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| email:stacisweetandco@gmail.com to buy! | :) |
An Upwork Leap®
I recently registered with Upwork®;
‘the world's largest
online workplace where savvy businesses and professional freelancers go to work1.’
Only they won’t let me work. In the words of @DJ Khaled, ‘They don’t want me to be great.’ That’s because when I submitted my
profile for review my headline read, ‘Curvy
Plus Size Blogger’, while my description said,
Need
someone who can challenge your astute plus-size readers while simultaneously
keep-it- one hundred with the thick chicks who flock to your blog? Because if
that’s you, then I’m your Curvy Blogger. I understand the complexities of your
brand. You’re a Lifestyle Blog who needs someone who has a refreshing take on
simple subjects like health, fitness, beauty and fashion while at the same time
being able to tackle tough topics like weight discrimination, size settling,
and faith and sexuality. Though you want to you ensure your readers walk away
with life-changing a-ha moments, you’re also practical which means you also want
to be assured that each post is filled with content-rich keywords that’ll boost
your SEO while simultaneously generating the hearts, likes, followers, shares, subscribers,
and more importantly, the sales your brilliant brand needs. If that’s you, nice
to meet you. My name is Staci and I’m ready to blog for you.
I know its not
perfect, but it gets to the heart of what I do. And if you’re seeking a
plus-size blogger, come from the plus-size community, or are a curvaceous woman
yourself, then you get it. But apparently, the folks at Upwork® didn’t.
Which is understandable, so I included:
- Current retail customer service associate for foremost high-end retailer.
- Certified Life Coach and Author specializing in Singles Issues.
- Bridal, Food, Lifestyle, and Life Coaching Blogger
- Expertise in social media management for small business owners to include Life, Personal Development and Executive Business Coaches.
- Experienced also in Call Center and Performance Management, Real Estate Certified with Mortgage Banking Coursework.
When you combine
the two, its not hard to ascertain that I’m a sister with a business
background. No, I’m not a degreed professional, but I can do my thing. But again,
the good folks at Upwork® thought otherwise because I received
the following response:
In case you couldn’t
see it, it reads, ‘We’ve reviewed your
profile and currently our marketplace doesn’t have opportunities for your area
of expertise.’ Oh, you mean the area of the plus-size fashion; who by the
way is a 10 billion dollar a year industry2 according to IBIS World?
Oh, that are, yeah right.
Was it the ‘Curvy’ or the ‘Plus-Size’
Descriptor?
As a woman of
color, I could have easily become offended and thought this was racial because
clearly the words ‘curvy’ and ‘plus-size’ scream ethnicity. But because I know
this is a global freelancing platform, its safe to assume that wasn’t the only
reason for their decision. Which got me to thinking? Could this also be
weight discrimination? To assume that none of their ‘five million registered
clients3’ would need a Curvy Plus Size Blogger teeters on both racial
and weight discrimination or at best, shows a lack of willingness to diversify
their offerings to the over 180 countries that use their services. It just goes to
show that in 2018, a global freelancing platform, such as Upwork®, has no idea
that Black Panther® grossed over abillion in its first month or the fact that shows like ‘My Big Fat Fabulous Life’ or ‘My 600-lb Life’ are in their 5th and 8th seasons,
respectively. They must not have known that Joel Book, Principal of
Marketing Insights at Salesforce Marketing Cloud used the following slide in
his, 'How Smart Brands Use Digital
Marketing to Acquire, Engage, and Retain Customers' presentation during Salesforce's
LIVE 2015 NYC Tour.
I’m sorry. Clearly, she’s a beautiful, curvaceous woman of
color, whom Mr. Book made mention that ‘other’ consumers
are listening to the 'wisdom' of. Is it safe to assume that the wisdom to which
he referenced came from plus size women of color? Oh
no, Upwork® couldn’t have known that either. And oh, they must not also be privy
to the fact that according to the CDC, ‘more than one-third of adults are obese4’’ in the U.S. alone or the
fact that the weight loss industry is a 68.2 billion-dollar industry5;
which by the way primarily consists of… what for it…curvy, plus-size folks; who
by the way may need to read a blog or two about health and fitness. No, they couldn’t
have known all this. But perhaps their six global shareholders and board of
Directors may want to bring this to their profile review team and reconsider
that they’re possibly missing out on a market share that perhaps one day a
curvy, plus size chick as myself, might take over…in my Austin Powers voice. I know it's Dr. Evil, but you get the point. :)
Big Girl Takeover
I wrote this post
not out of bitterness of being rejected. Because if you knew my life story,
then you know I am numb to rejection. I’m a big girl (no pun intended). I know
how to take a no. But how many other curvy, plus-size people, of all nationalities
have been rejected, simply because some thought there was no market share for
what they had to offer? How many have walked away discouraged; only to be
comforted by what caused them to be curvy in the first place? (#comfortfoods) Nope,
I refuse to believe that there’s no opportunities or room for us on those
platforms. Sure, we might need a little more room than others, but certainly we
can add value to every industry. But for every door being guarded by those who
try to ignore the plus-sized community, who by the way are too large to be
overlooked; please know, we’re coming. One super market share at a time. (#icouldntresist)
And in case you’re in need of a Curvy Plus Size Blogger, holla at ya girl at https://curvyplussizeblogwriting.godaddysites.com/. Oh, I wasn’t playing. I’m going to get
my piece of that market share, one post at a time. And if you’re a plus-sizer,
I encourage you to do the same. #thickfolksrock
SOURCES:
1, 3 - “Upwork.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia
Foundation, 11 Mar. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upwork.
2 - Plus-Size
Women's Clothing Stores - US Market Research Report.” Plus-Size Women's
Clothing Stores (US) - Industry Report | IBISWorld, 11 Mar. 2018, www.ibisworld.com/industry-trends/specialized-market-research-reports/consumer-goods-services/apparel-accessories-stores/plus-size-womens-clothing-stores.html.
4 - https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
5 - https://blog.marketresearch.com/top-6-trends-for-the-weight-loss-market-in-2018
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Issues Publishing®. All rights reserved.
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