Co-opted by brands and corporations, has authenticity become an empty fantasy? Where can you find the ‘real you’? How can we have authentic relationships in a world of inequality? Does authenticity mean the same thing for everyone? 

We have long been obsessed with the authentic. 50 years after the Existentialists expounded the dangers of bad faith, self-help entreaties to ‘be true to yourself’ join a torrent of brands proclaiming themselves the ‘real deal’. Yet living authentically is far from simple. As Sartre said, “If you seek authenticity for authenticity’s sake you are no longer authentic.

What does it mean to ‘be oneself’? Does authenticity promise fulfilment? And in a world where #nofilter selfies are posted for likes and plain-speaking politicians trade re-tweets for votes, is being ‘real’ a sham?