Photo: Bebe Zeva
Everyone seems to have an opinion about Bebe Zeva these days (well, everyone who knows who she is) and not all of those opinions are positive. The Internet-famous 17-year-old, who blogs from Las Vegas, Nevada, reminds us a lot of another teenage fashion blogger whose internet presence landed her front row seats at fashion shows and mixed bag of admiration and criticism. While Tavi, who's been at the fashion blogging game for all of three years, already seems kind of over it, Bebe is just getting started.
It's hard not to notice the similarities between the two. They both have weird four-letter names. They both maintain well-followed blogs that document outfits and inspirations. They both live in cities that aren't cultural epicenters and thus use personal style and the internet as vehicles to express themselves. Neither wears exclusively expensive, designer clothes, and most people can probably relate to each one. They're also both genuinely talented writers with surprisingly smart and mature perspectives who don't take themselves too seriously and seem equally interested in fashion as they are in writing.
Not that it's a contest, but in many ways, despite being three years younger than Bebe, Tavi is further ahead in the fashion and media world in which it looks like they both hope to achieve legitimacy. Tavi sits front row at major runway shows, has taken part in salon-style discussions with fashion industry veterans and is starting a magazine. Bebe has yet to attend a fashion week and lists Wildfox Couture among her favorite designers. That being said, she has a huge internet presence, including a Blogspot, Tumblr, Formspring, Lookbook, YouTube and Twitter, all of which have sizable followings. She's also the subject of a documentary; Bebe Zeva, which was shot entirely in one night using a Macbook, won't be at a theater near you, but it's out there.
On the more legitimate side of things, Bebe was selected as a blogger panelist at the WWD Magic trade show this year. In an interview with WWD Magic, Bebe pays homage to Tavi when asked about her inspiration for starting a blog: "Instead of providing a simple picture without words, I wanted to provide a flowery description of my influences and intentions. It also helps that style-prodigy Tavi Gevinson has been running a blog since age twelve and makes the process look delightfully easy."
The biggest difference between the two seems to be that Bebe's very comfortable with, and perhaps even motivated by, the fame and attention that always seems to make Tavi painfully uncomfortable. What do you make of all this? Is Bebe following in Tavi's footsteps or is she something entirely different?
