Congratulations on having an authentic life. You photograph beautiful people professionally or made a career out of designing pretty letterpress projects. I’m so jealous and impressed that you’ve found a way to transition your lifestyle blog from a hobby into a full time job. That’s pretty dang authentic. Plus, your kids dress better than me and your dog has more followers on Instagram than I do.
What about the rest of us? Is the man who is working as a janitor to put food on the table for his family of five living inauthentically? What about the line cook that works nights and weekends to give you that beautifully-plated farm-to-table experience?
Am I inauthentic because I work in a hospital and don’t make a living creating beautiful things? There’s a difference between celebrating the beautiful things in life and having a superiority complex. Folk Magazine, the party responsible for starting this campaign, has crossed the line.
How many of our Instagram feeds tell the whole story anyway? If you looked at my feed, you would think all I do is spend weekends in wine country, go to the beach with my husband and our puppy and check out the social scene in San Francisco with my girlfriends. Guess what? That is such a small part of my reality, it’s about as inauthentic as it gets. My authentic life is long work days (and nights) taking care of some of the sickest children in Northern California. It’s trying not to get peed on at well child checks, navigating the dynamics of challenging and stressed out families and trying to find the time to go to the bathroom once during a 14 hour work day. Brunch is my exception, not my rule.
This whole “authentic life” business puts a bad taste in my mouth because it’s invalidating people that do the necessary jobs that allow others to do creative, beautiful things. The farmers, the factory workers, the clerks and the security guards. These hardworking people are just as authentic as people who dance in wheat fields at sunset wearing Free People and a flower crown in their hair.
Some things I’m loving from around the web…
Please protect yourself and take a moment and read this article about protecting your privacy online.
It’s not too late to sign up for this intensive food styling course from the creators of White on Rice.
Hey San Franciscans, check out our free museum days here!
Things you’ll never hear San Franciscans Say
Choosing a good olive oil.
Ace these top 10 interview questions.
My tips for summer-ready legs.
Poppy Delevingne’s Marrakech wedding is making me wistful for my own Moroccan honeymoon.
These decoupage floral vases are next on my DIY list.
Thanks so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Twitter, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts (see sidebar).
100% yes. Thank you for this post! I don’t expect people to post about the crappy things in life (I don’t) but I do feel like people present such a stylized version of their life that nobody can live up to.
Also, thanks for taking care of those sick kids! That is living authentically 🙂
You’re so sweet Alicia! Thanks so much.
I owe so much to doctors, nurses and paramedics, they’ve all done outstanding jobs and kept me mostly calm. I had gallbladder surgery four years ago and I had complete confidence in my surgeon and her team due to their confidence and empathy. Same with the nurses taking care of me after my surgery.
I sprained my ankle last year and the paramedics (including the student paramedic) kept me calm and distracted. The nurses and doctors were amazing as well.
People take for granted people like this everyday, but not me. I wish there was a way that I could say a massive thank you to every person that’s helped me in my local hospital. Those people are not living inauthentically, they’re living very authentic, important lives. Saving lives, helping people feel better and offering compassion and empathy to those in pain and afraid is the most authentic thing I can think of.
Thank you, Kelly. I can’t say enough to doctors, nurses, and paramedics that you all are important and that your hard work is appreciated.
Julie – Thank you so much for your comment. I am so glad that a painful and potentially scary situation turned out so well. I think the nurses are especially memorable in any hospital stay I’ve had. They take the time to offer compassion and empathy in a way that has really stuck with me and I try to emulate. Thank you.
totally agree with this – thanks much for representing this view!
Awesome Thanks for commenting!
Love all your friday favs – I was totally eyeing those decoupage floral vases too!
Craft night? I would love to do a flea market trip and then decoupage them!