Examples of Inauthenticity

I recently wrote a blog about examples of people who are authentic. The key takeaway is that being authentic does not mean you are “cool” or well-liked. It just means that you present an honest version of yourself, enough so that people believe what you say.

Interestingly enough, I think there is more of a correlation between “likeability” and “inauthenticity.” I say that because when people are disingenuous or clearly not presenting an honest version of themself, it tends to rub people the wrong way. And yet, I would still posit that some of the most inauthentic people on the planet – be it politicians, actors and actresses, musicians, and pop stars – are some of the most popular people we know. You can probably think of a few. All this to say, being inauthentic – while often making people less likeable – sometimes draws a lot of attention to people.

One such example might be Hilaria Baldwin, the wife of Alec Baldwin. Originally born “Hillary” Baldwin and from Boston, MA, she claims to have some Spanish ties. Enough so that she fakes a Spanish accent and changed her name to sound more Spanish-sounding. While in some ways this is not totally surprising given some of the angry outbursts and emotional instability of her husband, it shows a genuine lack of authenticity. And yet, you will find her on Dancing With the Stars, so perhaps feigning to be from Spain has some nice perks.

My next example might be a little surprising because it is arguably one of the most famous people on the planet: LeBron James. Undoubtedly he is one of the best basketball players of all time, and overall seems to be a good person. He has done a lot philanthropically and has generally been an advocate for social justice issues. However, he notoriously backed down to speak about human rights abuses in China, so his penchant for speaking out seems to be directly aligned to how it impacts his global popularity, and ultimately, his wallet. He has pretended to read so many books in interviews that it has actually become an internet meme. He has been controversial at times as a player for something of a “me first” type of attitude and for ostentatiously asking referees to call fouls. This is in stark comparison to his predecessor Michael Jordan, who, despite his own personal flaws, seemed to just make the players around him on his teams better. On the contrary, Jordan seemed to accept whatever team he was on, not forcing his way to other teams, and hardly ever complaining to the referees.

My last example might be more of a personal opinion, but there are others that are quite obvious. For example, Elizabeth Holmes claimed that her company Theranos could run medical tests with just a few drops of blood. She acted like Steve Jobs, wearing black turtlenecks around and even speaking with a deeper voice. The difference between her and Jobs though is that her technology did not work, and she was convicted of fraud. Similarly, we have seen documentaries about the rise and fall of WeWork, or the imprisonment of FyreFest founder Billy McFarland, and we roll our eyes. It makes us wonder if serial entrepreneurs are legitimate or really just full of it.

As you think about this list, it is easy to see how authenticity can be attractive. Whether you are naturally likeable or not, people will always respect you for being intellectually honest. It’s a lesson that is more important than ever in today’s social media age where it is so easy to manipulate or distract people from reality.