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I envy the joyful brightness of people on social media, their bubbly exteriors. Yes, I’ve heard it before: it is not always real. They might be hiding a desperately depressed self behind the scenes. Well then, I envy at least their ability to marshal their energies enough to put on that mask.
I don’t have such energies. The energy I do have I must reserve for deadlines, potential fires to put out, paid work, meetings and classes, to maintain a bare minimum semblance of order in my house.
I look at people sharing their days, their lives, and I wonder at their ability to make every little daily task look glamorous. They call it authenticity. Being yourself. Showing up without makeup, with your hair in a messy bun, sometimes even in your pajamas. But there is an aesthetic to it.
Perhaps they call it “authenticity” because it is self-curated aesthetic: you pick the bits to show, even if they supposedly are not your best. You sweating through your workout. You speaking your mind and “keeping it real”, even if some people “get offended”. You being silly as you lip sync to a song you love.
I have been told countless times that this is the way to make content in order to attract clients. I have been told that people will relate, that my message will “resonate”. This is how you build a brand: with silly unicorn filters and…