. But then I realised what I liked about Japanese fiction, which is that the main characters are weird and wacky, or in general not like the rest of society, but there’s no need to explore why they are this way. The weirdness of the character is only one aspect of the story. In western fiction, there’s a compulsion to examine why one is the way they are (perhaps in a way that relates to personal essays?).
The other thing I realised is that Japanese fiction has this wackiness about it that I enjoy, that is outside of the convention of western literature. And your post, Arden, has made me wonder if we (non white? Non mainstream?) in the western world curate our styles to fit the conventions of whiteness.
I loved your questioning the whereabouts of our individual weirdness. It made me consider my criticism of my own fiction writing, and to an extent I realise I dislike the parts of it that are outside western norms. And I think, because of this post, I’m going to own it! Who cares if it doesn’t fit within the confines of convention? I’m particularly inspired by one of the commenters’ musing on Xanga. Humans are creative beings, and we have always come up with spaces to accommodate different communities, online or otherwise. Who’s to say that a traditional publishing route is the best for every piece of work? Exciting thoughts for the start of my day, on the opposite end of the world. Thank you :)
Disclaimer: I am not American. I live in a western country now, but many childhood years were spent in Asia.
From an outsiders point of view it feels like the japanese are indeed more comfortable with the weird and are more individualistic and women are more powerful then the other Asian nations...therefore would feel better in sharing their inner thoughts.
And you never know what ends up being mainstream...Just look at 50 shades...
I’m not sure that Japanese women are more powerful than the other Asian countries but it certainly is interesting to exchange thoughts on this topic! Thanks for your comment, LH, which helped shape my thoughts 😊
What I mean is ,that they seem to be less bothered by the patriarchy than for example Korean or Chinese women, where the price of sharing intimate thoughts which go against the grain will have harsher consequences. I feel one probably writes from a certain position of power (or ability to bear the consequences ) if going public. Does that make sense?
This is an interesting point. I don’t know enough about Japanese, Korean, or Chinese cultures to take up a viewpoint here but I can see where you’re coming from. :)
I'm in the UK and work in schools with quite a few Asian pupils. I am very interested in the Asian diaspora and how best to support pupils living in both cultures.
something i’ve found so interesting about substack is that even though the algorithm still serves me predominantly white voices, there’s also space for everyone else, too. so often when i walk into a space like substack (online or in reality), there’s this very visceral feeling of i do not belong here (and if you bring up this feeling, you will get told that “it’s in your head”) sometimes, this feeling still comes up on substack, but it’s much rarer and also much easier to avoid (although, to be fair, i have carried over my very-liberal-with-muting-people philosophy from other social media sites, so maybe i have just fixed my own algorithm).
Here's to fixing our own algorithms!
this was amazing and even better that it included some of my favorite voices on substack 💘 brava!
Thank you Emily!! Means the world
Thanks for a great piece. I'm new to Substack (coming from Medium.com) and have also noticed a ton of white women on here, as well as a lot of similarity around the topics/genres addressed in the Substacks that show up in my feed. I've found Medium.com to be far more international and appreciate that writers don't assume an American audience, although Medium has its own issues too. I wish you all the best in your writing!
Interesting! I haven't spent too much time on there but I'll check it out
YES there was always something i couldnt quite place when i read substack articles (or at least, the more popular ones) and it was that they were always a very specific reflection of the experiences of the White Woman. none of them explicitly discussed or mentioned race, but maybe that's part of what gave it away too.
Exactly, the absence of it is also informative
loving everyone's input on this... we need a book club i think
Yaaas!
oh 10000%
hi miss Mina!!
Well, as a Brazilian living in Belgium and writing in English on Substack, I can 100% relate to this. The conversation is very much skewed towards US culture, but that happens everywhere online. It gets tiring. I find myself reading and watching less and less essays.
Totally agree. Definitely need more international content
So, firstly, I loved this piece and it's super dope that I'm already following some of the people you talked to for this piece. And it's also interesting because I've been telling someone off handedly about the content and how I seem to be reading white women most of the time. But I hadn't scrutinised it and I'm glad you are. There was a great piece the other day on how lots of people writing about similar things isn't necessarily a bad thing but you've added another couple of layers for me so thank you
I wasn't sure if it was too obvious to talk about, or if it was worth a deeper dive. So thank you so much!
You pulled these threads together so well - great piece
I really dove headfirst into subscribing to marketing/culture substacks but I'm realizing the network effect has led me to a feed filled with the homogenous NY/coastal perspective you describe. I'm not from the US and don't live in the US but at first reading about restaurants/brands/gossip that have no relevance to me was interesting, now it feels too parasocial
I want to pare it back + find some more intl voices but ofc... the network!
Fascinating…I'm from NYC so those letters have always felt familiar to me, but maybe that familiarity can also be developed?
Yes, I have been writing like a WW. It's taken almost two decades of writing and publishing for me to understand how deeply WW sensibilities have invaded my subconscious. This is the insidious nature of racism USA style. In re-examining some of my early writing, I see that I've erased my blackness, erased myself, in the same way American culture eraces me. Climbing out of this paradigm of passive self-destruction is torturous. Two steps forward, putting "I'm black" back into my own story, and then two steps back into the realization I'm choosing particular phrases to avoid upsetting white readers. It requires constant vigilance (and editing) to avoid complicity in my own erasure.
You've very succinctly put together EXACTLY what I've been thinking lately- where are voice like mine and something feels off in the voices I follow. Brilliantly written 👌🏽
Thank you Gursharn!!!
i agree that race is not the first thing on one's mind when creating something like a Substack publication, and it can be really hard seeing that most of these people are in fact American or at least live there. living outside of the US and only being exposed to their culture through media just makes you feel... unnatural. i am so glad you wrote this. thank you
Thank you! The American centrality can definitely be troubling
yes! i'm glad to see many non american publications now