Filmmaker Christopher Wiegand’s ridiculous looking documentary, American Blogger is supposedly a film about the world of blogging, so long as you ignore everyone who isn’t a gorgeous white lady living in a beautiful home.
Oh where to even begin with this. Nearly every single person Wiegand chose to feature in this “documentary” (which is probably little more than an advertisement for the Airstream trailer featured throughout this clip) is a white lady. Not kidding. Check it out for yourself.
Here’s just a small example of the unbelievable bullshit you’ll have to endure if you willfully choose to watch this film (from the trailer’s voiceover): “Beautifully filmed and artistically crafted, this documentary will remind you of the value of your voice and the power of sharing your story.”
OMG what the hell is this hot mess of nonsense? From the looks of the trailer, the film is a lot less like a movie about the vastly diverse landscape of American blogging and more like an extended commercial for Urban Outfitters. To be fair, not all of the women pictured are thin, young blondes. There are some women of color featured in the documentary, however the word “token” springs to mind so quickly it’s like it’s the Secretariat of words in my head right now.
Look, there are SOOOOO many fucking awesome bloggers that deserve to have their story told. (Here’s a pretty good list.) I’m not trying to be dismissive to the women featured in this film. Granted, it’s no easy task making a name for yourself in this industry. I don’t mean to spill haterade on your skinny jeans, but this doc is all kinds of fail. Sorry, not sorry. Although I’m actually kind of sorry they have to take some heat simply because this guy decided to make such a white-washed film about the world of blogging. But for fuck’s sake, at least call it “Pretty Lifestyle Bloggers” or something like that. Don’t try to make it seem like you’re Errol Morris, unearthing some undiscovered country within the vast, dark caverns of the Internet.
The filmmaker has responded to critics, in glorious Hollywood Doublespeak fashion:
The name “American Blogger” came not because I am representing all of America but because I am traveling America (40 states) in my airstream and telling the story of the Blogger. This film is not supposed to be, nor is it, representing bloggers or America as a whole by any means. These are the women that said yes to my request, they knew my wife and trusted that I would tell this story in a positive way.
I do not have a translator handy to help us out with this one, but lemme give this a shot: “I wanted to get paid to take a cross country trip with my family and this documentary was the perfect excuse. PLUS BONUS got to hang out with a bunch of young hotties. Win/win, bro.”