BYU recently invited Rachel Parcell to speak on entrepreneurship and how she created an Insta-career with more than 600,000 Instagram followers and national brands clamoring to hire her as their social media model. This 24-year-old — who prefers online publicity to public speaking — turned them down flat, much to her father’s dismay. But BYU turned Rachel down a few years ago after she graduated from Alta High School in 2009. At the time, only Rachel and her mother saw the future that would include regular trips to New York, more clothes than Rachel could possibly keep or wear — and the opinionated followers who tend to comment on LDS celebrities.
Rachel saw her future when as a young ballerina, her mind would wander while she was at the barre. “What will I wear tomorrow? And what hair accessories will I pair with it?”
When she got home, she would lay out the entire outfit for the next day, ready for her slim frame to slip into the next morning.
As she entered junior high and high school — and later UVU — she began sewing her own clothes so she could get the fabric and style she envisioned.
And now her #ootd (outfit of the day) gets liked by thousands who want to imitate the classy, outdoorsy and modest look Rachel has become known for under her blog brand of Pink Peonies (which she pronounces pee-uh-nees).
“I’ve asked several florists and gardeners how to pronounce it, and I’ve heard it different ways,” she says.
But when you are drawing millions of viewers, you own the word “peonies.” And in Utah Valley and New York alike, you practically own Instagram. Double tap.
UV: When you think back on your childhood Christmases, what memories come to mind?
Rachel: My parents kept our Christmas decor in a black leather trunk with gold nailheads on it, and when we opened it there was a distinct Christmas smell. Even when I was in high school, when we would open the trunk it instantly brought back childhood Christmas flashbacks. As we decorated, we would listen to Natalie Cole.
UV: What did Santa bring you?
Rachel: I was in 8th or 9th grade before I found out that Santa isn’t real. Someone in sixth grade told me there was no Santa. And I said, “Then why would the news track him and try to find his sleigh? Santa has to be real!” But then a few years later, I was with my mom when she bought my sister a hot pink slug-bug Barbie car, and then on Christmas morning Santa gave that to her. That’s how that story went down for me.
UV: What was Christmas morning like?
Rachel: My sister Emily and I would sneak a peek over the banister. Everything Santa brought was unwrapped, and everything my parents gave us was wrapped. That’s how my sister and I do Christmases for our kids, too.
UV: Every day must feel like Christmas with the readership you have developed for Pink Peonies and on Instagram. How do you feel about all of this success happening when you are still so young? You’ll be 25 in January.
Rachel: I feel so blessed and grateful. I always tell Drew there’s no way I would have done this without him. He graduated in entrepreneurship, and he got us set up with Google ads and affiliated marketing. He’s the business mind, and I’m the creative one. He figured out a way to monetize my interests and create my career.
UV: How do you land these big brands as clients?
Rachel: With J.Crew, I was part of their affiliate marketing program. They were tracking links and they could see the sales I was driving to them. They started asking, “Who is this Pink Peonies girl in Utah? She’s selling more than some of our stores sell.” They paid me to wear three outfits for them. They sent a rep out to take me to lunch. Then I went to New York to meet with their marketing and PR people. J.Crew is a brand I know, love and wear every day, but I thought I would have to move to LA or New York to work with them. I love that I can be in Utah.
UV: Your readers follow you closely and it seems like they can’t get enough. What do they ask you most often?
Rachel: The most common question is, “Where did you get your lipstick?” I also get asked about my foundation, whether I have hair extensions, what shampoo I use, my skincare routine. I try to pre-answer many of these questions in my caption. But I can’t answer all questions. I am a wife, a mother and I have a life. I don’t spend my whole day on my phone. I’ve got to unplug sometimes. Isla is No. 1 for me. When I had just had my daughter, I posted a picture and someone asked where my robe was from, and I didn’t answer. People got mad. But I was a brand new mom! When she was sleeping, I was sleeping.
UV: What was your first big splurge when things started going well for you?
Rachel: It was early spring 2013, and I bought a pair of Christian Louboutins, which are high heels with a red bottom. They are gorgeous! And they hurt! But they make your feet look so pretty. They are my most-worn shoes to this day — I wear them pretty much every Sunday. At the time, $600 was a lot of money. But I had put them on my “outfit inspiration board,” and they were the first designer shoes I ever bought.
UV: Do you get free shoes from them now?
Rachel: No, that brand is a little too big for me.
UV: What is challenging about your career?
Rachel: The hardest part about being a blogger is knowing when you can just enjoy life and when you’ve got to capture something for Instagram or the blog. I especially feel this on vacation when I’m in a new location that would make for amazing photos. It’s hard to not want to take out the camera and shoot. For Isla’s blessing, I wanted it to be a big family day, but at the same time I wanted to capture it to share with my readers. Usually Drew would take those pictures, but I hired a photographer that day. We didn’t pose — I just wanted behind-the-scenes moments. And when everyone left, we took a few pictures as a family. Afterwards I was looking through the pictures and was so glad I had them because I got to enjoy the day without worrying about taking pics.
UV: How does your husband handle his role in your famous life?
Rachel: When we’re on vacation, he’ll tell me that he’ll take pictures for me or do whatever I want him to do for an hour and after that he just wants to relax.
UV: How do you decide what to share publicly and what is too private to go online?
Rachel: When I gave birth to Isla, I hired a photographer so I would have those pictures. I was so out of it but wanted to see all the details of the day later. Afterwards, Drew and I were going through them and they were so beautiful. I wondered if I should share the images, and we went back and forth. I finally realized that my readers were anxious to see the birth of my daughter. They had been with me the past four years on my life journey. So as a thank-you for following, it didn’t feel right NOT to share such a special time in my life. It turned out to be my highest-viewed post of all time. My readers thanked me for being personal, which makes people want to follow more. But there’s definitely a fine line of knowing when to unplug and just live life.
UV: How did your following grow?
Rachel: My first outfit post was in September 2012, and I think I had 200 followers, which felt like a lot at the time. I said to my mom, “What if I got 1,000 followers?” But I thought that would never happen. But my mom would say, “One day you are going to have thousands of followers.” By December, I had hit 1,000, and to celebrate we went and bought a small camera lens. After that, my imagery was so much prettier, which meant that my pictures got pinned more. In another month, I was at 2,000. Now the more followers I get, the faster they come. Honestly, hitting the 1,000 mark was a bigger deal to me than hitting 500,000 on Instagram. It was so much more work to get that first 1,000. I was reaching out to other bloggers, guest trading and trying to figure it out. I wasn’t charging anything — I just shared what I was wearing. Then I started charging $20 for people to send me a shirt to wear. That’s when it started going from a hobby to a business.
“Whenever I’m doing an interview — whether for Seventeen or Lucky — they always ask how I got started as a blogger,” she says. “I tell them that my wedding was featured in our local bride magazine right when Pinterest was getting big. Lots of Utah County girls saw the magazine article and photos and then googled my name.”
From there, Rachel’s following said “I do” and began asking her where she bought her clothes and accessories.
“My pictures got pinned and repinned, and that is what kickstarted my online following,” Rachel says.
UV: How do you even grasp the kind of readership and influence you have?
Rachel: I can’t grasp it. It’s just a number and almost doesn’t seem real. I was at a BYU basketball game with my dad, and he said, “You have more people who follow you on Instagram than are in this entire stadium.” (Editor’s note: Make that 32X as many people.)
UV: How do you handle your religion as part of your persona?
Rachel: From the very beginning, I showed pictures of my temple wedding. I had a link to mormon.org on my blog. I didn’t want my religion to be something nobody knew about me. I like to do subtle hints. I’ll take a picture in downtown Salt Lake and talk about going to Women’s Conference. I’ll be cuddled up watching General Conference, and I’ll tell my readers what I’m watching. They’ll ask more about it. And I’ll either respond or my Mormon readers will do it for me. I work with national brands, and they don’t want me pushing politics or religion. But I feel like Mormonism is such a lifestyle and not just a belief on Sunday. My whole life is based on it, so it’s naturally integrated into what I do. In New York, I’ll tell people I’m from Utah and they’ll ask, “Are you one of those Mormons? I can’t believe you are stylish and wear normal clothes!”
UV: Do you find your criticism comes from inside or outside the Mormon church?
Rachel: Inside. It’s hard for me when someone comments and tells me my dress is too short. I’ll have 2,000 positive comments and then someone will say they used to consider me classy and now they are confused. Some of my readers will defend me, and I often delete critical comments. I don’t want people seeing that people within my religion are attacking me. I don’t want them to think that in our religion we judge and attack each other. I never want to make my religion look bad. (Editor’s note: Rachel has a large painting of Jesus walking on water in the room where this interview took place.)
UV: What are your hopes for the next five years?
Rachel: My industry is changing so fast that I don’t know what it is going to be like in five years. I hope my readers stay with me as I get older and as they get older. As my life changes, their lives will change. I want us to grow throughout the years together.
I hope you mean she was at the barre, not at the bar while she was a little girl daydreaming about clothes!
For someone who’s such a devout Mormon I’ve never heard this woman do any kind of philanthropy. Instead of spending $600 on shoes this holiday season why not help someone in need Rachel?
So because you’ve never heard of any of Rachel’s philanthropy efforts that means she doesn’t give to those in need? How unbelievable arrogant of you to think that she doesn’t give to the needy because YOU haven’t heard about it! Who are you? And why does she need to justify spending her money however she wants to you and anyone else?! I bet if we compared her checkbook ledger to yours, we would see that she gives a ton more than you do. It’s always the little people like yourself (who are usually stingy as heck) that get up on their high horse to judge those who are financially blessed. When the irony is, she’s probably so financially blessed because she is a giver! Why don’t you let God be the judge and mind your business.
And you should take your own advice and be a good example yourself Livy. You say that God should be the judge, and yet you judge others by calling them ‘arrogant,’ ‘stingy as heck,’ and compare their checkbooks that you don’t even know about. You can certainly convey your point without having to stoop down and using such judging words. Keep things polite please.
Jane, I’m a guy who cares little for fashion, but I am a business owner. If purchasing a $600 pair of shoes is one way that she invests and grows her business then telling her to donate that money instead totally misses the point. The average business owner invests constantly in their business, but it’s not visible the same way her investments are.
Take this example: a set of tires for a truck cost between $1200 and $3500 (ish). Do you look at electricians and plumbers and wonder why they bought new tires and didn’t give that money to charity? No, because you see how new/better tires enable that person to grow/maintain their business. You see the correlation?
And as a followup, my guess is that if she did do a bunch of philanthropy and made it public, you’d be the first person to line up to sneer at how she’s flaunting her goodness instead of doing good in secret.
I don’t give two sneezes for the fashion blogging world, but I dislike attitudes like yours no matter where they live.
And I dislike attitudes like yours that puts down the fashion blogging world in saying that you don’t give ‘two sneezes’ and how you care ‘little for it.’ That is how some people make their living, so respect it please. If you are going to defend businesses in general, then respect all businesses.
Perhaps Mrs. Parcell should respect her own “business” by starting to abide by the laws in place pertaining to her specific field. She regularly fails to adhere to FTC advertising regulation. Her compensated clothing and vacations and affiliate links are almost never disclosed per the law, and perhaps we can address the “Pink Peonies” jewelry collection that Mrs. Parcell claimed to have designed.
Utah Valley Magazine may want to do a little research before endorsing the “business” people it commends and their questionable practices. The lack of advertising disclosure is apparent IMMEDIATELY upon viewing PinkPeonies.com
And MayCee may want to switch to decaf and ask Santa to bring her a clue for Christmas.
Lucille B, I very much agree with what you are saying. I was just making a point to Guy that he is not making sense by defending her business and then making fun of it at the same time (like he’s feigning being neutral), and how he “dislikes attitudes” that don’t necessarily agree with her practice. His attitude is unlikable as well.
I agree with Sloan. Guy’s attitude is also very unlikeable in that he automatically makes assumptions about Jane saying that she’d be the first in line to sneer at someone’s philanthropy. Where does he come off? Jane was saying that it would be good to see philanthropic work, and you don’t necessarily have to flaunt it around or show it off. People will just recognize it.
Jane that’s not your business. Just because someone spends money on themselves doesn’t mean they don’t also give money to others. You probably have a smartphone – why didn’t you buy a cheaper phone and give that money to someone else? See how lame that comment is? She likely gives to many donations and charities in addition to the 10% she’s already giving for tithing. People are allowed to purchase things with their hard earned money.
One Jane to another – LDS members who are involved members of the church all give 10% of their overall incomes to the church as an option – this goes towards all sorts of philanthropy projects around the world. In nearly all natural disasters, etc – the Mormon church is one of the first to step in with aid, and local members all show up to serve. I am certain that within her neighborhood she serves regularly – weekly and more. But it’s custom to not over-share such good doings with the culture. FYI.
https://instagram.com/p/icTdpFmxzC/
I believe she spent time after Christmas a few years ago visiting an orphanage in Nicaragua & more likely other mission trips as well. With all due respect, using every charitable act as a photo op is kind of tacky; tithing or any benefit made to others can be personal and is a personal choice, even if its done in the ordinary course of business. Based on your statement she should be posting a pic of every receipt when she donates clothing and other things to Salvation Army to keep people happy. Preposterous. There are many acts of kindness, I’m sure she takes part in. If not, give her time, she’s 25 not 60. If you follow her on snap and other social media you’d see how real this lady is and how close she is to her family. It’s endearing; lastly one can tell her mom and dad are not slouches. They have extremely good taste and have a lovely family. They have raised young women that aren’t out hitting the club at 25 and instead made a choice to raise a families and spend nights with their siblings playing board games instead. God forbid there’s any innocence left in America! I’d love a tv show featuring this family vs the likes of Kardashian types. I’m not some fan girl, I’m older than Rachel. I’ve been a successful designer of clothing lines and owner of several businesses for over 20+ years and I am inspired by this young woman. Not just for her keen eye for clothing and looking “polished” but seeing a person design such a happy, pretty and loving lifestyle. Just wish her mom had a blog too.
I wouldn’t want to see a reality TV show of ANY family actually. Now that is tacky! No need to overexpose your family. Nowadays with all the social media out there, there is way too much being aired out there, not to mention a lack of reverence and respect for the privacy of family life.
Wow. I don’t consider playing dress up and then plastering it all over the internet in a show of gross consumerism to be particularly noteworthy, accomplished or aspirational. Maybe you can highlight people who give to others and contribute to our society.
Then you missed the point. The feature is because of her success at only 25. Where’s the bylaws of what careers constitutes being noteworthy. I teach my children that diversity in America makes our country great. I have 2 children both pursuing medicine but the world needs plumbers, reporters, teachers, bloggers, designers, on and on. To highlight one person’s success because they’re a physician and not another’s would be prejudicial. Everyone isn’t a chemist or engineer or philanthropist, but it doesn’t mean they’re not noteworthy. In fact, it’s the “against all odds” stories that are the most interesting. Did you not get the backstory that Mrs. Parcell wasn’t accepted at BYU & at one time doubted her own abilities, then turned lemonade into lemons and is highly successful as a mother, wife, and business woman. Shame on you for not thinking her profession is accomplished. She’s 25!! I consider her a success in this day and time if she’s just pursuing her dream and “happy” and not dysfunctional making any amount of money! Atleast she’s trying, and has succeeded thus far. She may not want to work another day in her life after tomorrow but this young woman is a mother and wife and that is also a beautiful job! Atleast she’s posting photos of fashion which is a real thing, by the way , not a posting being a tramp all over the internet like people do. Makes me so sad and sick at my stomach we live in such a mean spirited world.
Actually, being a wife and mother is the best job, not “also” another beautiful job.
Actually, being a wife and mother is the best job, not just “also” another beautiful job.
Actually, being a wife and mother are not jobs at all – they are relationships you have with another person. Really sad that you consider your relationship with your husband and/or child to be a “job” rather than a relationship that sets the foundation of your life.
SMG, you didn’t get what I was putting across. I was saying that MayCee was putting the wrong emphasis on what she considers the best “job.” I was trying to explain a point to her in the context in which she was using the word. You have no idea about my personal life and how I consider my relationship with my husband and child, and you certainly have no place saying how “sad” it is. What is sad is how you make unfounded judgments about other people’s lives you don’t even know about!
I agree with Wg83. She was making a point in reference to what Maycee originally posted about ‘jobs’. I am a wife and mother and I was not at all offended by her explanation that being a wife and mother is the best job. She was using the word in the way that Maycee was using it to explain a point, and I was glad she did! I think your assumption that she just considers her relationship with her husband and child a job and nothing more is just plain rude. She was trying to make a point to Maycee which you obviously did not get.
Well said Ashley! There is absolutely nothing self-righteous about saying that being a wife and mother is the best job. SMGs comment was sounding a bit picky and self-righteous though lol.
Okay so I came to this site through another site and someone had said the comments above displayed “self-righteous one upmanship” and that the commenters must be “exhausting” in real life. How is that so? So if someone comments that being a wife and mother is actually the best job (and not being a fashion blogger), they are being self-righteous? That is absolute nonsense. My mom used to tell me how being a mother was the best job in the world. How rude it would have been of me to say back, “How self-righteous of you!”
Shame on you for calling other people tramps. Where is your charity? Why point out another person’s fault like that? Pray for them instead of comparing them. You say you are so sad and sick to your stomach that we live in a mean spirited world, yet you need to take your own advice. You should be so sick and sad to your stomach for all the mass killings around the world, not so much over petty comments made by people!
In fact I am sad and sick that such tragedy happens to our own country but horrific things start with a much lesser issue, yet deep rooted issue ( perhaps people being bullied- it is in fact mean spirited ) Also, I didn’t point out one person’s fault. It’s a general statement that I stand behind because I see it happening to young girls losing their sense of modesty and confidence and it’s very much is reminiscent of tramp like behavior. Skalla’s family have much to be proud of raising young loving smart women. God lm bless them. Such a cute family.
Actually Maycee, God bless all families, as there is much to be proud of amongst them all. What we should be MOST proud of is raising a godly family, not just being cute. Also, horrific things don’t start from being a bully (that is a symptom), as it is WAY deeper than that. The reason why horrific things happen is because God is not present in one’s life. They do not want Him, or care for Him to be there. Let us not be examples of mean spirited-ness ourselves, and pray instead for those bullies or those whom you call tramps. There is no need for ridicule on either side, as we need to be good examples of charity and a good spirit too. Remember, if we see others in a worse position than we are, we need to humble ourselves and remember that, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
I see where Alice is coming from actually.The context in which you mentioned ‘tramps’ in your above post was done in a kind of mean, comparative spirit, not in the spirit that you clarified in your second post…Also, you confuse me with your stance for modesty in women, Do you consider posting revealing, bikini clad pictures of oneself on the Internet modest? Nobody should be doing that, not even the cutest person. This is coming from someone who used to post such types of pics, and was finally convinced to take them down by my family because they saw and heard all sorts of ugly comments. I wasn’t married at the time, but they said that my body should be for my future husband’s eyes alone. Just my two cents.
Jessica, beautifully said.
Veronica, very good point.
Thanks Maycee! You are very understanding!
Thank you as well Maycee. I am so happy to see how you can see both sides.
How does one turn lemonade into lemons?
And if the world needs bloggers, well, I’m going to stop contributing to my kids’ college funds.
I don’t quite understand what you are saying…
How exactly do you turn lemonade into lemons?
Jessica, that was an error. Writing quickly at night & that sometimes happens. Thanks for pointing it out though.
Maycee, that was an honest question. People have those sometimes. Thanks for pointing it out though!
This was your cover story? I’m sorry to sound rude, but I couldn’t even finish it, it was so disjointed and poorly written. Please utilize or hire better content and copy editors. Also, “on the bar” is not a phrase, nor is it spelled “bar.”
Wow! The writing was actually concise, entertaining and informative. In fact , while reading it, I paused to think how well it’s written. I want to be clear here — I don’t know the Parcells or Skalla’s more than any other reader, but I’m also not a jealous & rude unhappy person. I don’t even live in Utah but find this magazine fun. It’s clearly a lifestyle mag and not a documentary on the state of the Union. That said, what I find hard to read : the ridiculous and mean spirited comments. Hoping you find peace in your life.
So you call the person above a jealous and an unhappy person because she critiqued the editing and writing, and never did an ad persona attack…now that is sad! I think you need to find peace in your life.
It is painfully obvious that “MayCee” is either a Skalla or Parcell, you’re not fooling anyone sweetie…really sad that you have to defend Rachel like a rabid little doggie.
SMG, no not at all; I live across country. Never met any of these people. I’d say the same thing for anyone that I feel is being harshly misunderstood. I just think this young lady takes so much written abuse & I feel badly for her. She’s a mom and someday her little girl can read this, and I do not think she’s a mean spirited person. Perhaps still very young, but we learn as we go through life. She’ll have many transitions in the coming years.
And yes, for all of you questioning my choice of words… it is indisputable that Rachel parcell has more class than many of the females on the Internet that are naked or even 1/2 naked in a distasteful manner. Generally, I would describe that as trampy behavior, but I am not calling any particular person out. I’m free to have an opinion just like another is free to do what they like with their bodies.
Lastly, I’ve enjoyed reading anyone’s comments here that seem rational and point out another reasonable point of view. I’m not offended at all by people disagreeing with my opinion. I welcome the chance to see another’s point of view, especially one delivered well.
You do not make any sense Maycee. You say that 1/2 naked women is trampy behavior, and yet Rachel herself posts pictures of herself in bikinis. So are you calling her trampy then?
I think it would be more sad for her little girl to see the immodest posts she put up of herself on the Internet for people to ogle at and make creepy comments on…
SMG, I’m not attempting to fool anyone. I don’t know any of you here and frankly, I don’t care what you think of my opinion… In fact, you don’t have to be related to someone to notice if they’re being misunderstood and voice an opinion. Not everyone sees every issue the same.
This is really pathetically sad for a Christmas edition of Utah Valley Magazine. Lost quite a bit of respect for a magazine I usually enjoy reading. I’m not even sure what the point of the whole entire article actually is.
About the robe in question…I think some people may have been upset that she didn’t answer the question because she took the time to answer another person’s unnecessary comment, and who wasn’t even a fan or follower of hers. By all means, unplug when you need to and put the care of your baby first, but I feel like if you have a large following, you should try to be fair and equal in your responses to people.
I agree. I actually have a daughter who used to be a big fan and follower of hers. Sadly, she isn’t one anymore. She had been looking at her Instagram posts, and for the longest time was thinking to ask her a question about fashion. On the first Dove beauty post she noticed that Rachel did in fact take time to answer one person’s comment (and it was an unnecessary comment), and it really confused her, as she had asked a simple question about fashion and was a fan. She then asked why she answered the other person and not hers (thinking that maybe only certain people could ask questions), and she got no reply at all, and instead was deleted! She was so hurt, as she also wanted to congratulate her on her new baby. She then tried to ask her sister at Ivory Lane why certain comments got answered, and she got deleted there as well! All that over a simple question and her being confused as to why certain people got responses. It’s a shame.
Something similar happened to me as well! I posted a message on Ivory Lane’s Instagram asking another lady who posted a message with some profanity in it to be careful what she said because young girls looked at it, and then afterwards I was denied access to Ivory Lane’s account. So rude of her!
I know! I really think that Pink Peonies and Ivory Lane should put in as much effort into answering their fans who ask legitimate questions, as they do with those who aren’t their fans. They would keep a lot more happy followers that way. They often tell people who post negative things on their Instagrams to just not say anything if they can’t say anything nice. I think they should take their own advice and not say anything back to those commenters or simply delete them. Why not focus more on the followers!
“(Editor’s note: Rachel has a large painting of Jesus walking on water in the room where this interview took place.)” What the heck? Is that supposed to “prove” she’s a good Mormon? I don’t mean that as a slight to Rachel–that’s just weird to include in an article. I guess it’s a slight to whoever wrote it.
I was not familiar with Utah Valley Magazine prior to being sent a link to this article. And I am not Mormon although I have only had really positive experiences with the faith and some of the wonderful people who represent it.
This celebration of ostentatious behavior just really isn’t in tune with my outsider’s respectful perception of Mormonism.
It’s fantastic that Rachel has experienced such great financial success, it seems she has a loving, close-knit family. It’s still just really, really superficial, and yes, the article absolutely called for a humble mention of any of Rachel’s reported philanthropic activities. Because IT’S CHRISTMAS.
Man, you know the Holiday is totally secular when even the Mormons highlight materialism and consumerism over humanitarianism on the Christmas edition cover of a religiously affiliated publication.
I see your point and it was well said and made me pause and consider some things. You’re right, it would have been nice to
read a humble mention of her good works being a Christmas issue and that is the author’s mistake. Also, it’s not Rachel being so superficial as it’s marketing in general. Marketing is for the most part “pretend” , unfortunately. The blogger @monikagibbs ( aka doctor’s closet) did a big post about her average Christmas tree and turquoise decorations. It was misleading in my opinion because a week or so later on snap, she’s putting up her real Christmas tree that is quite grand and the opposite of what she sponsored and said in her posts. I do find that disappointing, but I try to tell myself that blogging is not what it began as, it’s a form of advertisement and not very genuine, just like most entertainment. Blogging has become “entertainment” and not a journal of Internet entries of real experiences in all cases. Emily Gemma at the sweetest thing blog is another case. This girl has so much to offer. She’s educated, attractive but doesn’t highlight her attribute besides shopping, it’s no longer even creative fashion. It’s her new favorite sweater “daily” and booties, she has lost creativity to commissions and is seriously obsessed with new things and no matter how much money one earns or has, it’s no smart to spend so much on a daily basis and have little else Agreed, with some comments here I’ve read that it’s a poor message of being a good steward or even proper or reasonable financial management. Some of that mixed in with some heart felt journal entries would be refreshing, but it’s excessive. I feel like Rachel Parcell advertises much, much less after becoming a new mom and is clearly focusing more on her family, but does enough to be relevant. I find her family connection inspiring and sweet especially, since she’s not advertising $4000 handbags on a daily basis and she is still so young and will learn so much over the next couple of decades. She’ll more than likely blossom one day. She’s already moved back to an area many bloggers abandoned because it seems to be a good fit being a new mom. I’ve enjoyed engaging with you all and understanding others opinions that were shared in a reasonable and mature tone. Happy Holidays
Very nice post Maycee.
Thank you for saying so Jo.
This is an unusual article that seems to be pretty one sided. Has the writer ever investigated why people may question the blogging career of Ms. Parcell?
It appears she began life in a wealthy family which does tend to allow one to pursue shopping as hobby. It’s not as though she went from nothing to suddenly earning 1 million a year.
As for her Mormonism, why is it that Ms. Parcell will never directly address questions about it as it pertains to her clothing choices on the blog. She often wears clothing that is not ‘garment friendly’ but lets her LDS fans attack anyone who questions this. It’s one thing to claim your religion but another to shut down any discussion of it, even when there is a dress code one is supposed to adhere to.
The matter of materialism and it’s incompatibility with true Christianity is another area of interest. Pink Peonies really does seem to focus on material wealth, from Ms. Parcell’s home/s to her designer handbags to her endless amounts of designer shoes. A giant picture of Jesus doesn’t take away from the fact that this blogger seems to largely about money.
There seems to be somewhat of a lack of maturity in dealing with some of the issues that occur in social media and blogging – the relationship with fans, the impact of deleting all negative comments, the failure to comment when people question decisions or sponsored posts. Successful bloggers work hard on building relationships but Ms. Parcell doesn’t seem to do that part of it which makes me think her blog will not be a long term prospect.
@Trulie. Well said.
I’m sorry, but this article is 100% ridiculous in every way. It completely lacked substance, and I found myself laughing throughout several parts. Yikes….what is this world coming to?
As a mormon woman far outside of Utah, I wonder about mormon women spending so much time and money buying things, taking pictures, posting online. To what end? To show young mormon girls a life completely unattainable? To fill hours of boredom? (being a mom and or wife isn’t always fun). Rachel calls her blog her work. As a mormon I wish she would stop. Her work is based on materialism, consumerism, vanity, and everything that comes with them. As a mormon I don’t want the world to.view us as just like everyone else; that we wear what everybody else does; that we’re materialistic. And when I see Rachel or her sister wearing short dresses and skin tight pants, I’m disappointed. The world knows they’re mormons and that the way they’re dressed compromises their beliefs. These girls have no idea the image they project? Who they influence? I am curious to know if the Skalla girls have substance in person and it just doesn’t come across on their blogs? I like to think that yes, they do.