The end of an era: Inside the rise and fall of Man Repeller.
The fashion blog announced its closure in October 2020.
Last year at this time, it’s doubtful any of us would have imagined all the challenges the year 2020 would bring us. A year marked by Covid-19, which has been devastating for many businesses. “Man Repeller” is one of the million businesses that announced their shut down in 2020.
MR was founded in 2010 by Leandra Medine as a blog about “style trends women love and men hate”. Within two years, the blog became one of the most influential digital platforms featured in TIME’s 25 “Best Blogs of 2012”. With over 1.5 monthly readers (as reported in 2019) the announcement of the blog’s closure in October was preceded by the company’s failed rebranding attempt in June.
The truth is that MR was already declining before the pandemic, and experts in the digital world point out that the reason for it was that the blog’s aesthetic had lost its appeal over the years.
A rise to success
Leandra’s relatable content, undeniable sense of humour and revolutionary approach to fashion was what initially made her stand out among a sea of homogeneous bloggers.
Leandra’s aesthetics were relatable enough for her followers to imitate. Her posts included a perfect mix of designer labels with more affordable everyday brands. At the same time, Leandra’s authentic sense of humour and personable voice shone in her blog posts. She would talk about how she ruined her grandmother’s Hermes bag, or her Jimmy Choo sandals by stepping in dog poop. It turned out there was a large audience with an appetite for an intimate and humorous platform for “serious fashion” — a gap in fashion media that MR would be in charge of covering. But most importantly, MR stood out because it transformed the way women dress. For a generation of women who grew up in a decade in which stiletto heels and tight dresses were considered the wardrobe essentials of many women, MR’s fashion perspective felt liberating — wearing comfortable clothes that as the name suggests repeal men.
A dramatic downfall
Over time what differentiated MR from a crowded digital market started to lose its appeal. While a decade ago the idea of dressing to deflect the male gaze was seen as a way to empower women, nowadays the concept seems so antiquated. Women no longer need to be persuaded to dress for themselves, which was MR’s initial purpose. This change in mentality came along with an evolution in fashion trends. Although Leandra was a pioneer in wearing sneakers to work, this look doesn’t prompt a second glance from anyone these days. Overall, Leandra’s aesthetic approach, despite being innovative at the time, is now the ordinary content you’ll find on any fashion blog.
It won’t be easy to say goodbye to MR’s hilarious way of seeing fashion, but at least we can take a valuable lesson from all this: adapting the company’s aesthetic to the changing societal trends is the key to the long-term success of digital platforms.
