The transformation of personal branding into a deeply-rooted American belief system
In her new book, "Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to Kardashian," Tara Isabella Burton delves into the evolution of self-creation as a cultural norm, tracing its origins back to religious roots and its transformation into a phenomenon deeply embedded in capitalist culture.
Originally, the idea of self-creation was tied to religious notions of the soul and identity, where individuals saw themselves as crafted or made by divine forces, emphasizing the spiritual formation and moral cultivation of the self. Religious frameworks often viewed identity as something to be revealed or refined according to divine principles, rather than manufactured or invented by the individual.
However, over time, with the rise of modernity, secularization, and the weakening of explicit religious authority, this notion transformed significantly. The self began to be seen more as a project for individuals to actively construct and manage their own identity, a shift that coincided with growing cultural emphasis on autonomy and personal agency.
In modern capitalist culture, this idea of self-creation has further evolved into the practice of self-branding—where the self becomes a kind of product or brand to market. This reflects broader capitalist logics that equate value with entrepreneurialism, visibility, and commodification. The ethos of individualism integral to capitalism encourages people not only to discover but to manufacture their identities in ways that enhance social capital, economic opportunity, and cultural influence.
Figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Kim Kardashian, highlighted in Burton's book, symbolize this trajectory—from Renaissance polymath to modern celebrity entrepreneur—showing how identities are crafted, performed, and monetized in different historical contexts.
Burton also discusses the underlying message of these self-help books, which is that if you dream it, you can have it, intensifying the idea that what it means to be human is to create ourselves. She argues that this idea has its roots in the self-help spiritualist movement known as New Thought, which emerged in the second half of the 19th century in the United States, playing a significant role in the fusion of self-making and self-creation with religion.
The book traces the development of the idea that certain individuals who can create their own destinies or public personas are considered demigods, from the Renaissance to the present day. Interestingly, Burton points out that this belief is not specific to the U.S., but it's in the second half of the 19th century that it gets fused with the self-help spiritualist movement.
The concept of self-creation and self-branding in today's society is not just something individuals do, but something they sell. For instance, in a poll, 80% of Gen Z said they would be willing to post on social media for money. Additionally, restaurants and bars in New York City, and elsewhere, are created for social media purposes, focusing on visually exciting meals for TikTok.
However, Burton expresses concern about the idea that experiences exist to create content, rather than the other way around. She also believes that the next ethos of specialness could be the people who unplug from technology.
Moreover, Burton sees Donald Trump as an inheritor of both the Nietzschean tradition of the Ubermensch and the P.T. Barnum humbug tradition. She links the doctrine of self-creation to the rise of fascist leaders like Hitler and Mussolini, as it can foster the belief that some people are better than others and should wield power over others.
The influencer economy today is a natural extension of the need to build personal brands and commodify oneself. Burton's book serves as a thought-provoking exploration of the interplay between cultural, religious, and economic forces shaping our understanding of identity today.
- Tara Isabella Burton's new book, "Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to Kardashian," delves into the relationship between self-creation and history.
- In her book, Burton demonstrates how self-creation, once tied to the spiritual formation and moral cultivation of the self, has evolved into a capitalist practice of self-branding.
- The ethos of autonomy and personal agency in modern culture encourages individuals to not only discover but manufacture their identities, sometimes even selling them.
- With growing societal emphasis on entrepreneurialism and cultural influence, figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Kim Kardashian serve as examples of crafted, performed, and monetized identities across different eras.
- The rise of self-help books reinforces the idea that what it means to be human is to create ourselves, with roots in the self-help spiritualist movement called New Thought.
- Burton critiques the influencer economy, expressing concern over the notion that experiences are created to generate content, rather than the reverse.
- The concept of self-creation and self-branding can be seen in various aspects of our current lifestyle, such as the 80% of Gen Z who are willing to post on social media for money.
- Restaurants and bars focusing on visually exciting meals for social media platforms like TikTok demonstrate the commodification of self-presentation in the fashion-and-beauty realm.
- Burton warns against the potential dangers of the self-creation model, linking it to the rise of fascist leaders like Hitler and Mussolini, who foster beliefs of superiority among individuals.
- The idea of self-creation has seeped into pop-culture, general news, and even politics, increasing the visibility and influence of personal-growth strategies in policy-and-legislation, crime-and-justice, and entertainment discussions.
