There’s Too Much Swearing On This Blog

SARAH ASLETT - 27 Jan 16

Its fair to say that there’s a lot of swearing on this blog. None of it is particularly offensive in an aggressive sense, its all intended as tongue in cheek humour but I cannot deny that the profanity word count is pretty high. I’d never really considered it until recently, I’m pretty free and liberal with how I write, in that I write how I like and if I like it then I keep it. I don’t write for other people, I write for myself and I’ve found it very therapeutic, cathartic even. I just start tapping away and if a ‘shit’ or a ‘fuck’ contributes to the giggles or exasperates my tone I go with it. Particularly if you’re writing about something that pisses you off, I’ve found a couple of ‘bastards’ and ‘arseholes’ really help get your point across. Of course I’m thrilled to bits to discover that people actually read my nonsense and even if it is just mostly my Mum (hi mum!), I’ve enjoyed that I’ve made people laugh and engaged with them on a certain topic or event in my life. I’ve had some cracking comments and direct messages, many full of obscenities and ‘Fuck Yes!’ moments. I’ve laughed my arse off at some of the feedback I had on that tit post, apparently it is a real issue affecting mothers globally – not just me!

Anyway, recently I’ve been considering the amount of cursing in my posts as it has been bought to my attention from a couple of different sources. With one of my recent articles in particular, I’ve been told that whilst the individuals liked them, they couldn’t promote or share them due to the expletive words in the title and content. This, of course being entirely their prerogative and with which I did not take any exception. They were very friendly and sincere with their reasons and I took no offence. Your blog, your promotion – your rules I’m all in on that. But it did take me back and actually made me consider what I had written. I re-read this one piece in question and several others. I read them over quite a few times, trying to read it from an outsiders point of view, trying to determine if I could be offended. Then I read it without the swear words, a suggestion had been made that if I just removed a ‘for fucks sake’ all would be well again in the world. But none of it really read right, none of it really felt right. I was also reminded (indirectly) that too much profanity is bad for business, a thought that had already occurred to me. The use of dirty words can give bad first impressions, look unprofessional and even make me come across as poorly educated with a limited vocabulary. My knee jerk reaction was indeed  ‘Shit, big brands wont want to work with me – I better remove all the shits on my blog!’.But the trouble is I like ‘all the shits’ on my blog, I think they contribute to the tone of it. I’m not sure its really me without them. I’m not sure I could write how I write if I had to restrict myself with rules about what words I could or couldn’t use. I’m not sure that I want to work with big brands, if I have to fake me it in order to win them over.

One the other side of the coin, following these articles I was invited to co-host an already established linky. This was something that made me pretty happy, its a linky I’ve been contributing to for quite a while and despite being a foul mouthed fishwife, the host obviously deems me a worthy representative. I was also the featured post on Super Busy Mum last week, which was pretty awesome. Neither of these bloggers particularly swear on their site and yet they are happy to work with me because they enjoyed what I wrote. I got further mixed messages when I was offered several paid opportunities recently. Despite all the fucks and bollocks on full view across my blog, these companies and their representatives weren’t put off in the slightest. They approached me, they found me I have no idea how and offered me work right off the back of these ‘controversial’ posts.
I am also intrigued to see that my most popular posts, the ones most shared, the ones most read and the ones where people have messaged me directly on social media about are in truth, the ones with the fucks and the shits and the vaginas and the titty references. Those stats do not lie. These same posts are also the ones that have put a spring in my step, the posts when I’ve hit publish, I’ve felt a certain ‘Fuck Yes!’ moment about.

And so after careful consideration I’ve come to my conclusion. I only enjoy my blog when I am being my authentic self. My authentic self likes to swear and isn’t afraid to post about tits and vagina’s.
And so there will continue to be too much swearing on this blog because I fucking love it.

Profanity word count: 21
image source

SARAH ASLETT

MUM, WIFE, WORKER, CAT LOVER. TRUTH IS I'M A SOCIALLY AWKWARD WINE DRINKER WHO WATCHES TOO MUCH GREY'S ANATOMY AND EATS FAR TOO MUCH CAKE.

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