What is Authenticity?

A lot is made of bringing your authentic self to work. Yet, as Sly Stallone observed, “Halloween is the only time people can become what they want to be without getting fired.”

Take a look at the story of author A.J. Jacobs’s rejection of social norms in his supposed quest for authenticity:

“The author A. J. Jacobs spent a few weeks trying to be totally authentic. He announced to an editor that he would try to sleep with her if he were single and informed his nanny that he would like to go on a date with her if his wife left him. He informed a friend’s 5-year-old daughter that the beetle in her hands was not napping but dead. He told his in-laws that their conversation was boring.”  You can imagine how his experiment worked out.

Authenticity is great in the right context, say if you’re looking to buy a genuine Rolex or Picasso, but it would be unthinkable to go into a job interview saying “My palms are sweating, I’m not sure if I’m qualified and I borrowed this suit.” though it would be an authentic response in many cases.

Similarly, bringing your whole unfiltered self into polite society may well leave your colleagues and loved ones scratching their heads. 

To call yourself inauthentic for trying to present the best version of yourself seems unfair. Though telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is helpful in a court of law, it can be a kindness to let social interactions run more smoothly especially when dealing with matters of the heart.