I feel like I’m still recovering from authenticity mayhem of the aughts. What does it even mean anymore when people decry an artist as an industry plant? Of course they are! Are we not all being molded by industry and corporations right now?
Enjoyed reading this :0) I think a lot of perceived "inauthenticity" is simply a person changing their mind or becoming interested (dipping their toes in) a new hobby / politic / thought / look / whatever.. in the public eye. Don't think strangers can accurately comment on a person's authenticity, think only that person can reflect on their own. "Authenticity" seems to be something that will look different from an outside perspective as a person grows and changes.
“Temporarily embarrassed influencers” so brilliantly describes it, and it’s hard not to be one when you aspire to be a creative entrepreneur. Great essay, and I don’t even know who Addison Rae is.
Loved your article! However, i'm also of the mind that Addison's rebrand is not a rebrand but just an artist discovering who they are. We are used to pop stars coming straight from the lab ready to be who and what they embody and it seems to me like addy was looking for herself in her first E.P and found herself more with her relationship with charli xcx and the whole gang. i'm really happy for her and looking forward to that new album so much, xx <3
influencer culture & the increased emphasis on self-branding is so exhausting! we are simply not supposed to think about ourselves this much imo. fantastic essay, adds a new & much-needed perspective to a pervasive discussion!
I like a lot of the points in this. I find myself wanting more out of the article, like a nod to some of the part of authenticity that are good too, or something. But yes, it feels good to just acknowledge how things are.
i’m a little disappointed there is no mention of Addison’s conservatism & its contribution to the pushback she’s receiving / resulting in the questioning of her authenticity. it is an oversight considering who she is deliberately marketing to and who she’s hired to do her creative bidding (a team of members from the communities she does not believe in the rights of)
damn. this is kind of like the inverse of this tweet i saw: "Knowing that the isolated self is not more authentic than the performed self, and the truest self is the one that is actively desiring to be anything at all"... also need to reread White Noise like now
i wonder if you're moreso tired of curated relatability than true authenticity. i feel like it's very very difficult to come across people who are genuinely authentic, let alone a brand or an influencer who needs to make money off of their personal brand. in general (and not saying this is u bc idk u), i've noticed that many people are tired of having to see people who create content/music/art as real people. i think many people online, despite all the "authenticity" that's thrown at us, would rather flatten a person down into a "brand" because it's less emotional labor...but i think there's a balance to be found in accepting people's "authenticity" without it becoming too overwhelming, and i think it has a lot to do with having strong boundaries and a strong sense of self. in other words, i think there's a way to benefit from authenticity without becoming overly parasocial, but most can't find that balance...or the ones that can just aren't the type of ppl to make comments on social media. idk this article made me think though.
Let's not act like we're 100% authentic either, because "life is a grand stage so we might as well act our asses off." Everyone has places where they must change masks and lean into a subset of their personality and hide the other aspects of the complexity of being an individual. As human beings we are always constantly masquerading in one form or another. When I approach a stranger and were alone in our isolated convos, at first we attempt to be polite and stick to the most acceptable topics we can. However during our discourse we leave tiny clues and hints to each other than we exist outside of the societal norms and hint to each other that it's safe to pull ur current charade and done another. Only when were surrounded by those we truly care for and trust are we able to let all the posing and posturing fall to the wayside and allow ourselves to discard the many masks we must don to navigate our modern hellscape and survive the endless onslaught of traps, puritan testing, decoys, gotchas, etc. Let us not confuse ourselves into thinking this is a new thing, it's as old as time itself. The only difference is the sheer number of competing camps and the furiousity of the horde and their means to destroy us.
Wrote about individualism last week, felt a similarity in our tone and felt a connection to what Dellilo states, as my own series is called "MISUSE". To be honest, I didn't even know Dellilo just until reading him now in this post, and will definitely check his work.
This was a very interesting read, I dug the first parts greatly
brilliant!! hits the nail on the head of the culture currently - sometimes artifice is more truthful than authenticity
I feel like I’m still recovering from authenticity mayhem of the aughts. What does it even mean anymore when people decry an artist as an industry plant? Of course they are! Are we not all being molded by industry and corporations right now?
I love “authenticity mayhem”
Enjoyed reading this :0) I think a lot of perceived "inauthenticity" is simply a person changing their mind or becoming interested (dipping their toes in) a new hobby / politic / thought / look / whatever.. in the public eye. Don't think strangers can accurately comment on a person's authenticity, think only that person can reflect on their own. "Authenticity" seems to be something that will look different from an outside perspective as a person grows and changes.
“Temporarily embarrassed influencers” so brilliantly describes it, and it’s hard not to be one when you aspire to be a creative entrepreneur. Great essay, and I don’t even know who Addison Rae is.
Loved your article! However, i'm also of the mind that Addison's rebrand is not a rebrand but just an artist discovering who they are. We are used to pop stars coming straight from the lab ready to be who and what they embody and it seems to me like addy was looking for herself in her first E.P and found herself more with her relationship with charli xcx and the whole gang. i'm really happy for her and looking forward to that new album so much, xx <3
influencer culture & the increased emphasis on self-branding is so exhausting! we are simply not supposed to think about ourselves this much imo. fantastic essay, adds a new & much-needed perspective to a pervasive discussion!
"we are simply not supposed to think about ourselves this much" could also apply to therapy
Can't say that I agree with this. Yes, at this point you'll never be 100% unique and authentic, but you can still be earnest and genuine! Come on!
the sauceeeeee!
Addison is verryyyy American Style to me
She is the number one Style Star
I like a lot of the points in this. I find myself wanting more out of the article, like a nod to some of the part of authenticity that are good too, or something. But yes, it feels good to just acknowledge how things are.
i’m a little disappointed there is no mention of Addison’s conservatism & its contribution to the pushback she’s receiving / resulting in the questioning of her authenticity. it is an oversight considering who she is deliberately marketing to and who she’s hired to do her creative bidding (a team of members from the communities she does not believe in the rights of)
damn. this is kind of like the inverse of this tweet i saw: "Knowing that the isolated self is not more authentic than the performed self, and the truest self is the one that is actively desiring to be anything at all"... also need to reread White Noise like now
i wonder if you're moreso tired of curated relatability than true authenticity. i feel like it's very very difficult to come across people who are genuinely authentic, let alone a brand or an influencer who needs to make money off of their personal brand. in general (and not saying this is u bc idk u), i've noticed that many people are tired of having to see people who create content/music/art as real people. i think many people online, despite all the "authenticity" that's thrown at us, would rather flatten a person down into a "brand" because it's less emotional labor...but i think there's a balance to be found in accepting people's "authenticity" without it becoming too overwhelming, and i think it has a lot to do with having strong boundaries and a strong sense of self. in other words, i think there's a way to benefit from authenticity without becoming overly parasocial, but most can't find that balance...or the ones that can just aren't the type of ppl to make comments on social media. idk this article made me think though.
Do you listen to Sixteenth Minute of fame with Jamie Loftus? She did a whole series on brands on social media (ex. Duolingo Owl).
Also:
Overturn Citizens United
Let's not act like we're 100% authentic either, because "life is a grand stage so we might as well act our asses off." Everyone has places where they must change masks and lean into a subset of their personality and hide the other aspects of the complexity of being an individual. As human beings we are always constantly masquerading in one form or another. When I approach a stranger and were alone in our isolated convos, at first we attempt to be polite and stick to the most acceptable topics we can. However during our discourse we leave tiny clues and hints to each other than we exist outside of the societal norms and hint to each other that it's safe to pull ur current charade and done another. Only when were surrounded by those we truly care for and trust are we able to let all the posing and posturing fall to the wayside and allow ourselves to discard the many masks we must don to navigate our modern hellscape and survive the endless onslaught of traps, puritan testing, decoys, gotchas, etc. Let us not confuse ourselves into thinking this is a new thing, it's as old as time itself. The only difference is the sheer number of competing camps and the furiousity of the horde and their means to destroy us.
Been thinking a lot about why authenticity is overwhelming after reading this.
Ultimately, I think being invested in the deep inner workings of someone in a parasocial relationship is exhausting, particularly at scale.
I’m not supposed to know 1,000 random people’s problems. We’re simply not built for this.
https://louchinta.substack.com/p/misusing-individualism
Wrote about individualism last week, felt a similarity in our tone and felt a connection to what Dellilo states, as my own series is called "MISUSE". To be honest, I didn't even know Dellilo just until reading him now in this post, and will definitely check his work.
This was a very interesting read, I dug the first parts greatly