7.12.10

the gloves are off




Maybe it's because I'm the eldest of three, but it's in my DNA to look out for my younger siblings. So what happened yesterday - when you lovely lovely people started translating what was being said about my friends, who had posed for me, had given me their permission to use their images on MY blog... I can't explain. It wasn't about 'my' photos - it was about THEIR images.

Here's the thing: we all know the code. If you don't have anything nice to say etc. The people who agree to be in posts, either self style posts or strangers on the street for street style: they are not celebrities. Even celebrities have feelings but the truth is, they know it comes with the territory. If their skin isn't thick enough, they're in the wrong business. Besides, those celebrities, let's face it, are not reading the comments on our blogs.

But for self style or street style blogs: we support each other. To be told that the author of 'Bye Bye Madrid' was playing with the theme of these English girls looking cold.. and for someone to be allowed to comment (when I wasn't!) on said blog, that Roz - who had just come out of hospital for major back surgery, who was taking her daily walk on a cold November day (Bonfire Night, to be precise) as per the doctor's orders, as part of her recovery.. legally underage Roz, who posed for photos with her mother and her father watching, WHO DID NOT ASK TO BE CRITIQUED by a group of strangers on Spanish Elle.. to hear people say that her face looked 'cold' - and to know that I could not take those comments down: all I can say is, Carmen B, and your employer, Spanish Elle Magazine: you have chosen the wrong person to mess with.



Say what you like about me: I'm a big girl, and I can take it. But read my lips: this is so not on. Everyone has a dark side, and you are seeing mine.

That said: meet my lovely new friend Marin, or @marinmonroe, her twitter alter ego. I met her last fashion week, and before anyone in Madrid says 'but it's too cold to dress like that' let me say again: I met her in September, and took these photos back then. And she's been sweetly patient ever since, and today, it's time I posted them.

I'm not putting my logo/watermark on. I don't have the time and there doesn't seem the point. I'd like Carmen B to give me back the time I spent these past 20 months, painstakingly putting my watermark on, because those are hours - days - that I will never get back again. These photos are by me, Jill Carin Adams, and they can't be re-published without my permission and consent. If that isn't clear to you, if English is not your language of choice, well that's what Google Translate is there for.



Marin has been such a star: she was one of the first to see my little tweet tweets, my cries for help, and she jumped on the bandwagon and started really fighting my corner. All the while patiently waiting for me to eventually, perhaps, someday, get round to finding those shots and posting. Three months later.

And if anyone has anything remotely less than gushingly positive to say about Marin, do so at your peril. Because I will hunt you down. We can give our opinion, but only if our heart is in the right place. Fashion doesn't matter. Not to me. Feelings do.

And I am feeling so totally grateful to every one of you: those who emailed, commented, or tweeted, but especially, the ones who haven't said anything at all, but I know you're out there.

Marin is wearing: floaty dress and boots from Primark, and the shirt is from H&M. Scarf+bag are vintage and the skull ring you can see in some of the other shots is from the H! by Henry Holland collection @ Debenhams. She could wear this same look today, with a nice thick pair of tights and a big faux furry coat and some nice long leather gloves.

Which, by the way, are totally off.

24 comments:

Shopgirl said...

First off, love the photos of Marin! I love too that her clothes are all from places I shop and she has put them together to look AMAZING!!

Second, still shocked and appalled by Elle Spain. Have written a bit about this for the Friend Friday post this week :)

Hope it gets sorted soon, xx

Yas said...

These photos are lovely, as is Marin, I love her outfit, especially the scarf she wearing. Gorgeous!
I think the worst thing about what happened with Carmen B is she stole your photos and then didn't even seem to have anything positive to say about the girls, who all look fabulous, and from reading their blogs regularly (especially Roz's) are all wonderful people.
The longer Elle leaves it to fix their mistake, the worse it gets for them...
x x

Ana Frost said...

Dear Jill, I also wrote my comment there (Elle Blogger) 2 times, but not was posted. I totaly dont understand how a magazine like Elle Spain admit people without any sense of fashion or professional. I also tought the comments she wrote about the english girls,style and photos are completely awfull. xxx Ana Madrid

daisychain said...

These are amazing photos Jill,

Elle Spain had best watch their backs

xx

hair stylist Mary said...

Amazing pictures!! Love her hair :)

Adorngirl said...

Good. show people that you are not messing around, when you are a nice person like you are people think that can take liberties, and you will just shrug it off.

that is my problem sometimes I am too nice, and you feel strange about throwing a scene as to be labelled bitch, but I am glad you are taking a stand on this as it will set a precedent

people are taking bloggers for granted not branding them as fashion journalists, or evEn press, the other day my husband called my blog a hobby, when I told him I considered it my job. (bastard) who else is going to spend hours on photoshop cutting, cropping, spending hours researching a subject, and making sure everything is credited accordingly and don't forget people we are not getting paid.

just like the mummy scissors, and that photograph of emily which spread across the blogosphere, hopefully this subject will make bloggers come together as I am sure this will happen to all of us one time or another (probably already has with my peacock painting people are always searching, and clicking on it probably printing it out, and including it as part of their art projects.)

Fabienne Jach said...

I respect your kindness and integrity. I'm sorry you've had to go through this. I'll be tweeting about it.

jill said...

Thank you all! Just got in - had a lovely lovely photo shoot today (more about that coming up) and am just going thru these wonderful comments now, thank you!

Just had to share with you what some coward - sorry, reader - named Anonymous left on this post. She (it has to be a she) then deleted it, but it still came thru to my emails - I just love it. She is sooo angry - with me. Always, always, the bullies post anonymously:

"You're like a dog with a bone. Give it up, because I'm sure Carmen B has received your message by now. Of course this is your own personal space and it has been 'violated', but big companies have been doing this since the beginning of time- and it will NOT change.
Why not write to them, rather than digitally obsessing over it? The sad fact is that although you do have a readership, it's not quite 10,000, so I'm not sure a few comments of support are enough to get you noticed by Elle. Apparently, there's nothing you can legally do in these sorts of situations anyway, unless you are full copywrited. If this was Le Blog De Betty-type situation, where your image had been used for commercial gain, you would have a legal leg to stand on. Images are re-produced without due care everday on the web. It is unfortunate, but that's life.

Sorry Jill. "

You've gotta love it! I don't normally get a lot of comments, but I do need to stick up for myself: I haven't had 10,000 visitors a month since my first few months. The number is so many times that now.

Not digitally obsessed - and the reason I'm posting about it is because I have called and written to approximately 12 separate people now in offices in London, NY and of course, Spain.

As of now: not one person has gotten back to me. But I've got so much more going on my life - all positive - and this is a minor part.

Ring My Bell said...

Anonymous comments are such bullshit. I was a getting a few of then a while back (all obviously from the same saddo) and I eventually just took the ability to publish anonymously away... The way In see it is- if you have something negative and awful to say then to be brave enough to do so publicly otherwise shut up!

In my house we call anonymous commenters 'anony-c**ts'. Harsh but true.

Good for you for standing up for what you believe in!

Ann said...

The truth is that she just isn't as talented as you are. My guess is that she doesn't have very many friends either. Keep doing what you do so well. I love your work.

Anonymous said...

I really feel for you about this. I had gigantic slabs of a review I wrote a few years back copied word for word in another journal in a review of a different gig by the same band.

I was young enough that I didn't know what to do. They more or less laughed at me when I complained. They had a newspaper empire behind them, and I had a much smaller independent journal behind me.

It's the rage and the impotence that I remember - and the injustice of it. The intensity does wear off after a while, but you remember these things. So... good on you for making a stand.
Lucy

Anonymous said...

First off, Elle Spain better watch out. They are getting a lot of bad press about this, and these days fashion bloggers almost have more "pull" than some fashion mags.

More importantly, I love this outfit and I'm some happy you posted where she got her dress. I'm off to see if i can find one, it's perfect!

This is my first time commenting on your blog but I've been a follower for ages, I love your images they never fail to inspire me.

Thank you for taking the time to shoot and post them.

~Mhari

SabinePsynopsis said...

I just spent a LONG time catching up with the news. This is INCREDIBLE!!!! What is this lady thinking?!?!? She of all people should know better!!! Nothing less of a HUUUUUUGE apology will do and proper credititng, naturally. Even better a public apology with a big, fat link to your blog!!
Now I had my rant, Marin is gorgeous, absolutely beautiful!
xoxo

Lauren said...

Go get em Jill!

Stealing is stealing and if the post had been nice it would have been easier to forgive but to use and then criticize?? How cowardly.

Your U.S. followers are supporting you!!

Blythe and Charlotte said...

Although I wish this whole thing wouldn't have happened, we are very grateful you have shared your experience because we are learning from it. I just started my blog with a friend, and we've learned some very important lessons.

Anyway, these photos are awesome, especially the very first one. I love the jumping idea. The outfit is adorable, especially the headband thing.

Hope everything works out!
-Charlotte
allesmode2010.blogspot.com

Ife' said...

Hey Jill! Fellow FBFF member here. I am appalled at what has happened to you. As "professional" journalists for an international publication, one might expect a higher level of integrity from the folks at Elle. It is bad enough that you were not credit for your photos in the first place but to outright ignore your attempts to contact them about it is the last straw! They should at least own up to what the did formally and publicly apologize! At this point the damage has been done, but some sort of restitution is warranted...for you and for your friends whose likeness was used without their permission. Ugh!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for doing this. So many bloggers have had issues with stealing, from pictures to whole RSS feeds. Thanks for not rolling over or just quitting when they took the post down :).

If anyone else is interested in poking around to look for plagiarism, I've found TinEye to be a useful took (http://www.tineye.com/) - you give it an image, and it'll tell you where else it is being used on the web. Obviously nobody has the time to plug all of their old pictures in but what it finds can be...interesting.

I hate how blurred copyright has become on the web. Even WITHOUT your watermarks, WITHOUT your copyright claiming blurb in the sidebar, that's illegal. With? It's dumb *and* illegal.

Disclaimer: This is all based on my knowledge of US law, but I imagine most internet copyright rules must be fairly consistent between western, stable countries at this point

Marin said...

Oh Jill,you're so lovely (:

I would've expected better from Elle, that's what got me so irritated by this! To think that myself and so many others aspire to work for these publications who are in fact stealing content from us bloggers in the first place? Ridiculous.

p.s. Thanks for the outfit comments guys, the entire thing cost me less than £25! Long live high street sales...

xxx

jill said...

Thank YOU, Marin: for posing, and for your amazing support, especially while juggling all your work @ school - and journalistically.

The thing no one seems to mention - can you see? in the top shot, you are literally floating a foot or so off the ground! xx

Michele said...

Hope you get one 'elle' of an apology! ;-) (Sorry....couldn't resist!) Mind you, at the end of the day Jill, pffff! I'd just take a deep breath & thank God that you have more morals, ethics, guts, & beautiful photos than this 'Carmen B'. And you know, I guess at the very least she did include your watermark on the photos she hijacked, so everyone who looks at them will know that Carmen B of Elle Madrid looks to the very talented (& much loved) british blogger Jill Adams - aka. Polka Dot- to illustrate her (somewhat inane) ramblings!
Really, this incident highlights one of the most important Blogger 10 Commandments: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours original shots"!!!
xxo

Anonymous said...

Hi Jill

I think it is great that you are standing up for yourself your images are fantastic I really like the pictures of Marin and the Snow covered garden. You have the right to express your anger and that anonymous commentor is a coward.

Hi Marin

Your outfit is gorgeous there's no way it looks like it cost £25 and that's what I love about fashion these days, if you have style you can make anything look good. I have that dress and I plan to wear it for my birthdaty dinner next weekend. I am going to add a little vintage glamour with a fur stole and a pair of 70's style platform mary janes.

Damsels said...

i must admit that i'm a bit curious abut what went on at elle spain . i didnt really understand much about what you wrote ..but i do not think its okay for people to be insenstive ever . not even online .. its pathetic. this girl is so beautiful

Kelsi said...

Hi There,

Came across your blog via the Elle Spain debacle. Whilst the debacle is just not cool...your blog certainly is. So lets focus on that for a second ;)

I miss London terribly, I moved to LA 5 years ago...but a huge part of me is still a London girl, when it rains (which it does every now and then) I get awfully homesick and yes..everyone thinks I'm crazy but sunshine all year round doesn't always suit my mood...

Anyhoo, London street style is unparalleled and you're doing a wonderful job of showcasing it.

As for Elle Spain - I wish you all the luck and cajones in the world fighting that one. You're right, they're wrong - simple as that.

Kelsi xx

Fashion Limbo said...

Love these pictures, love your site, your talent, your work, the girls that pose for you and everything you do on this space.

Spanish Elle who? does anyone even read that anyway??!

You rock, YOU ARE PURE TALENT. Kudos to you.