The imprecision of ‘authenticity’ conceals class hierarchies in aspirational labor

Evidence

As other scholars have argued of the productive slipperiness of the “authenticity” ideal, I contend such conceptual imprecision enables bloggers to deploy these terms in ways that resonate with their ever-shifting allegiances—to themselves, to their audiences, to their advertisers, and to members of the public who celebrate them for wresting power from fashion’s old guard. However, it is this same imprecision that veils the problematic hierarchies configuring the aspirational labor market, including inequalities of social and economic capital. Indeed, appeals to “realness” were often structured through a middle-class sensibility—regardless of the aspirational laborers’ own social class standing. Those in privileged positions seemed to veil their existing reserves of social and economic capital by sifting through various constructions of “ordinariness” or “relatability” that aligned with elements of their social media personae. While it’s perhaps expected that well-to-do families bankroll their aspiring social media mavens, this trend helps to expose the fissures and ruptures in the narrative of digitally enabled meritocracy. The investments of time, energy, and money exacted of aspirants leave the playing field highly uneven. Such findings challenge existing articulations of fashion bloggers as “ordinary consumers”—defined as “individuals lacking professional experience and not holding an institutional or family position.” — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love, 357

Categorization

• SEED: Encapsulates the book’s pivotal critique of meritocracy narratives and undercuts the ‘ordinary consumer’ claim in direct, quotable terms.
• XREF: connects to: Successful bloggers can become unwitting advertisers posing as authentic people — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 300; Perceived fakeness of curated style blogs drove some bloggers to quit — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 298; Authenticity functions as an exclusions tool guarding cultural production — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 273 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Authenticity functions as an exclusions tool guarding cultural production #expands (0.85) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 273
• Authenticity judgments are shifting from origin to method of production #qualifies (0.75) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 274
• Authenticity as full self-identity is impossible because iterability makes self-presence unattainable in principle #complicates (0.75) — Donna Landry and Gerald MacLean, The Spivak Reader, 767