Authenticity is one of the hottest buzzwords around.
Why is modern Western culture so obsessed with genuineness and what precisely, is this tendency countering?
If you look deeper at the two main concepts that people merge and confuse with authenticity; originality and integrity, you will quickly understand.
Authenticity as a Cultural Commodity
Authentic is not a noun it’s an adjective.
To be authentic means to be genuine, true, reliable, or accurate. In essence, it describes the alignment between who you say you are and who you demonstrate yourself to be in the greater world. The authenticity of your voice is deeply personal. Authentic self-expression means making your values public and being accountable to uphold those values to a larger audience.
Authenticity as Originality
As you scan feed after feed of similar content on Instagram, you’ll observe people trying to achieve specific, established aesthetics while simultaneously expressing subtle disdain and the desire to distance themselves from them.
You’ll hear people from various social groups state that they are not part of the larger cultural movement they have clearly borrowed or modeled their aesthetic after. Great examples are statements like,
“…I’m not another travel guy…”
“…I’m not your typical a vegan…”
“…I’m not a yoga girl…”
Each of these statements implies that the authors are somehow more, better than, or above others in the same cultural sphere. They attempt to set the individual apart, but they are vague statements that point more to insecurity or arrogance that originality when they are not accompanied by concrete expressions of uniqueness. This is confusing (at best, but often annoying) because the rest of their words and deeds demonstrate that they are, in fact, precisely the things from which they are trying to distinguish themselves.
The Truth About Originality
Let’s begin with the simple truth: we are ALL unique.
Originality is our natural state. No two individuals are alike. This is true across all aspects of an individual from or our biology and memories, to our interests and relationships. Though built from some of the same blocks genetically and culturally, no two of us are put together in quite the same way. Each one of us is distinct with different lifestyles and viewpoints.
We know it is true, so what compels all the not-another-yoga-girls to insist on their uniqueness, while simultaneously discounting the originality of
We are living in such a complicated time. We often call out our uniqueness even though the stuff of daily life and the content in our feeds is made up of subtle variations on the same themes.
Let’s face it, most people like the comfort of conformity. Right now, calling ourselves “authentic” is trendy, while expressing the truly unique parts of ourselves is still scary. When we share the deepest parts of ourselves we face rejection that is so personal and potentially painful, it can seem more comfortable to use buzzwords. In truth, sharing the real and vulnerable parts of ourselves, the singular elements and awkward quirks of our personalities is the bravest and most liberating practice available to us.
Authenticity as Integrity
Another way people often define integrity is as trustworthiness. This includes factors like whether they treat others fairly, fight for causes they believe in, and generally do as they say they will. Also included here is the alignment between one’s life and ideals. An honorable person does not post about how committed they are to the environment and then buy single-use plastic water bottles and dispose of them in a trash can or say they are plant-powered while secretly indulging in bacon.
The opposite of authentic is fake, false, or untrue. Failures of integrity are the quickest way to be perceived as inauthentic.
The Truth about Integrity
Let’s begin with the simple truth: integrity takes a lot of work.
It isn’t for everyone and it isn’t something you set and forget. Integrity is a work in progress, much like life. Sometimes we get it right and feel great, while other times we are forced to make small compromises that, if made too often, will erode our self-esteem and disconnect us from our true selves.
It’s helpful to think of integrity as a practice. As with all the most impactful practices, sometimes we knock it out of the park while other times we fail to do what we should, and we feel defeated. The important thing is that we keep working on it.
In the increasingly online world, we experience increased scrutiny. Demonstrating authentic alignment with our stated values and sharing