That´s right, I´m quitting SG.
The last 1,5 years I've seen enough around the SG pages to know that this community just isn't for me. And sure, you'll probably think I'm only saying this because in those 1,5 years I didn't make it to frontpage, but that is not the case. Not exactly though.
What I mean to say is this. When I got to know SG in the beginning, I thought the ideology was great: celebrating beauty in all shapes and sizes, a community where you could fit in by just being yourself instead of a thirteen-in-a-dozen blonde cheerleader, or a six-feet tall walking branch-like runway model for that matter. Despite the fact that I'm not blonde, nor a size zero, nor 6 feet tall, I've always thought of myself that I have this sort of 'alternative appeal' to me, and wanted to do something with that. Since I tried a few modelling and casting agencies and they wouldn't accept me, SG felt like the perfect place.
When I first got my Hopeful account, I spent days on end watching all kinds of sets that went frontpage, just to find out what the magic trick was. I read dozens of threads with tips & tricks and do's & dont's, until I felt like I was ready to shoot my first set. It didn't go pink by a long shot. No drama, it wasn't all that good anyway. But in my honest opinion, I've seen worse ones go pink. Then for my second shoot, almost a year later. I took a long time in between to think about what I would do better in the second one, studied some more frontpage sets, and even got a professional photographer to shoot it this time. Almost with succes. Almost, I say, because it clearly scored a lot better than the first one. But still: not pink by a long shot. And again: worse sets (in my opinion ofcourse) went pink.
So what is that magic trick? What is it, that you can do to magically turn yourself into frontpage material? I think I've found the way. I really do.
So here are the steps:
1. Write a blog every day.
2. Comment on as many sets/threads/blogs as you possibly can.
3. Make heaps and heaps of 'mighty' SG friends (i.e. girls who have a lot of FP sets, or other members who have already been using my magical 5 steps for a long time).
4. Upload a video of you dancing around the bedroom in your underwear at least once a month.
5. Finish the 'I spend most of my free time...'sentence on your profile with 'lurking around on SG' and live up to this. I mean: seriously, you shouldn't spend anymore free time on anything else.
Hmm that might have sounded a bit cynical, don't you think? But if you are truly honest to yourself, isn't that what the SG community has turned into? I guess it has just become too big to still be really alternative. And with that growth it has obtained one of the most important characteristics of 'the mainstream': popularity contests. Because since there are so many talented and artistic submissions to the site every day, it is just not possible anymore to honor them all in the way they deserve. That's why, nowadays, if you want to make it to frontpage, you will need to make as much friends as possible and be in contact with them as often as you can.
I'm not disappointed or angry or anything. This is just what I found out during my time on SG, and I just wanted to let you know how I feel about this. I have a fulltime job, a boyfriend, a horse, tons of creative activities and a busy social life, so why should I bother having a second one online? I don't have the time to stay in touch with you anyway!
So hereby I quit, to the few people I have been communicating with during my short time on SG I want to say thanks and take care, it was lovely meeting you. To the other people who might read this (not too many I'm sure, I'm not delusional!): I hope you won't take offense of this, since that was never my purpose. Just let it shine another light on your SG experience.