Is it Worth It? High-End Fashion Blogger Busted for Stealing $37,000 In Merchandise

Social media has created a space for creatives of all kinds to directly market themselves to their core constituents. Indeed, if you’ve ever had aspirations of becoming a model or an actress, you can become both of those things by simply hiring photographers and videographers, or teaching yourself how to take your own photos and edit your own videos.

While you may not be cast in a print campaign (although a growing number of fashion bloggers have segued into formal modeling), or given a spot on TV, with the right production, you can amass a large following resulting in endless brand campaigns, and let’s face it, money. In addition, you sort of become a pseudo celebrity.

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I’m not what one would call a “huge” blogger, but I routinely come home to packages of merchandise from brands. I also blog full-time, earning my income from brand campaigns and advertising (you can read about my life as a full-time blogger HERE).

But how do you keep all that up? If you discover that your fans and followers like and support you for a specific kind of content, let’s say, luxury fashion, and your livelihood depends on their support, how do you continue to give them what they want without compromising yourself or your wallet?

I know that I’ve certainly compromised my role as a wife and a mother at the expense of keeping up this blog. Let’s not even talk about the money I’ve spent to keep this dream alive. There were times I thought we might have to go on food stamps.  But folks don’t know that, and they don’t want to see that on your Instagram timeline. Nobody wants to really know what’s going on behind the scenes.

It can be both isolating, and addictive. Therefore, knowing what I know as an insider, it’s not hard for me to understand why prominent Fashion Blogger, Shaniqua Jordan, might have felt pressured to find ways to keep up her blogging about luxury fashion. It’s what she’s known for. It’s an persona she’s no doubt spent a lot of time, money, and resources to create for her followers.

A cursory glance at her Instagram account will tell you what she’s about:Screen Shot 2017 04 09 at 12.36.13 PM
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She’s sold her followers on the idea of luxury everything, particularly high-end fashion, so it stands to reason that if she’s fallen on tough times, it might be hard to keep up the image she’s created for herself.

According to Levittown Now, Jordan was busted in what appears to have been a sting operation. She stands accused of racking up $37,000 in fraudulent charges using someone else’s identity.

Among the items she purchased was an $18,000 Rolex watch that was to be shipped from California to an area shipping company, police said.

Investigators contacted the business that was selling the expensive watch and requested they ship an empty box instead, which they did, police said.

Once Jordan signed for the empty box she was taken into custody.

Jordan was charged with access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and forgery. She was sent to Bucks County prison on 10 percent of $400,000 bail.

Read more about the case HERE.

Jordan has not been convicted of any crimes, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but her circumstances have certainly alerted me to the pitfalls of trying to keep up with our online personas at the expense of our real life selves.

Share your thoughts below!

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5 Comments

  1. Wow. It’s a hard line to draw and I can see that.

  2. Nikesha Williams says:

    That’s a really sad situation, I totally agree with what Shawnte Pierce proposed.

  3. Cray and more cray. I bet we’ll hear of this more and more as people try to pursue a luxury lifestyle. Smh ??‍♂️

  4. I don’t feel sorry for her. She stole someone’s information all for the sake of fronting like she really had it. EPIC FAIL! I read online that she was a Home Health Aide, which meant she couldn’t afford the fake life she sold followers on. Its sad that social media has created this way of living that people will do just about anything to be #INSTAFAMOUS. Not worth it.

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